4YFN (4 Years From Now) 2027 – Barcelona, Spain

What to expect

4YFN (4 Years From Now) is an international startup and innovation event organised by GSMA and held alongside MWC Barcelona. It brings together founders, startups, scaleups, investors, venture capital firms, corporate innovators, technology leaders, universities, media and other members of the global technology ecosystem.

The event is designed around practical business outcomes rather than technology showcases alone. Startups can use the platform to demonstrate products, meet investors, find customers, develop partnerships and gain international visibility. Investors can discover emerging companies and investment opportunities, while corporates can identify technologies, startups and potential strategic partners.

The 2027 edition is built around the theme “Powering Startups”, with the organiser positioning 4YFN as a place where founders raising capital, investors looking for new opportunities and corporates seeking innovation can meet in one ecosystem. The organiser’s current 2027 information lists more than 1,000 startups and exhibitors, 300+ speakers, 260+ hours of content, 260+ startup pitches, investors representing more than $70 billion in funds and more than 700 curated meetings.

Key elements of the experience include:

• Startup exhibition: Discover technology companies, products, prototypes and emerging business models.
• Investor networking: Connect founders with venture capitalists, corporate investors and other funding sources.
• Conference content: Hear from founders, investors, technology executives and innovation leaders.
• Startup pitches: Watch companies present their products and business propositions to investors and industry audiences.
• 4YFN Awards: Follow one of the event’s most important startup competitions.
• Corporate innovation: Explore collaborations between established companies and emerging technology businesses.
• Meeting spaces: Arrange targeted meetings using the event’s digital networking tools.

The event is particularly useful for founders who want to move beyond general exposure and focus on fundraising, partnerships, customer acquisition and international growth.

Event dates

4YFN 2027 will take place from 1–4 March 2027 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. The event is co-located with MWC Barcelona, creating a combined technology ecosystem that attracts startups, investors, corporates, telecom companies, media and technology professionals.

The official Fira de Barcelona calendar also lists 4YFN at the Gran Via venue for these dates.

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Venue & exhibition site

4YFN 2027 will be held at Fira de Barcelona – Gran Via, the major exhibition complex in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, immediately outside central Barcelona.

The principal venue address is:

Fira Gran Via
Av. Joan Carles I, 64
08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
Barcelona, Spain

The dedicated 4YFN entrance is located at the north side of the venue near Hall 8, with the organiser identifying C/ Foc 37, 08038 Barcelona for the 4YFN entrance.

The location is approximately 10 kilometres from Barcelona Airport and is well connected to the city’s metro, rail, bus and taxi networks. Its location alongside MWC Barcelona also places 4YFN within one of Europe’s largest concentrations of technology companies, investors and business visitors.

Full event programme

The complete 2027 programme is still being developed, but the organiser has already opened its speaker application process and is building the conference content around founders, investors, innovators and technology leaders. The speaker application process is scheduled to continue through the published submission period, with selected speakers being briefed ahead of the event.

The programme is expected to combine:

• Keynotes: High-level talks from technology, investment and entrepreneurship leaders.
• Fireside chats: Informal discussions focused on company building, innovation and market development.
• Panels: Multiple speakers examining emerging technologies and business challenges.
• Workshops: Practical sessions for founders and innovation professionals.
• Startup pitches: Short presentations designed to demonstrate products and business opportunities.
• Investor sessions: Content aimed at founders and investment professionals.
• Partner programmes: Special sessions delivered by ecosystem partners.
• Networking activities: Meetings, roundtables, mentoring, meetups and social networking.
• Awards programme: Startup competition activities leading to the 4YFN Awards final.

The organiser describes the programme as a combination of keynotes, panels and fireside chats, while the wider 4YFN experience also includes workshops, dedicated investor areas and targeted matchmaking.

Key speakers & keynote speakers

The 2027 speaker lineup is already beginning to take shape. The official 4YFN speaker page currently highlights technology founders, investors, analysts and senior executives who are being associated with the 2027 programme.

Notable names currently listed include:

• Pedro Duque: President of Hispasat and astronaut.
• Elisenda Bou Balust: Co-Founder and CEO of Cala.
• Lukas Saari: CEO and Co-Founder of Tandem Health.
• Azeem Azhar: Founder of Exponential View.
• Carmen Palacios-Berraquero: Founder and CEO of Nu Quantum.
• Rodrigo Liang: Co-Founder and CEO of SambaNova.
• Benedict Evans: Technology analyst.
• Caroline Chayot: Partner at Atomico.
• Rob Moffat: General Partner at Balderton.
• Jesse Zhang: Co-Founder and CEO of Decagon AI.
• Hendrik Brandis: Founding Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital.
• Cristina Fonseca: General Partner at Indico Capital Partners.
• Enrique Lizaso: CEO of Multiverse Computing.
• Daniel Hulme: Chief AI Officer at WPP.
• Martin Kon: President Emeritus at Cohere.

The speaker list is subject to further additions and changes as the conference programme develops.

Conference sessions & tracks

4YFN’s programme covers a broad range of startup and technology subjects, with particular attention to technologies capable of creating new markets or transforming established industries.

The 2027 Awards structure identifies five core areas:

• Climate Tech: Technology addressing climate change, environmental resilience and sustainable development.
• Connectivity: Technologies advancing telecommunications and connected ecosystems.
• Digital Horizons: Breakthrough digital technologies and transformation of traditional industries.
• Fintech: Digital solutions transforming financial and insurance services.
• Health Tech: Digital health, AI healthcare, biotech, diagnostics, clinical innovation and medtech.

These five areas are also the categories used for the 4YFN Awards competition.

The wider conference programme can extend beyond these categories to areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, gaming, corporate innovation, founders, investors, universities and spin-offs.

The emphasis is increasingly on turning technology into scalable businesses. Sessions therefore examine not only what a technology can do but also how startups can commercialise it, secure investment, find customers and expand internationally.

Session times & schedule

The detailed 2027 session-by-session schedule has not yet been fully published. The organiser’s 2027 speaker call confirms that the programme is actively being curated, while the official 4YFN platform provides an agenda system for organising sessions and meetings.

A typical visit can include:

• Morning keynote presentations
• Founder and investor panels
• Startup demonstrations
• Pitching sessions
• Workshops
• Investor meetings
• Partner programmes
• Fireside conversations
• Roundtables
• Mentoring sessions
• Networking meetups

The event app and online dashboard are important tools for planning a visit. The platform allows attendees to create personalised schedules, follow exhibitors and speakers, discover connections and organise meetings.

Visitors should build their schedule around priority meetings first, then add conference sessions and demonstrations around those appointments.

Ticket types & registration

The 2027 ticket pricing has not yet been fully published. As a reference, the latest official 4YFN attendee pricing lists an Attendee Pass at approximately $468 including VAT, based on the organiser’s published price converted to USD. The same official pricing lists an Investor Pass at approximately $1,288 including VAT and a VIP Pass at approximately $1,522 including VAT. These are previous-edition reference prices and should not be treated as confirmed 2027 prices.

The principal pass categories include:

• Attendee Pass: Intended for founders, startups, scaleups, SMEs, consultants and innovation professionals.
• Investor Pass: Designed for investors seeking targeted investment opportunities and connections with the startup ecosystem.
• VIP Pass: Provides premium access, exclusive networking environments and additional MWC access.
• Exhibitor / Partner Staff: For companies exhibiting or participating as partners.
• Speaker: For approved speakers participating in the official programme.
• Press / Analyst: Subject to the organiser’s accreditation criteria.

The latest Attendee Pass provides access to the 4YFN exhibition, networking activities and selected MWC exhibition access, while Investor and VIP options provide additional benefits.

Registration deadlines

General attendee registration deadlines for 2027 have not been announced as a fixed final date.

The organiser does, however, require attendees to complete online registration and identity validation before arriving at the venue. The registration FAQ states that onsite registration facilities are not provided, meaning visitors should not rely on completing the process after reaching the exhibition centre.

For the 4YFN Awards, the organiser has already published a separate application deadline. Startup applicants must follow the official Awards rules and submit their entries within the stated application period. The 2027 Awards process then selects a Top 20 across the five categories before progressing to finalists and the winner.

Speaker applications also have their own deadline, which is separate from visitor registration.

Exhibitor list & major companies

The final 2027 exhibitor catalogue is still developing. The organiser currently promotes more than 1,000 startups and exhibitors as a key part of the 4YFN ecosystem, with companies ranging from early-stage startups to scaleups, SMEs, corporates, universities and innovation organisations.

The wider 4YFN ecosystem has included organisations and companies such as:

• AstraZeneca
• AWS Startups
• Wayra
• ESADE
• GSMA Foundry
• ICEX
• ACCIO
• MWC
• Bcombinator

The current corporate participation platform also highlights companies and organisations such as AstraZeneca, AWS Startups, ESADE, Wayra, GSMA Foundry and ICEX among its ecosystem partners and participants.

Recent startup exhibitors have included technology companies such as AIM Intelligence, Kreios Space, Flomics Biotech, NeuralTrust, OptAI and Tensor Medical, demonstrating the event’s breadth across AI, cybersecurity, space technology, healthcare, deep tech and other fields.

Exhibition halls & floor plan

4YFN’s exhibition areas are centred around Halls 8.0 and 8.1 at Fira Gran Via, with Hall 8.0 serving as the 4YFN and Partner District and Hall 8.1 dedicated to 4YFN exhibition activity.

The exhibition environment is organised to support several types of interaction:

• Startup demonstration areas
• Country and regional pavilions
• Partner districts
• Investor areas
• Meeting spaces
• Networking areas
• Conference stages
• Startup pitching areas

The exact 2027 floor plan and individual stand assignments have not yet been fully released.

The organiser’s digital platform is particularly useful for locating exhibitors and planning meetings because startup profiles can include company information, products, sectors, country, growth stage and stand location.

Networking & business meetings

Networking is one of the central reasons to attend 4YFN. The event is structured to connect founders with investors, corporate buyers, innovation teams and other entrepreneurs rather than relying solely on traditional exhibition traffic.

The organiser reports more than 700 curated meetings for the upcoming edition, with more than 60% of these meetings being between startups and investors. The wider ecosystem represents investors with more than $70 billion in funds.

Networking opportunities include:

• Meeting Hub: Dedicated space for professional meetings.
• Investor connections: Targeted introductions between startups and investment professionals.
• Roundtables: Smaller discussions designed around specific interests.
• Mentoring: Opportunities for founders to receive advice from experienced professionals.
• Meetups: Informal networking around common technology and business interests.
• Happy hours: Social networking opportunities.
• App matchmaking: Digital tools for identifying and contacting relevant participants.

The event’s networking dashboard allows attendees to find contacts, follow exhibitors and speakers, schedule meetings and create personalised agendas.

Industry sectors & highlights

4YFN covers a broad technology landscape, with the 2027 Awards highlighting five particularly important sectors.

Climate Tech: Startups develop technologies addressing environmental resilience, climate impact, energy and sustainable systems.

Connectivity: Companies focus on telecommunications, connected devices, network technologies and the infrastructure supporting digital communication.

Digital Horizons: This broad category covers emerging technologies and digital transformation across traditional industries and markets.

Fintech: Startups develop technology for financial services, insurance, payments, financial inclusion and digital finance.

Health Tech: The sector includes AI healthcare, diagnostics, biotech, digital therapeutics, medtech and technologies improving healthcare delivery.

Additional areas visible across the wider 4YFN ecosystem include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, gaming, enterprise software, mobility, big data, cloud services, digital identity, e-commerce, education, IoT, social innovation and university spin-offs.

The event is therefore relevant not only to technology founders but also to investors and corporations searching for innovations that can be integrated into existing businesses.

Event rules & visitor information

4YFN uses a digital access system and attendees need an active Digital Access Pass to enter the venue. Registration and identity validation must be completed before arrival.

Important visitor requirements include:

• Online registration: Complete registration before travelling to the venue.
• Identity verification: Valid identification is required for the registration and verification process.
• Digital Access Pass: The QR-based digital pass is required for venue entry.
• Dedicated entrance: 4YFN pass holders should use the dedicated north entrance beside Hall 8.
• Networking badge: A separate networking badge can be used for identification and networking functions but does not replace the Digital Access Pass for venue entry.
• Mobile access: Visitors should ensure their phone remains charged because the digital pass is required for access.

The organiser also provides an event app that can be used for networking, schedules, meetings and access to the digital pass.

International visitors should check Spanish visa requirements well in advance. The organiser can provide visa support documentation through the registration system after the relevant registration requirements have been completed.

How to get there

Fira Gran Via is located in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, immediately southwest of central Barcelona.

The venue is approximately 10 kilometres from Barcelona-El Prat Airport, making it relatively accessible for international visitors.

The dedicated 4YFN entrance is on the north side of the complex near Hall 8. Visitors should follow the 4YFN signage rather than assuming that all entrances serve every type of pass.

From central Barcelona, visitors can use metro, suburban rail, bus or taxi services. The venue’s location near major roads also makes it accessible by car, although public transport is generally more practical during major exhibition periods.

Public transport & parking

Public transport provides several practical options for reaching Fira Gran Via.

• Metro: Europa/Fira and Fira stations provide access to the Gran Via exhibition area.
• FGC: Europa/Fira offers a connection with the regional rail network.
• Bus: Several metropolitan bus routes serve the exhibition district.
• Taxi: Barcelona’s taxi network provides direct access to the venue.
• Airport connections: Barcelona-El Prat is connected to the city and exhibition district through public transport and taxi services.

Fira Gran Via has extensive parking infrastructure, but spaces can become highly sought after during major technology exhibitions.

Visitors staying in central Barcelona may find public transport more convenient than driving because of congestion around the exhibition district.

Accommodation areas

The most convenient accommodation options are around L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Plaza Europa and the Gran Via business district.

L’Hospitalet de Llobregat: This is the closest general accommodation area to the exhibition venue and provides modern hotels with straightforward access to Fira Gran Via.

Plaza Europa: A strong option for business visitors who want to remain close to the exhibition centre while maintaining good transport connections.

Sants: The area around Barcelona Sants railway station provides numerous hotels and convenient rail and metro connections.

Eixample: Suitable for visitors who want to combine business meetings with Barcelona’s central restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

Poble-sec: This neighbourhood is relatively close to the exhibition area and offers restaurants, bars and accommodation in a more local setting.

International attendees should consider booking accommodation early because major technology events can significantly increase demand for hotels across Barcelona.

Previous year’s highlights

The previous editions demonstrate how quickly 4YFN has expanded into a major international startup platform.

The 2025 edition attracted more than 1,000 startups and contributed to more than 109,000 combined MWC Barcelona and 4YFN attendees. More than 900 investors were represented, with approximately $65 billion in investment funds, while the event recorded more than 800 curated meetings and more than 350 startup pitches.

The programme placed particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and its impact on business and society. The organiser reported that approximately 60% of participating startups were using AI in their business models, with around 30% making AI central to their value proposition.

The following edition continued to expand the exhibition and conference ecosystem, with more than 1,000 startup exhibitors, hundreds of speakers and major participation from investors and technology companies. The programme included multiple stages, startup pitches, investor activity, networking and specialist tracks.

The 4YFN Awards have also become a major highlight. The competition gives selected startups exhibition opportunities, exposure to investors and media, and the opportunity to pitch before a high-level investor audience.

Official registration & tickets

The official 4YFN website is the primary source for registration, pass availability, speaker announcements, exhibitor information, programme updates and the 4YFN Awards.

Official 4YFN website (https://www.4yfn.com/)

The organiser currently provides a 2027 “Register Your Interest” system for people who want updates about speakers, Awards, schedules, networking and other opportunities.

For professional attendees, it is advisable to complete registration and identity validation before travelling to Barcelona because the organiser’s registration FAQ states that onsite registration facilities are not available.

The official website should also be used to confirm the final 2027 ticket prices because the reference prices above come from the latest published edition and are not confirmed 2027 rates.