4YFN, one of the world’s most important conferences for startups in the mobile and digital ecosystem, is set to hold its seventh edition, from 28 February to 3 March. With more than 700 exhibitors and an expected attendance of 20,000 professionals, including 1,000 investors, 4YFN – which was born along with the Mobile World Congress – aims to highlight innovation and technological creativity, and brings together under one roof entrepreneurs, investors, companies, public institutions and event organisers, to whom it offers personalised networking activities, technical skills workshops, talks, connectivity tools and innovation programmes to promote the good health of the tech industry.
The Government of Catalonia will be present at the Barcelona show through its Innovation and Digital Culture Department and the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) with a stand that, under its internationalisation brand Catalan Arts, is available to Catalan digital culture companies to promote their international visibility.
Among the 14 companies hosted at the Ministry’s stand 6C1 are online game and video game studios and developers, platforms for the development and/or recommendation of audiovisual content, startups specialising in transmedia and monetisation of digital content, companies that leverage the latest technologies for music dissemination, developers of educational apps and also a platform that aims to encourage art collecting. The list of companies is as follows:
1. 2Awesome Studio: an independent studio and publisher specialised in portability and quality game development.
2. Antidote: an all-in-one gaming platform for studios and players.
3. Arspect: a marketplace that offers a dynamic, personalised experience through art rental.
4. Aulart: the leading EdTech platform for the contemporary music industry.
5. Coeli Platform: a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to document, manage and publish heritage collections.
6. Col·lectiu Cultura : a platform to connect people, institutions and businesses in nonmetropolitan areas.
7. EDvidence: an incubation ecosystem for EdTech startups and other educational initiatives that combine university research with training in business innovation.
8. GameBCN: Barcelona’s global incubation programme, which helps video game studios professionalise their production and maximise their business opportunities.
9. La Tempesta: a company that designs and produces new formats and innovative experiences in culture and heritage through digital creativity.
10. Messcellany: interdisciplinary company specialised in the production of projects that combine new arts and multimedia technologies with the performing arts.
11. myStage: a digital platform for the management and promotion of the performing arts and live music sector that brings together artists, programmers and audiences.
12. OffBeat: a global community of music lovers. A space where fans can create a musical identity that defines them through the digital worlds.
13. Unison: the first private and for-profit music copyright management operator in Spain and one of the three pioneers in Europe.
14. WindowSight: a streaming platform for showcasing visual art on television while supporting artists and providing an accessible, affordable art experience.
These companies will be able to show the professionals attending 4YFN their products and services, reflecting the various cultural applications of the most innovative technologies and the leading role of Catalan cultural startups in the fields of research, entrepreneurship and knowledge. 4YFN offers them a great opportunity to gain visibility and to establish international connections with potential partners and investors from around the world, and the Catalan Arts stand offers meeting spaces that allow them to explore opportunities in technological cooperation and R&D in different sectors and on an international scale.
At the same time, at the same stand, ICEC technicians will present the Ministry of Culture’s support policies and financial instruments for creative companies and will work to act as a link between international professionals and Catalan startups. In addition, to further publicise their participation, a startup booklethas been published.
As part of the fair, on Thursday 3 March a pitch session which will talk about new business models in the cultural digital market and a talk which will discuss how Catalonia has become a leader in attracting talent and creating video games. The session will take place between 10.00 and 11.30 am, and during the first part, moderated by cultural innovation consultant. Antonella Broglia, the companies Antidote Aulart, OffBeat, Unison and WindowSight will make their pitches. These companies have obtained a Digital Participatory Loan, the financial aid launched by the Ministry of Culture seven years ago, through the ICEC, to help create startups in the field of digital culture.
After the pitching session, the Association of Video Game Developers and Publishers (Devicat) will host a debate with Alexandra Samper Martínez (Tecnocampus – UPF), Oscar Sahun (GameBCN), Pasqual Batalla (Socialpoint) which will discuss the current talent in Catalonia and the wide variety of training offered to young people.
Participation in 4YFN is part of the Ministry of Culture’s strategy to boost the growth and acceleration of Catalan startups in the cultural sector, contributing to their positioning and international exposure and putting them in touch with investors from all over the world. A strategy that combines acceleration programmes, individualised advice, and support for international fairs and events such as the 4YFN.
