Qilimanjaro Triumphs at 4YFN Awards 2024 as 4YFN Scales Toward 'Infinite AI' for 2026

Brussels, February 28th 2024

Summary

›Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech won the 4YFN Awards at MWC Barcelona 2024 and received a €20,000 prize plus exhibition and speaking opportunities.
›The 4YFN Awards jury included investors from Earlybird, All Iron Ventures, Woven Capital, Elaia Partners and corporate VC at SK Telecom.
›Finalists included Bitsensing, Mica AI Medical, Ocean Econstructures and Whispp, all shortlisted from the 4YFN Top 50 list.
›4YFN marked its tenth anniversary in 2024 and is evolving into a larger, AI-centric platform for founders, investors and corporates ahead of 4YFN26.
›4YFN26 will run 2 to 5 March 2026 at Fira Gran Via Hall 8 with the headline theme Infinite AI and ten curated tracks across health, fintech, cybersecurity and more.
›Event metrics underscore scale but highlight the persistent challenge of turning visibility into sustained commercial scale for deep tech startups.

Qilimanjaro Wins 4YFN Awards at MWC Barcelona 2024 as 4YFN Accelerates Toward an AI-First Agenda

On 28 February 2024 Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech was announced as the winner of the 4YFN Awards during MWC Barcelona. The prize recognises startups judged to have the most promising digital propositions on the 4YFN stage. The ceremony took place on the Banco Sabadell Stage and combined a live pitching competition with evaluation by an expert investor jury and a public audience of investors, corporates, entrepreneurs and officials.

Winner package and immediate benefits:Qilimanjaro received a €20,000 cash prize funded by GSMA Foundry. The award also includes an exhibition pod for the startup floor and a speaking slot at 4YFN MWC Barcelona 2025. Those are practical wins for exposure and short term networking but they are not the same as committed follow‑on investment or commercial contracts that deep tech companies typically need to scale.

How the winner was chosen and who judged the stage

The 4YFN Awards selection combined public pitching with deliberation by a jury of investors and corporate venture representatives. The jury for the 10th anniversary edition included Kate Cornell, General Partner at All Iron Ventures; Hendrik Brandis, Co-founder and Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital; Shesh S, Senior Director CVC at SK Telecom; Nicole Leblanc, Partner at Woven Capital; and Sébastien Lefebvre, Partner at Elaia Partners.

Jury member	Organisation	Role
Kate Cornell	All Iron Ventures	General Partner
Hendrik Brandis	Earlybird Venture Capital	Co-founder & Partner
Shesh S	SK Telecom	Sr Director, Corporate VC
Nicole Leblanc	Woven Capital	Partner
Sébastien Lefebvre	Elaia Partners	Partner

Finalists and the technologies they brought to the stage

Qilimanjaro beat four other finalists that were shortlisted from the 4YFN Top 50 Startups list. Finalists came from diverse geographies and technology domains, reflecting 4YFN's broad remit across digital and deep tech.

Startup	Country	Core technology or market focus
Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech	Spain	Quantum computing hardware and software
Bitsensing	South Korea	Automotive and industrial radar imaging
Mica AI Medical	Israel	AI for medical diagnostics and workflows
Ocean Econstructures	Spain	Marine engineering and environmental reconstruction
Whispp	Netherlands	Real-time on-device voice reconstruction AI

Whispp in brief:Whispp develops an on-device voice reconstruction AI that converts whispered input into a natural-sounding voice in real time. Use cases include assistive communication for people with voice conditions, private calls in quiet spaces, and improved intelligibility in noisy environments. The technology touts low latency under 100 ms and on-device operation which supports privacy and reduced reliance on cloud connectivity.

Bitsensing in brief:Bitsensing produces advanced radar systems ranging from long-range automotive imaging to in-cabin presence detection and non‑contact healthcare monitoring. The company positions radar as a robust sensing modality in environments where cameras or lidar face limitations such as poor lighting or privacy concerns.

4YFN at a milestone: ten years and evolving purpose

The 4YFN platform celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2024. Over the decade the platform has positioned itself as the startup and innovation arm of MWC Barcelona and has broadened programming and physical footprint to accommodate more stages, partner programmes and dedicated hubs such as the Founders programme and the recently introduced University and Spin-off Hub.

Metric	Reported number
Founders connected over the decade	9,200
Investors connected over the decade	5,400
This edition exhibitors	900+
Speakers at the event	400
Investors attending	1,000+
Collective funds represented	€50 billion (organiser figure)

Those headline figures capture reach and exposure. They do not, however, directly measure the critical follow‑through steps startups must take to commercialise deep technologies. Organisers emphasise matchmaking and curated meetings but converting meetings into paying customers, clinical trials, or manufacturing contracts remains the heavier lift for companies outside software.

What the 4YFN Awards represent for startups and the ecosystem

The 4YFN Awards are described by the organisers as 'the highest recognition offered exclusively to startups at MWC Barcelona.' For winners the award offers visibility, credibility and short term practical benefits. For early stage deep tech companies those outcomes are useful. They do not substitute for grant funding, long lead customer contracts, or industrial partnerships often needed for hardware and regulated healthcare products.

Selection criteria used for finalists:Finalists were chosen from the 4YFN Top 50 Startups list and evaluated on the innovation of the proposition, impact potential, and future scaling potential among other factors. Public pitches and investor feedback feed into the final decision.

4YFN looking ahead: Infinite AI and the shape of 4YFN26

4YFN is positioning its 2026 edition around the theme Infinite AI. The organisers argue that the ecosystem must move beyond hype into durable, human‑centred applications of AI. 4YFN26 is scheduled for 2 to 5 March 2026 at Fira Gran Via, Hall 8 (North) with a stated aim to connect startups to the larger MWC audience of more than 100,000 attendees.

Event	4YFN26
Dates	2-5 March 2026
Venue	Fira Gran Via, Hall 8 (North entrance)
Headline theme	Infinite AI

The Infinite AI theme is presented as a call to ground AI innovation in human intelligence and startup-driven experimentation. The programme will cover ten curated tracks, major partner sessions, and a roster of high-profile speakers that mix investors, deep tech founders and AI platform builders.

4YFN26 curated tracks	Purpose or focus
Climate Tech	Solutions for decarbonisation and resilient systems
Corporate Innovation	How large organisations work with startups
Creativity	AI and creative industries including immersive media
Cybersecurity	AI-first security and quantum-ready defence
Fintech	Digital banking, DeFi and financial inclusion
Founders	Practical founder masterclasses and growth strategies
Gaming	AI-driven gameplay, analytics and monetisation
Health Tech	AI diagnostics, digital therapeutics and value-based care
Investors	Curated deal flow, investor lounges and private sessions
University & Spin-offs	Tech transfer and deep tech commercialisation

Speakers confirmed across the broader 4YFN platform include recognised figures such as Benedict Evans, Caroline Chayot from Atomico, Rob Moffat from Balderton, Andrew Feldman of Cerebras Systems and Carmen Palacios-Berraquero of Nu Quantum. The speaker list blends VC partners with founders and technical leaders, consistent with the event's hybrid investor and corporate audience.

Scale and previous year metrics that shape expectations

Organisers point to the scale of the combined MWC and 4YFN events as a competitive advantage. Representative metrics from Barcelona 2025 and recent editions are often cited to attract exhibitors and sponsors. They serve as useful benchmarks but should be read with nuance because breadth of attendance does not automatically convert into deep commercial outcomes for complex technologies.

Metric	Barcelona 2025 reported figure
Total attendees	109,000
Startups and exhibitors	1,000+
Speakers	375+
Hours of content	110+
Startup pitches	350+
Countries represented	105
Investors	900+
Collective funds represented	€60 billion
Curated meetings	800+
Media representatives	2,900+

Programmes and onsite features designed for dealmaking

4YFN highlights a series of curated experiences intended to compress discovery and due diligence. These include an Investors Zone, curated speed-dating meetings, a Meeting Hub for mentoring, a VIP Lounge and partner-led programmes such as an AWS partner day focused on investment and technology trends. The event also maintains dedicated pavilions for public institutions and international delegations to surface regional startup pipelines.

Investors track and access:The Investors track is promoted as a private and curated experience with an investors lounge, workshops and pre-bookable dealflow tools powered in partnership with data platforms like Dealroom. Organisers report more than 1,000 investors attending and a representation of large funds and corporate venture capitalists.

Deeper tech explained and the route to market for winners

What Qilimanjaro does and the commercial challenge:Qilimanjaro operates in quantum computing, an area that covers hardware devices, error mitigation, control electronics and software stacks for quantum algorithms. Quantum startups face long technical roadmaps, capital intensive engineering and an uncertain near-term market for universal quantum advantage. For many companies, the practical path to revenue involves focused vertical applications, partnerships with cloud providers or integration with research institutions and national quantum programmes rather than immediate large scale enterprise sales.

What on-device voice reconstruction implies technically:Whispp's technology relies on neural models that map whispered or low-energy vocal input to a full speech waveform while preserving speaker identity and natural prosody. On-device operation requires model compression, quantisation and efficient inference pipelines to meet latency budgets under 100 ms. There are regulatory and privacy benefits to keeping processing local but also constraints on model size, energy consumption and cross-device performance.

How imaging radar differs from camera and lidar approaches:Radar uses radio frequency reflections to build scene information and can penetrate visual occlusions such as darkness, fog and dust. Modern digital radar systems can provide 3D imaging and higher robustness in adverse conditions. They however face different trade-offs in resolution, interference management and regulatory spectrum allocation compared with optical sensors.

Context in the European innovation ecosystem

Events like 4YFN and MWC play an important role in the European innovation ecosystem by bringing startups, corporates, investors and public programmes into the same space. They can surface pipeline opportunities for instruments such as the European Innovation Council, national tech agencies and corporate partner procurement. At the same time the regional funding landscape is tightening in some verticals with capital concentrating into fewer, higher conviction deals. That raises the bar for startups to show traction and defensible IP before they secure significant Series A or strategic corporate agreements.

Sponsors, partners and organisers

The 4YFN Awards ceremony and the broader platform are organised by the GSMA. The Awards prize is supported by GSMA Foundry and the Awards are sponsored by Console Connect and GSMA Foundry. GSMA is a global organisation representing the mobile ecosystem and operating the MWC series of events. GSMA describes its mission as advancing policy, convening the sector and supporting innovation across connectivity, industry services and outreach.

Practical details for attendees and exhibitors looking ahead to 4YFN26

4YFN26 will feature multiple stages, networking spaces, curated tracks and partner programmes. The 4YFN entrance is at Fira Gran Via Hall 8 North. The organisers highlight logistics such as free transport passes for attendees, a hotel shuttle service and an electric shuttle running between Plaça Espanya and Fira Gran Via. They also promote exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities with tailored packages for startups, corporates and public bodies.

Dates and venue reminder:4YFN26 runs 2 to 5 March 2026 at the Fira Gran Via complex in Barcelona. The 4YFN entrance is on the north side at Hall 8.

A realistic read on what awards and visibility deliver

Winning a high profile award provides media attention, credibility for partners and introductions. For deep tech startups such as quantum companies or regulated health innovators the award is a useful milestone. It is not a substitute for the longer and harder work of product development, clinical validation, regulatory approval, customer procurement and manufacturing scale up. Startups and investors at 4YFN must treat the event as a concentrated starting point in a longer commercial journey rather than a near term solution to capital and customer needs.

Implications and what to watch next

Qilimanjaro's win will draw attention to quantum startups in Spain and Europe. The inclusion of diverse finalists from radar imaging to on-device voice AI highlights how 4YFN mixes consumer-focused AI and industrial deep tech. Looking toward 2026 the Infinite AI theme is likely to attract both hype and serious debate about governance, deployment, and the economics of implementing AI at scale. Observers should watch whether 4YFN and MWC translate visibility into measurable long term outcomes for startups that go beyond one-off press cycles.

For founders considering 4YFN participation prepare for a two-step effort. First, use the event to maximise targeted investor and customer meetings through careful pre-booking. Second, convert introductions into concrete development or procurement milestones after the event. Investors should treat the event as an efficient source of deal flow but validate technical claims independently given the broad range of maturity levels on show.