The highly anticipated Mobile World Congress (MWC) has come to a close in Barcelona, and tech enthusiasts are still buzzing with excitement about the four-day event. A true hub of innovation, networking, and collaboration among some of the biggest names in the tech industry.

This year the event has  concluded with more than 88,500 attendees from 202 countries and territories. Over 2,400 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners participated in the event, which featured more than 1,000 speakers and thought leaders, including nearly 70 ministers and over 100 heads of regulatory authorities, from all around the world, with delegations from Canada and the USA, which were specially relevant for NGI Sargasso.

The event’s focus on digital transformation and emerging technologies included discussions on 5G, AI, cross-sector collaborations, and public policy. The event’s diverse nature fostered innovation and debate, networking, and deal-making. 

It was the perfect opportunity and context to present NGI Sargasso, as a  4.800.000€ funding program for transatlantic cooperation in the Next Generation Internet technologies through open calls. Our project aims to provide an ecosystem equipped with capacity building services for a multidisciplinary and diverse community contributing to the development of Next Generation Internet technologies and services collaborating with the USA and Canada. Our open call is addressed to open-source organizations of researchers, startups, SMEs and other multidisciplinary actors and the variety and combination of attendees of the MWC23 represented a great audience to make the first step in presenting this opportunity to the world of Deep tech. 

A key moment for NGI Sargasso was the participation in the 4YFN event, with an interesting panel focused on startups and how EU funds are boosting the deep tech sector. The panel was moderated by Marta Portalés, Head of EU Projects and powered by Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation, NGI Sargasso consortium partner Miguel García, CEO of Sploro, leading partner of the open calls, was among the experts invited to speak and he used the opportunity to present NGI Sargasso. Among the panelists there were also Ventures Thrive and the European Institute of Innovation & Technology Manufacturing (EIT Manufacturing), presenting their business creation services and the Tech Talent program.

Overall, the Mobile World Congress was a massive success, bringing together experts, startups, and investors to share insights, form partnerships, and drive innovation in the tech industry.