Founders at MWC26: a sample schedule

Itinerary

Meta Wearables Demonstration

08:30 – 09:30 CET | Hall 6, MWC Networking Hub

Why Attend: Experience the latest AI-powered wearables firsthand and explore how new interfaces are shaping human interaction, productivity and digital experiences.

4YFN Opening Session: Exponential Value in the AI Economy

10:00 – 11:10 CET | Hall 8.0, 4YFN and Partner Theatres (Banco Sabadell Stage)

Why Attend: A founder‑focused keynote on turning ‘raw AI power’ into real advantage, by closing the gap between what models can do and the organisational reality of implementation.

Founders Workshop: Turning your Tech Genius into Business Growth

12:00 – 13:00 CET | Hall 8.0, 4YFN Workshop Room

Why Attend: An interactive ‘From Tech to Growth’ masterclass to define business differentiators, win enterprise deals and focus time on the opportunities that actually scale.

5G's Inconvenient Truth: How Do We Make Money?

13:30 – 14:30 CET | Hall 2, CC2 GSMA Insights Hub Stage

Why Attend: Learn the technical and commercial levers behind 5G monetisation - useful if your product relies on advanced connectivity, operators, or enterprise adoption - and for stress‑testing your GTM assumptions.

Keynote 5: Seeing The Light: Technology, Addiction, and Balance

17:30 - 18:00 CET | Hall 4, MWC Main Stage

Why Attend: Join a timely discussion on the growing pushback against always on technology, as the CEO of Light and digital wellbeing advocate Aaron Paul explore the rise of the ‘dumb phone’, and what it means to reclaim balance, focus and intention in an always connected world.

Founders Workshop: What CISOs Really Look For in Your Product

09:45 – 10:30 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres, 4YFN Workshop Room

Why Attend: Hear directly from CISOs how they evaluate early‑stage products, including what builds trust, what raises red flags and what makes an enterprise buyer lean in or walk away.

Key Lessons for Scaling Startups

10:30 – 11:00 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN and Partner Theatres, Agora Stage

Why Attend: Practical lessons from ecosystem leaders on scaling across markets, covering common pitfalls, the role of partnerships and what founders should actually prioritise beyond fundraising.

Is SaaS Dead or is it Just Mutating?

11:50 – 12:20 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN and Partner Theatres, Agora Stage

Why Attend: A sharp founder/investor discussion on how AI reshapes SaaS economics, go-to-market strategy and product design. Essential context for building durable software companies in 2026.

Managing the Dark Side of AI: Ethics, Safety, and Trust

14:30 – 15:15 CET | Hall 6, Johnson Stage

Why Attend: A grounded look at AI governance, safety and accountability – particularly relevant if you’re shipping AI into enterprise, fintech, healthcare, or publicsector environments where trust and regulation matter.

Keynote 9: Built for What’s Next

16:00 – 17:00 CET | Hall 4, MWC Main Stage

Why Attend: A flagship MWC keynote on how AI, cloudnative technology, and nextgeneration infrastructure are reshaping networks, customer experience and digital ecosystems.

Transforming user experience and unlocking value in emerging markets

09:30 – 09:55 CET | Hall 6, MWC Networking Hub

Why Attend: Real-world examples of how telcos and Meta align network + commercial strategy to differentiate on user experience in emerging markets, including case studies.

Founders Workshop: Building High Performance Teams for Scaling Startups

10:00 – 11:00 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres, 4YFN Workshop Room

Why Attend: Designed for founders at the scaling inflection point, this masterclass shows how to move from founder‑dependent execution to a culture‑driven team that operates with clarity, accountability and ambition.

The AI Time Machine: Why Speed is the New Competitive Edge

12:55 – 13:15 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN and Partner Theatres, Agora Stage

Why Attend: A practical ‘time-to-value’ playbook to help teams execute faster, with principles for reducing bottlenecks and building a human-centric AI strategy now.

The (VC) World Beyond AI

13:20 – 14:00 CET | Hall 8.0 – 4YFN and Partner Theatres, Banco Sabadell Stage

Why Attend: An investor-led discussion on where the next major industries are being built beyond the current AI focus. Useful for strategic positioning and opportunity spotting.

From Prototype to Profit: Executive Lessons on Scaling Agentic AI in CX - with Engageware, NetUno & IDC

16:05 – 16:35 CET | Hall 4, MWC Broadcast Stage

Why Attend: Learn how leading operators are operationalising AI agents to improve conversion and CX while avoiding the pitfalls that stall most deployments.

AWS Startup Theatre Programme

09:00 – 13:00 CET | Hall 8.0, 4YFN and Partner Theatres (Sky Stage)

Why Attend: Practical, founder-relevant sessions on building, scaling and commercialising with AWS. They cover cloud architecture, AI tooling, cost control and go-to-market support for startups and scale-ups.

Imagination Meets Technology: The Science of Creativity

10:30 – 11:30 CET | Hall 8.0, 4YFN and Partner Theatres (Banco Sabadell Stage)
Why Attend: A founder-level reset on creativity, technology and AI. Valuable for product vision, brand differentiation and leadership thinking beyond pure execution.

Startup Pitching Session: ‘Esade’s Choice – Best Startup at 4YFN 2026’

12:00 – 12:45 CET | Hall 8.0, 4YFN & Partner Theatres (Founders Stage)

Why Attend: A curated pitching session that highlights standout startups. It gives strong signals on what judges and partners see as ‘investment-ready’ in 2026.

Key exhibitors to check out

Agenda

From keynotes and roundtables to summits and workshops - view the full agenda here.
Networking

Looking for a space to meet and network with fellow telecom innovators? Leaders passholders can access the Leaders Lounge and take part in small group sessions with select keynote speakers.
Buy a Pass

Choose from three different pass types: Exhibition, Leaders Conference and VIP.