4YFN (4 Years From Now), the startup-focused side of Mobile World Congress (MWC), is one of the largest, most relevant gatherings of startup leaders in Europe, where founders learn about the latest developments in technology, government action, and the ecosystem as a whole. As sponsors of the Founders track at 4YFN in Barcelona, the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) brought small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) voices into two of the week’s most pressing conversations about the future of Europe’s digital economy: technological standards and simplification.
During our panel ‘AI, IoT, and the Standards That Decide Who Scales’, ACT’s Alex Cooke led a discussion exploring how standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing affects startups building with AI and internet of things (IoT) devices, as well as the broader conditions for scaling in a competitive global market. Speaking to a full room, the panel showcased the event’s value as a forum for substantive conversations on the issues shaping growth in Europe’s tech economy. Bringing together the founder and policy perspectives, panellist Dominik Kirchdorfer of ACT member company Acute XR grounded the discussion in the founder experience, while ACT UK Country Manager Stephen Tulip added examples of UK companies absorbing costs from unfair SEP licensing practices, underscoring the relevance of the conversation for businesses navigating these challenges in real time.
In ‘Decoding EU Inc: Upgrading the European Startup OS’, ACT’s Maria Goikoetxea joined Timo Buetefisch of Cooltra, Shinichi N. of NordicNinja VC, and moderator Scott Mackin for a conversation that brought founders, investors, and policy advocates into the same room to examine the structural barriers shaping how startups scale across international borders and raise capital. The discussion brought firsthand experience from the realities of a fragmented market and made a clear case for why EU Inc. and a 28th regime matter to the companies building and scaling in Europe today.
ACT believes Europe’s digital future will be shaped by whether founders are in the room when decisions are made, not after. Bringing industry voices and policy perspectives together is what makes it possible for companies to grow within frameworks designed for them to succeed, and ensures these conversations translate into tangible business outcomes.
Watch the highlight reel here for the POV of MWC from the floor!