Catalonia’s health innovation once again played a prominent role at 4YFN 2026, consolidating it as one of the most visible sectors at the startup event held alongside Mobile World Congress. With 86 Catalan health initiatives, up 2% from last year, the sector has confirmed its strong presence at the event, reflecting the vibrancy of an ecosystem that continues to grow in volume, talent and innovation capacity.
Startups continue to drive Catalonia’s presence, with 64 companies or 74% of the total. This participation comes from an ecosystem that, according to the 2025 BioRegion of Catalonia Report, includes 464 active startups and 168 spinoffs created since 2016, within a business fabric that now totals 1,650 companies (+8.3% from 2024).
The profile of many of the initiatives present at 4YFN also highlights the event’s role as a platform for emerging projects: the average founding year of participating Catalan health startups is 2023, confirming the congress as a key space for early stage companies seeking visibility, validation and connections with investors and corporations.
Catalonia Health Innovation Ecosystem Pavilion: a place to connect innovation, system and market
For the third year in a row, the Catalonia Health Innovation Ecosystem Pavilion has consolidated its role as the meeting point for the Catalan health ecosystem at 4YFN. The space, led by Biocat and the TIC Salut i Social Foundation, brought together startups, hospitals, public institutions, corporations and investors to boost the international visibility of the BioRegion and foster new strategic partnerships. The pavilion was supported by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, ACCIÓ, AQuAS, CatSalut, Catalan Institute of Health, Catalan Union of Hospitals, Catalan Health and Social Care Consortium, ACES, ACRA and m4Social, reinforcing the public-private partnership model the ecosystem is known for.
Over the four-day congress, the space hosted more than 27 activities, including presentations, debates and networking sessions aimed at connecting innovative solutions with the needs of the social and healthcare system. The most notable sessions included a panel discussion on the Catalonia Stroke Plan, which focused on how innovation can help improve care coordination and clinical outcomes for patients, and on the European Health Data Space, which analyzed the challenges of data sharing, interoperability and governance in the future European health data ecosystem.
Plus, several companies from the sector presented opportunities for collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including Johnson & Johnson, Palex Group, Roche Diagnostics Spain, Siemens Healthineers and Sanofi, which shared partnership models and experiences with innovative startups.
The pavilion also welcomed visits from several authorities, including Catalan Minister of Health Olga Pané, Catalan Minister of Business and Labor Miquel Sàmper, Catalan Minister of Language Policy Francesc Xavier Vila, and President of the Parliament of Catalonia Josep Rull, as well as institutional representatives and international delegations like those from Chongqing and Ontario. GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath also visited the pavilion to learn firsthand about innovations emerging from the Catalan ecosystem.
Catalan startups point to the next generation of health innovation
One of the core focal points of the pavilion was showcasing 16 startups from the BioRegion, which represent the ecosystem’s technological and scientific diversity. Their solutions address real challenges in the healthcare system, from early diagnosis and precision medicine to cybersecurity, rehabilitation and elderly care. The participating companies included ABCDx, AiMA beyond AI, ALLPRIV, Arkeobots, Bettso Corporation, Chemotargets, COTINCLUSIVA, Debios Diagnostics, Flomics Biotech, Healthtech Innovations, LogMeal, Lumiris Spectral Solutions, MiMARK Diagnostics, Polar NanoPharma, Robopedics and Syncotech biocompatible materials.
Many of these initiatives have something in common: they use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, data computing and robotics to develop solutions with direct applications in clinical practice or social care. All the startups took part in pitch sessions with investors and experts from the sector. As a result, Polar NanoPharma won second prize in the national Impulsa Startup final.
An increasingly connected BioRegion
Beyond the exhibition activity, the congress also stood out for the strong presence of speakers from various stakeholders in the BioRegion of Catalonia on the official 4YFN program. These experts shared their experience in sessions on key topics for the sector’s future, including funding deep tech projects, international expansion of startups and sustainable business growth, featuring representatives of organizations in the Catalan ecosystem like Inveready, Impress, Doctomatic, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Roka Furadada and Neuroelectrics.
The congress also brought other notable recognitions for healthcare startups at 4YFN. These included Biorce being named Best Startup of 4YFN 2026, an award that recognizes the most promising initiatives of the congress.
With these results, 4YFN confirms its role as one of the main international showcases for health innovation from Catalonia, an ecosystem increasingly prepared to scale up solutions, attract investment and compete globally. We already have dates for next year’s congress: March 1 to 4, 2027, aiming to continue boosting the international projection of the BioRegion of Catalonia.
