The Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been a pivotal moment for Cellnex Bridge’s entrepreneurial community. For the second consecutive year, from 3 to 6 March, the public attending the world’s most important technology event witnessed the social impact projects of the Cellnex Foundation‘s startup acceleration programme.

The initiatives of the startups that make up the ecosystem of this programme, also promoted in collaboration with Aticcolab and Innuba have shared goals: to reduce digital, social and territorial divides, promote to environmental sustainability  and the fight against climate change. These goals are fully aligned with Cellnex Telecom‘s sustainability strategy .

Under the slogan “Converge, Connect, Create”, this edition of the telephony congress closed with a total of 109,000 international visitors, including professionals from the technology sector and leaders in digital innovation. At Cellnex Telecom’s sustainable stand, the CEOs and founders of the startups from the fourth edition of Cellnex Bridge — Atom H2, Domotik Mind, StartKidsUp, TalX, and Vamos Rural — had the chance to present their projects directly to the audience, opening the door to strategic business opportunities.

“Bringing startups to MWC means giving them the opportunity to present their solutions in a real environment, connect with key players in the global ecosystem and generate growth opportunities,” said Àngels Ucero, director of the Cellnex Foundation. A boost that has already paid off for Domotik Mind, “Sharing space at the Cellnex stand has been key to achieving visibility”, says its CEO, Ismael Beltrán. “An example of this is the network of connections with the Barcelona City Council and Telefónica’s Health Innovation Hub, reinforcing the potential for new strategic synergies” he says.

Along the same lines, Aída Galera, CEO of StartKidsUp, points out that their attendance at the telephony congress has allowed them to “meet groups of companies, public figures and institutions that support startups” and the possibility of finding collaborations. “During these days we made a lot of connections with investors, other partners, developers and customers”, says Jaume Sánchez, CEO of TalX. 

With this initiative, “the Cellnex Foundation reinforces the role of technology as a tool to close social gaps, reduce inequalities and promote sustainable development”, confirms its director. It also reinforces its commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, aligning with the vision of 4YFN — the MWC startup platform that unites entrepreneurs, investors, and companies to drive innovation and develop new technologies.

A programme designed to deliver real solutions

Since its start-up in July 2021, Cellnex Bridge has already helped 19 startups , supporting them and providing them with powerful resources to develop their projects. “The programme has been very comprehensive in terms of training and with spectacular mentoring from both Cellnex and Aticco,” says Beltrán of Domotik Mind.

In this sense, the Foundation strengthens its role as a pioneer in the acceleration of startups, since, according to Ucero, its commitment to the programme “is to support them, ensuring that it doesn’t remain just promising ideas, but rather translates into concrete solutions that transform society and contribute to sustainable development.” 

Indeed, Mariona Figueras, industrial design engineer at Atom H2, says that Cellnex Bridge came “at the perfect time, just when we had a functional MVP(Minimum Viable Product). Thanks to Cellnex, we are now considering a pilot test on one of their off-Grid telecommunication towers”. In the same vein, Florence Hurtado, Marketing Manager of Vamos Rural, assures that “the support of the Foundation is helping us to digitise those people who are not”.

Innovative projects with social impact

Over a period of eight months, the Foundation actively accompanies the participants through mentoring with experts, in which they define, execute and measure a proof of concept to drive and evolve their project. The profiles focus on different areas, such as education, sustainability, protection of vulnerable groups and the rural environment.

• Driving the renewable energy and energy storage sector is Atom H2. This startup has developed a hydrogen storage system that uses surplus renewable energy and produces water as its sole by-product. Its metal hydride technology allows for safe and durable storage, ideal for remote locations.
• With the focus on improving the quality of life of dependent people, Domotik Mind offers a monitoring service for this group using artificial intelligence. The software and device they have developed allows dependent people to live more autonomously and safely in their homes, while maintaining their privacy.
• StartKidsUp improves the educational environment with an education programme focused on developing socio-emotional skills in children and adolescents to prepare them as actors of change in a technological world. Within this framework, they offer extracurricular activities, teacher training and curricular projects that promote entrepreneurship and leadership.
• Focused on assisting people with motor disabilities, TalX has developed an app that facilitates the connection of this group with their caregivers and family members. Talxapp is an “inclusive WhatsApp” that connects people with disabilities with their social environment and the services they need, improving their quality of life.
• In favour of a more sustainable rural tourism, we find Vamos Rural. This startup offers a platform that allows users to book directly with local providers and hosts, ensuring that over 85% of the revenue remains in the community. The goal is to promote tourist experiences that are more sustainable with the environment, have a greater economic impact, and preserve local culture.

Initiatives such as these demonstrate that technology can function as a catalyst for positive change in society. Following this vision, the support that Cellnex Bridge’s entrepreneurial ecosystem receives consolidates the Foundation as an active participant in the driving force of change.