From Spain to Latin America, new editions of the most prominent entrepreneur events in the ecosystem will take place in 2024, providing attendees with opportunities to connect with other stakeholders. The South Summit in Madrid, Finnosummit Connect in Mexico City, and Startco in Colombia are some of the standout events on the agenda.
Finding new business ideas, exploring the latest trends and opportunities in the market, and building connections with potential collaborators and investors are key objectives for entrepreneurs in 2024. The start of the year brings a full agenda of events where ecosystem players can boost their business growth and enhance their knowledge in technology and innovation. Here are some of the standout events in the geographies where BBVA Spark operates (Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia) designed for founders, investors, and experts to share their experiences and should be on every entrepreneur’s agenda.
The major entrepreneur events of 2024
4YFN (Spain)
When? February 26-28
The Spanish entrepreneurial agenda kicks off in February with one of the most important national events. 4YFN, Catalonia’s flagship event for startups, will celebrate its tenth edition in Barcelona with four days for entrepreneurs to forge and strengthen business alliances with corporations and investors.
Framed within the Mobile World Congress (MWC), one of the world’s significant events in mobile communication, the event will feature experts from various geographies discussing the latest ecosystem trends. Topics such as artificial intelligence, startup financing, corporate innovation, and strategies for business growth will be addressed in this edition, featuring more presentations and stages.
Image: 4YFN
Fintech Mexico Forum (Mexico)
When? February 29
Leading figures in the fintech and financial sector of Latin America will gather at the Fintech Mexico Forum 2024, a new event that promises to become one of the highlights in the Latin American ecosystem.
The Papalote Museo del Niño in Mexico City will host this meeting, aiming to boost collaboration between investors, entrepreneurs, and startups in the sector. Advances, trends, and challenges in the fintech sector, its future, impact, and benefits in Mexican society, will be among the topics addressed during the session.
Finnosummit Connect (Mexico)
When? March 4-7
Entrepreneurs have a key date in March on their calendar: Finnosummit Connect, one of the reference events in the Latin American fintech sector. From March 4 to 7, the Xcaret México hotel in Cancún will host this event, featuring prominent leaders from the regional financial industry.
Created to strengthen ecosystem relationships, attendees can enjoy networking sessions to meet these industry leaders and forge new relationships with potential collaborators.
Startco (Colombia)
When? March 20-24
A must-attend event for entrepreneurs seeking funding to drive their projects is Startco, one of the standout events in Latin America. Defined as the first live startup auction in the region, it focuses on startups in advanced stages, aiming to help founders secure investments and establish relationships with other ecosystem players.
Bogotá will once again host the event for the second consecutive year, specifically at the Bogotá Corferias venue. Over these four days, entrepreneurs can schedule meetings with investors, accelerators, incubators, enhance networking, and learn about the corporate challenges and innovation interests faced by the major sponsors of the event.
Image: BBVA South Summit
South Summit (Spain)
When? June 5-7
After an edition that brought together over 300 investment funds, 21 unicorns, and 650 prominent speakers, the reference event in Southern Europe for innovation and entrepreneurship returns to Madrid for its thirteenth edition. South Summit will gather key players in the ecosystem at La Nave to boost business growth and address the future of technology, innovation, and the business market.
Digital culture, the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the latest developments in the fintech, agrotech, and climatech sectors will be among the topics discussed during the event, with a focus on the relationship and impact of technology on humanity.
Al Andalus Innovation Venture (Spain)
When? September 24-25
Al Andalus Innovation Venture will celebrate its third edition at the Pabellón de la Navegación in Seville, serving as a meeting point for entrepreneurs, investors, and large corporate entities. In addition to promoting networking among attendees, the event will feature interesting presentations focusing on innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship.
BBVA Open Summit
When? October 3
The entrepreneur event organized by BBVA Spark will once again bring together startups, scaleups, investors, and other key players to help drive the national innovation ecosystem. After gathering more than 600 attendees in its last edition, held for the first time in Barcelona, BBVA Open Summit returns to the city in a new space, with more information to be revealed soon.
Image: BBVA Open Summit
Valencia Digital Summit (Spain)
When? To be determined
After breaking attendance records in its 2023 edition, the Valencia Digital Summit will return in October to the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia to review the latest developments in entrepreneurship. Organized by Startup Valencia, the event has not yet confirmed dates but is expected to continue its upward trend, attracting a large volume of startups and attendees to a city increasingly prominent in the Spanish ecosystem. It will also host a new edition of its international startup competition, recognizing the most innovative ones in the ecosystem.
Open Innovation & Investor Summit (Colombia)
When? To be determined
After attracting more than 2,200 attendees in its eighth edition, the Open Innovation & Investor Summit will return to Bogotá to drive entrepreneurship and innovation in Latin America. Entrepreneurs, investors, companies, and universities will once again come together this year to find solutions to the significant challenges facing ecosystem businesses.
Event details have not been defined yet, but more information will be available soon.
Campus Party Argentina (Argentina)
When? To be determined
Another event returning in 2024 is Campus Party Argentina, part of the Campus Party global platform organizing technology-focused events. Entrepreneurs, students, companies, and educational institutions will once again come together this year at the Parque de Innovación in Buenos Aires to learn about the latest sector developments and enjoy workshops, presentations, and other activities related to technology and innovation. The dates and details of the event have not been confirmed yet.
In addition to these, other entrepreneur events such as Web Summit in Portugal, Viva Technology in France, Slush in Finland, and various galas and meetings by Endeavor, taking place in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, are among the many events worth closely following in 2024 to discover new opportunities, investments, and business relationships.
