Sónar+D Kicks Off Groundbreaking Collaboration with 4YFN and GSMA MWC
Sónar+D Kicks Off Groundbreaking Collaboration with 4YFN and GSMA MWC
Last Wednesday marked the kick off of the exciting new collaboration between two behemoth entities that have become institutions of Barcelona’s business and cultural fabric.
At Sónar+D, the industry side of what DJ Mag called “the world’s leading festival of electronic music and art”, 4YFN and GSMA MWC joined forces with Sónar to combine their respective communities and elevate creative startups – forging the powerful and elegant mix that promises to change the game in cultural and tech events.
Representing at the Sónar+D Startup Hub
Sónar+D was the first outing for the new partnership, called the xside. 4YFN took on a collaborative role with the Startup Hub, helping to source the best creative technology startups internationally and bringing mentors, investors and communities to the party to add fuel to the ecosystem microcosm fire. The 4YFN/xside stand within the Sónar+D Startup Hub introduced visitors to what promises to be a new groundbreaking gathering at the crossroads of creativity and technology.
Community Clubbing
The 4YFN Community Club, a global network of accelerators, associations, hubs, events and spaces, hosted a RetroPaella in the Sónar VIP Area on Wednesday night. Warner Music Group, Webby Awards, Typeform, Badi and even music technology pioneer Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack attended for hot rice, cold beer, Nintendo games and networking. The breakout star of the night was Makeat which created custom 4YFN candy made from 3D printed moulds.
Startups Buzzing
The 4YFN PR team presented an Expertise Session on Communications to startups on Thursday afternoon to help them create buzz with the limited resources of entrepreneurs. The key takeaway from the day: “build out the problem that your startup solves and then position your startup as the solution!” Context is everything in storytelling and we shared some tricks of the trade to be effective and lean.
Introducing the xside
Friday morning’s conference activities were opened by GSMA Ltd CEO John Hoffman on the Sónar+D Stage. Mr Hoffman told the great and the good of Barcelona’s business community about how Sónar and GSMA are joining forces to launch a differentiated experience called the xside at 4YFN. Together we are bringing creative communities together with entrepreneurial and technological leaders for pioneering entertainment, gastronomic delights, industry insight and targeted networking – all within one of the world’s leading startup events.
A selection of VIPs were given a tour of Sónar+D to see for themselves how the worlds of creativity and technology are colliding before being whisked away to a short reception at the beautiful Mies van de Rohe Pavilion next to the Fira Montjuic venue. Rumour has it that senior staff from the GSMA also enjoyed Stormzy at Sónar by Night.
Best for Last
But the best news of the conference – and in fitting with 4YFN’s commitment to put startups first – Startup Hub exhibitors Acqustic reported that it raised €170,000 in seed funding. Acqustic is a platform that enables users to discover musicians and request live concerts from them – the ideal exhibitor in the Sónar+D ecosystem.
Congratulations to Acqustic, all of the 21 startups who participated last week in the Startup Hub and, most of all, to the Sónar team for another groundbreaking Sónar+D event. See you in 2020!
