4YFN26’s theme, Infinite AI: The Boundless Frontier, sets the stage for a bigger question: not just what AI can do, but how startups can use it responsibly.
AI adoption among startups at 4YFN grew to approximately 60% in 2025, representing one of the most dramatic technology adoption surges in European startup history. This transformation reflects AI's evolution from experimental to core business infrastructure across the global startup ecosystem.
However, responsibility hasn’t kept pace. According to EY’s 2024 Responsible AI Pulse report, 99% of organisations are deploying or planning to deploy AI, yet only around one-third have Responsible AI (RAI) controls in place. This gap isn’t just a compliance issue – it’s a strategic signal. And for startups, it represents both a risk and a rare advantage.
Across all of the thematic tracks at 4YFN26, we’re seeing early-stage founders lead with purpose. Whether developing LLM tools, predictive analytics or agentic systems, the most resilient startups are embedding responsibility into their products from day one – from explainability and bias mitigation to data governance and carbon impact. These aren’t just ethical decisions – they’re commercial ones.
RAI is fast becoming a key differentiator in the eyes of investors, enterprise customers and policymakers. In 2025 alone, AI startups secured over half of global VC funding – 53% globally and 64% in the U.S., according to Pitchbook and Axios.
At the same time, policy frameworks are catching up – with the EU AI Act due to take full effect by mid-2026 and U.S. legislation calling for stricter transparency and liability measures. Startups aligning early with these developments are not only de-risking their path to market – they’re building stronger brands, partnerships and enterprise pipelines.
EY, our theme headline sponsor, helped drive this conversation at 4YFN25, curating sessions on agentic architectures, startup-enterprise partnerships and infrastructure for scalable, trustworthy AI. Their insight, drawn from working across global startup ecosystems, demonstrated that RAI is a growth strategy to lean into.
As AI systems shift from passive tools to autonomous agents capable of acting on intent, the startups leading in this space will face greater scrutiny – but also greater opportunity. Those that can demonstrate not only technical capability but principled deployment will be best positioned to scale, partner and lead responsibly.
At 4YFN26, we’ll continue spotlighting the people driving this shift – founders, operators and investors committed to making AI work not just efficiently, but equitably.
And if you can’t wait for Barcelona, you can also experience more innovative thinking at MWC Doha's new dedicated 4YFN space this November. Health, fintech, mobility, smart cities and climate solutions set the agenda, keeping conversations calibrated to the biggest topics of the day in digital transformation.
Register now at 4yfn.com/attend to be part of this transformative journey at Europe's leading tech startup event.