EAE Business School Barcelona fosters connections between talent and industry at MWC 2026

• The school focused its participation in the congress on young talent, female leadership, and employability in the digital sector.
• EAE and Mobile World Capital Barcelona are consolidating a joint research project to analyze talent and digital employability trends throughout the year.
• Master’s students from EAE Barcelona presented proposals for the evolution of Talent Arena 2027 as part of the NextArena Challenge, an academic initiative co-created with MWCapital.
• EAE Barcelona, together with Barcelona Activa, recognized the ten most outstanding women entrepreneurs in Catalonia and brought together executives from technology companies to discuss the challenges of attracting and retaining female talent.

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EAE Business School Barcelona participated in the ecosystem of Mobile World Congress 2026, 4YFN, and Talent Arena with an agenda focused on young talent, female leadership, and employability—three key areas in the evolution of the labor market.

During the four days of the congress, the school launched its own initiatives within the framework of Talent Arena, recognized the ten most outstanding women entrepreneurs in Catalonia, and brought together executives from technology companies to discuss the challenges of attracting and retaining talent. EAE Business School Barcelona’s participation reinforces its connection with the business and technology ecosystem in one of the world’s leading innovation platforms.

“MWC and its entire ecosystem is the space where trends are anticipated and decisions are made that directly impact employability and business competitiveness. For our school, being here means engaging our students in real challenges, giving visibility to impactful projects, and analyzing together with companies from around the world how talent needs are evolving. We are not here only to observe change, but to actively participate in it,” explained Carlota Suriol, Marketing and Communications Director at EAE Business School Barcelona.

EAE BARCELONA STUDENTS PRESENT INITIATIVES TO SHAPE TALENT ARENA 2027

One of the key elements of EAE Barcelona’s participation in MWC 2026 was the final of the NextArena Challenge, an initiative developed together with Mobile World Capital Barcelona to connect academic innovation with the technology industry.

The competition brought together master’s students organized in more than 30 multidisciplinary teams who, over recent months, worked with the support of academic mentors and MWCapital advisors to propose initiatives for the future of Talent Arena.

Talent Arena is the most important space dedicated to digital talent in Europe. Held within the framework of MWC 2026, it brings together professionals, technology companies, and institutions around networking and professional development activities.

The NextArena Challenge final took place on March 4. The four finalist teams presented their projects before a jury composed of professionals from the local technology ecosystem. After deliberation, the winning project—Talent 365 by EAE Barcelona—was selected to evaluate its possible implementation in the next edition of Talent Arena in 2027. The proposal aims to transform Talent Arena into an active year-round ecosystem, with continuous user competition serving as a driver for innovation and community building among students and young professionals.

HEALTH INNOVATION LEADS THE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS RANKING

Within the framework of the congress, EAE Business School Barcelona also hosted the awards ceremony for the fourth edition of the EAE Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs of Catalonia. This initiative, promoted jointly with Barcelona Activa, the economic development agency of the Barcelona City Council, aims to recognize founders leading innovative projects with economic and social impact.

The event, held at the MWCapital stand during 4YFN, brought together the award winners along with institutional representatives and members of the business and technology ecosystem.

The first place in the ranking went to Marina Rigau Resina and Eva Colás Ortega, co-founders of MiMARK, a company specializing in women’s health that develops non-invasive solutions for gynecological diagnosis through liquid biopsy. Patricia Villagrasa, co-founder of Reveal Genomics, ranked second for her work in developing diagnostic tools based on advanced genomic techniques and machine learning applied to breast cancer. Carla Maté, founder of D-Sight, completed the top three with a project focused on neuroprotective drugs in eye-drop format for the early treatment of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

“The EAE Barcelona award is a great recognition that increases the visibility of female entrepreneurship in our environment and, at the same time, gives us a responsibility: to act as role models in the scientific and business fields and to support other women entrepreneurs. It is a boost for today’s women and for the girls who will want to become entrepreneurs tomorrow,” said Marina Rigau and Eva Colás, co-founders of MiMARK.

This year’s edition was marked by the strong presence of healthcare and biotechnology innovation, reflecting the strength of the Catalan ecosystem in this field. The list is completed by projects in areas such as AI-assisted rehabilitation, gene therapies, agricultural biostimulants, STEAM education, and the circular economy.

KEY INSIGHTS ON TALENT IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

The school also presented a new initiative together with Mobile World Capital Barcelona: a joint research study to analyze trends in digital talent and employability throughout the year. In addition, within the framework of MWC 2026, the roundtable “How to attract and retain scarce female tech talent” was held. The session was one of the first public activations related to the research project promoted by both institutions.

The Dean of EAE Barcelona, Pilar Saura, opened the session by highlighting that collaboration between universities and companies generates knowledge that drives real change and helps build the labor market of the future. Participants included Chelo Fernández Rodríguez, Head of the Observatory at Mobile World Capital Barcelona; Sonia Madurga Martín, EMEA Head of Business Development at Google Cloud; Clàudia Peiró i Vidal, R&D Firmware Engineer at HP; Vanessa Paulino, Employer Branding Manager at NTT DATA Spain; and Teresa Aznar Peña, from the Talent Acquisition area at Telefónica. The discussion analyzed the main structural challenges facing the sector in terms of diversity and talent competitiveness, as well as strategies related to corporate culture and professional development.

The annual joint research project between MWCapital Barcelona and EAE Business School Barcelona aims to analyze the main trends in employability and talent in the digital economy over the course of the year, in a context of accelerated transformation in the labor market. With talent as its central focus, the study will examine the impact of technology on skills, organizational models, and career paths.

The initiative strengthens EAE Barcelona’s contribution to the local ecosystem by generating analysis and recommendations to improve the connection between education and business, while also focusing on how technology is transforming the student experience and preparing them for the job market. In this way, EAE Business School Barcelona reinforces its commitment to research, structured around two lines: applied research through the EAE Research Center for Business Trends, focused on business trends, and scientific and strategic research through the Strategic Research Center, which publishes monthly studies on macroeconomic, demographic, and sociological variables in Spain and Latin America.

The joint research project between EAE Business School Barcelona and MWCapital Barcelona will remain active throughout the year, with an annual study as its central milestone, providing valuable insights for companies, institutions, and professionals while reinforcing Barcelona’s position as a leading hub for digital talent.