Wayra brings together 250 investors, start-ups and corporations to position innovation as a strategic advantage for Europe

Wayra, Telefónica’s corporate venture capital arm, held a new edition of its Investors Day this Thursday at Espacio Fundación Telefónica. This flagship annual event brings together start-ups, investors, corporations and leaders from the technology ecosystem to forge strategic connections, share knowledge and explore the key trends that are transforming innovation and business.

Coinciding with Wayra’s 15th anniversary, the event brought together nearly 250 guests and was held under the theme “Europe’s Next Advantage”, an invitation to reflect on how Europe can transform its capacity for innovation into a sustainable competitive advantage. At a time when technology is key to competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy, the event focused on one of the continent’s major challenges: strengthening its digital sovereignty, by addressing the role that technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced connectivity can play in bolstering Europe’s position in an increasingly competitive global environment.

During the opening ceremony, Andrés Saborido, CEO of Wayra, looked back on the company’s history and its contribution over the past fifteen years to connecting entrepreneurial talent with Telefónica’s transformation challenges. “We have demonstrated that collaboration between start-ups, investors and corporations is one of the most effective ways of turning innovation into business opportunities. At Wayra, we work to ensure that technologies with the greatest potential find customers, use cases and avenues for growth, and to contribute to Telefónica’s mission of being the best gateway for citizens and businesses to digital technologies,” he said.

As Telefónica’s corporate venture capital arm and open innovation platform, Wayra identifies high-potential start-ups and connects them with Telefónica and other large corporations to facilitate the adoption of new technologies. Through its investment activities, open innovation initiatives and innovation services, it supports organisations across various sectors in identifying and implementing solutions capable of addressing their key business challenges.

One of the highlights of the event was the round-table discussion entitled “Can Europe own its technology future?”, which featured Carlos Moreira, founder and CEO of 33N; Guillaume d’Audiffret, General Partner at Noteus Partners; Alberto Gómez, Managing Partner at Adara Ventures; and Paloma Castellano, Investment Managing Director at Wayra. During the session, the participants analysed the challenges and opportunities facing Europe as it seeks to strengthen its technological autonomy and bolster its capacity to develop, finance and scale its own technological capabilities.

The discussion continued with a panel dedicated to SpaceTech, featuring Jaume Sanpera, CEO and founder of Sateliot, and Francisco Boira, co-founder and CCO of Kreios Space, in a conversation moderated by Agustín Moro, Managing Director of Innovation Partnerships & Services at Wayra. During the session, the participants analysed the role of the space sector in the development of critical infrastructure, connectivity and European technological sovereignty.

The event also showcased concrete examples of applied innovation through pitches by Whalebone, Quantum Bridge, Omniloy, telli and Red Sift, which presented solutions in areas such as cybersecurity, quantum-ready cryptography and artificial intelligence applied to sectors such as healthcare and customer service, reflecting Europe’s potential to generate solutions with real impact.

After fifteen years of driving open innovation, Wayra continues to strengthen its role as one of Europe’s leading corporate venture capital firms, connecting technology, investment and business to generate new growth opportunities for start-ups, corporations and investors. This vision is aligned with Telefónica’s commitment to becoming the best gateway for citizens to access digital technologies and to helping Europe strengthen its technological leadership and long-term competitiveness.