Join us as we recap Ultralytics' experience at MWC 2025 in Barcelona - from booth setup and panel talks on AI talent and ethics to demos and team events.
Last week, from March 3rd to March 6th, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 at Fira de Barcelona was a great showcase of innovation. Building on our experience from last year, Ultralytics made a strong appearance as part of the 4YFN (Four Years From Now) segment - an essential part of MWC dedicated to startups and emerging tech.
Ultralytics joined over 1,000 startup exhibitors, nearly 380 speakers, and more than 900 investors at 4YFN. It truly was a dynamic environment for networking, collaboration, and exposure.
We stepped up our game this year with a bigger booth where we hosted live demos showcasing our vision AI solutions with Ultralytics YOLO models. We also participated in engaging panel talks discussing AI talent, ethics, and the real-world impact of computer vision.
In this article, we’ll recap our experience at MWC 2025 as part of the 4YFN community, highlighting our demos, panel discussions, and interactions with the tech community. Let’s get started!
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Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a flagship event for the mobile technology industry, organized by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association). It brings together global leaders, innovators, and tech enthusiasts to explore the latest in mobile tech, AI, and connectivity. For instance, this year at MWC, 109,000 attendees from 205 countries gathered to witness over 2,900 exhibitors and listen to more than 1,200 speakers. The event serves as a major stage for launching new products, sharing groundbreaking ideas, and setting industry trends.
Meanwhile, complementing MWC, the 4YFN segment focuses on empowering startups and cutting-edge tech ventures. This platform aims to help early-stage companies connect with key investors and industry partners, providing the exposure and support they need to grow. It’s a fantastic opportunity for startups to showcase their ideas, secure funding, and forge valuable collaborations.
Together, MWC and 4YFN create a vibrant ecosystem where innovations come to life, collaboration flourishes, and the future of technology is built - making it one of the most important events for driving progress in the mobile and AI industries.
Let's walk through a day-by-day recap of Ultralytics' time at 4YFN 2025. We'll share how we connected with the tech community in Barcelona, participated in engaging panel talks, and exhibited our live demos at our booth.
On March 3rd, our team came together to set up a booth at Hall 8.1. At Ultralytics, we believe that interacting with our community is essential. This event was a fantastic opportunity to connect, share ideas, and learn from one another - setting the stage for even greater innovations in AI.
At the Ultralytics booth, we had a live demo of our Ultralytics YOLO11 computer vision model. YOLO11 is the latest model in the Ultralytics YOLO series that delivers unprecedented speed, accuracy, and precision. It supports various computer vision tasks, such as object detection, and at our booth, the demo displayed how it could be used for real-time object detection.
A camera and screen were set up to capture live footage, demonstrating how YOLO11 - pre-trained on the COCO dataset - can detect everyday objects like people, phones, and handbags in real-time.
As attendees walked by, they could see YOLO11 accurately detecting individuals and objects they carried. This interactive demo attracted many Vision AI enthusiasts and sparked engaging conversations about the future of computer vision and AI.
On Day 2, Hans van de Broek, our Director of People at Ultralytics, represented our team at 4YFN’s Beta Lab for a panel talk titled “The Future of Talent in the AI Era.” This is an interesting topic since it's something that the AI community is actively dealing with as technology rapidly transforms how we work and learn.
Sharing the stage with industry leaders Marc Cortes, Director of the Executive Master in Digital Business at Esade; Javier Fernández Santín, Global Employer Branding Lead at Danone; and Amanda Ceballo Iñigo, Digital Innovation & AI Strategy Consultant at Shiseido, Hans discussed how businesses, universities, and professionals can adapt to an AI-driven workforce. He stressed the importance of agility, continuous learning, and ensuring that AI augments human potential rather than replaces it.
Quoting Steve Jobs, Hans reminded the audience not to let old habits limit new technology and added, “The key challenge will be ensuring a balance where AI enhances human potential rather than replacing it entirely. The agility and adaptability to be able to adjust to these new situations are key, in my opinion; focus on critical thinking, strengthen human-centric skills, and encourage lifelong learning. Those who adapt, learn new skills, and embrace AI collaboration will thrive.”
Later that day, Lisa Li, International Marketing Manager at D-Robotics, joined us at the Ultralytics booth to showcase “Sparky,” a robot dog powered by D-Robotics’ RDK X3 and the integration of Ultralytics YOLO with the Stereo Depth algorithm. Visitors were captivated by Sparky’s ability to navigate and react to its environment, offering a clear glimpse into the future of AI-powered robotics across various industries.
On Day 2 of the conference, some of Ultralytics’ new Account Executives joined the excitement at MWC, turning the event into a fantastic opportunity for the Ultralytics team to connect in person. With team members spread across the globe and many working remotely, events like these offer a good chance to build connections and strengthen our network.
As Giovanni Dal Zilio, an Account Executive at Ultralytics, puts it, "At MWC, everywhere you look, you find computer vision. Being at the technological center of it is exhilarating! Conferences like MWC are such a great team building exercise." His words perfectly captured the energy of the event.
Beyond our team, the community was also having a great time. Throughout the fair, our Ultralytics merchandise, tote bags, caps, and stickers, drew a lot of attention, flying off the stand as a testament to the public's excitement.
Later that evening, the Ultralytics team came together for a memorable dinner in Barcelona.
The final day of 4YFN 2025 ended on a high note with an impactful founders’ panel talk on accessible and ethical AI.
Glenn Jocher, Ultralytics’ Founder & CEO, took the stage alongside Jennifer Woodard, VP at Logically, OpenChip’s CEO Francesc Guim, and Galtea’s Co-founder Jorge Palomar Giner to discuss “AI for Everyone: A Conversation on Sovereignty, Ethics, and Open Source.” Together, they explored how founders can work to make AI accessible, ethical, trustworthy, and inclusive.
The panelists emphasized that building accessible and ethical AI is not just about developing advanced technology - it’s about creating solutions that are transparent, fair, and aligned with human values. By focusing on ethical considerations as well as technological innovation, the conversation focused on the need to design AI systems that are both powerful and responsible.
In particular, when asked about open-source technology, Glenn shared his thoughts and said, "At Ultralytics, we've got a small team of about 30 people, but we have almost 1000 open source contributors out there on GitHub, and we wouldn't be able to create the products we create without them…. It's everybody coming together for a common cause."
The panel talk left the team inspired and excited for what’s next. As the event came to a close, the team said their goodbyes and were already looking forward to the next offsite and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Overall, the team’s time at MWC 2025 in Barcelona was a great success for Ultralytics. We showcased our cutting-edge YOLO models and Vision AI solutions as part of the vibrant 4YFN community, connecting with a global network of innovators, AI startups, and industry leaders.
From engaging booth demos and inspiring panel talks to hands-on interactions with the tech community, every moment reinforced our commitment to advancing computer vision and ethical AI. We're excited to build on these experiences as we continue to shape the future of AI and computer vision.
Connect with our community and explore cutting-edge AI projects on our GitHub repository. Learn about the impact of AI in agriculture and the role of computer vision in manufacturing through our solutions pages. Explore our licensing plans and start your AI journey now!
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