Is Cascade Funding Contributing to Closing the Gender Gap in European Innovation?
06 March 2026
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Representing Sploro at the event were Miguel García (CEO), Alberto Sierra (COO) and César Muro (B2B Sales Executive). Over several days, the team connected with founders, innovation organisations, ecosystem builders and technology stakeholders from across Europe, discussing how European funding instruments can help startups grow and collaborate internationally.
Beyond formal sessions, the event offered the opportunity to meet partners, discover emerging technologies and connect with startups already benefitting from European innovation programmes supported by Sploro.
4YFN (Four Years From Now) is the entrepreneurship platform of Mobile World Congress (MWC), widely considered the largest event in the mobile and connectivity industry. It brings together startups, investors, corporates and public innovation actors to explore new technologies, partnerships and business opportunities.
For startups and deep-tech companies, the event is also a gateway into the European innovation ecosystem, where collaboration and access to funding programmes play a critical role in scaling new technologies.
During the event, the Sploro team connected with multiple startups and partners from initiatives such as Women TechEU, NGI Sargasso and PQ-React, highlighting how these programmes are helping innovative companies develop technology, expand their networks and access non-dilutive funding.
Events like 4YFN show how important ecosystem connections are in the European innovation landscape. Innovation rarely grows in isolation — it thrives when startups, researchers and organisations share knowledge, build partnerships and collaborate across borders.
Sploro works with startups, SMEs and research organisations to navigate European funding instruments and build successful collaborative projects.
Among these mechanisms, cascade funding plays a particularly important role. Through cascade funding, startups and SMEs can receive direct financial support via open calls launched within EU-funded projects, helping them develop and validate innovative technologies.
During 4YFN, the Sploro team focused on:
During the event, Miguel García also had the opportunity to meet several teams working in photonics, a field that represents some of the most advanced areas of deep-tech innovation.
As he noted during the event, these technologies require years of research, significant investment and long development cycles, making funding instruments particularly important:
“Proper deep-tech innovation takes years of R&D, real risk and serious resilience. That’s exactly where cascade funding can make a difference: de-risking innovation at the right moment.”
This reflects a broader challenge for deep-tech startups: turning scientific breakthroughs into scalable products requires both funding and the right innovation ecosystem.
Speaker: César Muro, B2B Sales Executive – Sploro
Date: Tuesday, 3 March 2026 | 17:00–18:45
Location: MWCapital Stand – Hall 6 (Stand 6B31)
In this interactive session, César Muro brought together innovators interested in participating in European collaborative projects.
Participants had the opportunity to:
Building the right consortium is often one of the most decisive factors for securing European funding. Successful projects typically combine research institutions, startups, technology companies and innovation organisations, each contributing different expertise.
Sessions like this help startups understand how collaborative innovation works in practice, while also creating the first connections that may eventually lead to new European research and innovation projects.
Speaker: Alberto Sierra, COO – Sploro
Date: Wednesday | 10:00–10:45
In this session, Alberto Sierra discussed how European policy frameworks and funding instruments can support deep-tech startups in their scaling journey.
Deep-tech companies often face challenges such as:
“Deep-tech innovation takes time, resilience and serious R&D. European funding instruments exist precisely to support that journey and help groundbreaking technologies move from research to real-world impact.”
European innovation programmes help address these barriers by providing funding, access to international partnerships and structured innovation frameworks.
During the event, Alberto also participated in discussions with partners from the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the BOOST project, exploring how EU initiatives can further support high-impact startups.
Beyond the panel, the event also provided opportunities for startup scouting, allowing the team to discover emerging companies and technologies shaping the next wave of European innovation.
For many founders, understanding how to align technological development with EU funding frameworks can significantly accelerate their growth journey.
One of the most inspiring moments during the event was a panel featuring three startups supported by the Women TechEU programme, an initiative designed to support women-led deep-tech companies in Europe.
Miguel García attended the session and highlighted the strength and focus of the founders presenting their work. Rather than hype or trends, the conversation centred on real technological innovation and the challenges of building deep-tech companies.
Startups such as Miramoon Pharma, BlindStairs and CellFlow demonstrated how targeted funding programmes can unlock leadership and enable high-impact innovation.
Their work reflects the importance of initiatives like Women TechEU, which aim to increase diversity in the European deep-tech ecosystem while supporting breakthrough technologies.
Throughout the week, the Sploro team continued engaging with innovators and ecosystem leaders across the event — from EU project sessions at Talent Arena to unexpected moments of inspiration that only an event like Mobile World Congress can provide.
These interactions are a reminder that innovation ecosystems are built through people, conversations and collaboration. Every new connection can become the starting point of a future project, partnership or technological breakthrough.
As the European innovation landscape evolves, accessible funding mechanisms and strong collaborative networks will remain essential drivers of progress.
By participating in events like 4YFN, Sploro continues to contribute to this ecosystem, helping organisations transform innovative ideas into funded projects, partnerships and scalable solutions across Europe.
