A strong signal for innovation: hubraum and startups at MWC 2026

More than 2.300 visitors, 10 inspiring startups, hundreds of great conversations and a whole lot of entrepreneurial energy: In the founders’ area of MWC 2026, the 4YFN , we showed what happens when hubraum and founders team up for tangible results – connecting people, ideas, and business at its best.

With 10 hand picked startups from the hubraum ecosystem, our booth at the 4YFN (Four Years From Now) became a magnet for more than 2,300 visitors. From AI and data to network technologies, security, and quantum innovations, the diversity and quality of solutions impressed across the audience. Internal colleagues and external stakeholders alike experienced firsthand what the future of tech can look like.

Two startups received special honors: FloodWaive, winner of the prestigious 4YFN Spin-off Award, and DeepKeep reaching the TOP 20 of the 4YFN Award.

These achievements underline the strength of our ecosystem — and the impact Telekom can create as a partner.

Our program was fully packed during the four days. A major highlight was the annual Board Inno Tour, which brought our top leaders face to face with the founders. Add to that, seven tailored guided tours gave Telekom colleagues across the business direct access to startup teams, technologies, and ideas. These curated experiences created real dialogue and new perspectives on innovation.

But there were even more:

1. Dynamic pitching sessions on the 4YFN stage and on Deutsche Telekom’s stage, where our startups impressed investors, partners and future customers
2. Mentoring sessions with young founders, in which we shared our expertise to help them shape the next phases of growth
3. A fully booked workshop, in which Riccardo Pascotto (T-Labs) and Prof. Peter Ruppel (CODE University) offered an honest look at the journey from research to market — covering bureaucracy, funding struggles and tech transfer realities

We sparked connections with hundreds of ecosystem partners ready to supercharge hubraum’s ecosystem. And what do our startups say?

More than 100 qualified leads for our startups including VCs, accelerators, partners and potential customers eager to continue the conversations after the fair. For them, the partnership with Telekom proved to be a true credibility booster, helping them attract the right conversations and opportunities.

Mateusz from ZeroMissed said: “The real-world feedback we received helped us to rethink our product strategy. We learned more in these four days than in three years staring at analytics tools.” Franz from Smarobix was thrilled by the sharp, high quality conversations with the right stakeholders – and “the Magenta brand drew in people who might have otherwise walked past.”

Even small details made a big difference. Our startups praised the booth design — a simple but powerful mix of Magenta presence and clear startup identity. According to visitors, the visual setup instantly built trust and curiosity.

Beyond business outcomes, one thing stood out: the great positive atmosphere in our booth team. A spirit of trust, passion and honest teamwork enabled all of us – hubraumers and startups – to perform at our best.

4YFN 2026 showed once again: when Telekom connects its strengths with the agility and creativity of startups, we make innovation happen. 

Let’s keep the energy high and continue co-creating what’s next!

1. Learn more about our presence at MWC 2026: Catch us at 4YFN in Barcelona
2. hubraum und T-Labs on stage at the main stand (recordings)
   • Supercharging innovation: How startups and Deutsche Telekom co-create trusted, AI-driven telco solutions
   • From Fiber to Quantum: The Next Generation of Network Capabilities
3. GSMA interview with our startup FloodWaive: From Research Lab to Real-World Impact: Meet FloodWaive, 4YFN26 Spin-Offs Pitch Battle Winner