Top Five Contenders in Four Years From Now’s 2024 Pitch Competition Revealed

The Mobile World Congress, an annual event we’ve been covering all week, used to feature a side event for startups known as “Four Years From Now”. Over time, this event has become integrated within the larger MWC event, hosting a startup competition every year in search of the top startups from around the world.

Out of hundreds of applicants and pitches, a panel of industry experts and investors have selected the top five finalists of this year’s competition.

Let’s take a closer look at the five finalists that have emerged from this highly competitive pitch competition. While some of these startups are relatively new and we do not have funding information for all of them, their innovations and potential impact have caught the attention of both investors and experts in their industries.

Bitsensing

First on the list is Bitsensing, a South Korean company that utilizes radar technology to detect the presence of passengers inside a car without the use of cameras. This technology can even detect if a child has been accidentally left in a car. Additionally, it can determine the location of the passengers within the vehicle. So far, this startup has raised an impressive $21.3 million in funding.

Mica AI Medical

Mica AI Medical claims to have the ability to diagnose suspicious breast cancer findings long before a tumor develops. This is made possible by their AI platform, which has been trained on millions of image scans. This technology aims to address the limitations of traditional mammography caused by a significant portion of women having “dense breasts.” So far, Mica AI Medical has not disclosed funding information.

Ocean Ecostructures

Based in Spain, Ocean Ecostructures focuses on marine biodiversity regeneration to counteract the environmental effects of “grey oceans.” They have raised €1.6 million to date, with investments from notable firms such as Inclimo Climate Tech Fund and Ship2B Ventures. This startup is also part of the 2023 Norrsken Accelerator, an impact investor program.

Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech

Qilimanjaro is a quantum computing company that offers both hardware and software solutions. Their focus is on developing high-quality qubit architectures and coherent quantum annealers, which do not require quantum error correction and can be brought to the market more quickly. Founded by José Ignacio Latorre, a professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Barcelona, Qilimanjaro has sparked the interest of investors and experts in the field.

Whispp

Last but not least, Whispp has developed an “Assistive Voice Tech and Calling App” that caught the attention of TechCrunch in January of last year. This app has the unique ability to convert whispered and vocal cord impaired speech into the user’s natural voice in real time. This technology could greatly benefit those with difficulties communicating, such as the elderly or post-operative patients. With €1.4 million raised to date, Whispp is based in the Netherlands and has the potential to expand into the B2B market for more discreet corporate phone calls.