Catalan mobile companies fill the market with innovative and specialized products

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (CNA).– The Catalan technology industry took advantage of the 8^th consecutive edition of the GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona, the Catalan capital that is premiering as Mobile World Capital, a title that it will hold until 2018. This year, the Business and Employment Ministry of the Catalan Government supported 56 local companies, which means a 40% increase in the Catalan presence in comparison to 2012 according to the General Director of Industry, Antoni Maria Grau i Costa.  48 of these companies were located at the Catalonia Stand showing their innovative products in different fields. Most of them are formed by small teams of young entrepreneurs who were looking for venture capital and were making contacts with international businesses to launch their latest technological projects.

The Catalan companies presented at the Catalonia Stand, located in Congress Square CS50 between Hall 4 and 5, were selected from more than 100 applicants. According to Grau i Costa, these companies were chosen following different criteria such as the possible repercussion they may have despite being in some cases start-up initiatives, their level of innovation or technological base.

The 48 selected companies shared the Catalonia Stand with the public economic development agency Massachussets Technology Collaborative and the Brokerage Event, where about 1,700 interviews between 509 companies have been arranged since last Monday until Thursday. The other 8 Catalan companies of the 56 are technological centres based in the App Planet, in Hall 8, where they were presenting 9 collaboration innovative projects.

“This new edition of the MWC is beating all expectations. It is full of people from all around the world, and this cell phone-related industries event has an impact at a global level as well as promoting Catalonia's international image”, the Catalan Government’s General Director of Industry concluded.

Technology made in Catalonia

In the business field, Catalan company eyeOS presented a software that allows people to access their company applications and synchronise their information from every device and browser. The Commercial Director of eyeOS, Gustavo Gorricho, commented that they are looking for international support and thought that “this edition of the Mobile World Congress is more comfortable due to the bigger Gran Via venue with its greater capacity for new stands and the chance it gives to new technological companies”.

Technology is also an ally of urban mobility and a platform to create smart cities and make people’s lives easier. The main objectives of Giropark SAU are to control parking areas and blue zones to reduce people’s difficulty when parking and to improve this activity for people with disabilities. Giropark SAU presented two mobile apps: PayPark, which make its possible to look for parking availability information, and GesBlue, which allows carpark operators to control parking areas. “Giropark SAU and its apps are projects of the Mifas Group, a non-profit foundation created in 1978 by a group of disabled people, with the aim of improving everyone’s mobility”, said Toni Bachiller. He also added that “at the MWC we aim to commercialise our apps, in fact, the demand for them has exponentially grown and we are looking for new capital. All the benefits will be destined to the Mifas Group, to maintain and to create new occupational centres for disabled people”.

Another innovative and interesting Catalan company is InQBarna, which has developed Deej Party, recently recalled Splice, the app that can play music as a DJ would do. Brais Gabín, a member of InQBarna, has announced that “during the first week of March our company is going to present a new trial app called TitiPas”. This app unites all transportation apps in one map where people will find all the trains, buses, parking spaces and metro information. The first version presents a map of Nice. Gabín also said that the “Mobile World Congress is a good experience for us, there are a lot of people interested in our project”.

Fashion victims had their own space at MWC and now, choosing the best dress daily ware or for a job interview and shopping online by smartphone is easier thanks to DressApp, a software initially developed by SlashMobility but which has become independent as a new company due to its success. The Social Media Director of DressApp, Nuria Revilla, defines this app “as the best help to remind you that you have to dress in some special way to go to work, for a job interview, to a party or simply to avoid repeating the same clothes in a short period of time”. She added that DressApp is working with the main clothes labels and improving their marketing strategy.

International visitors opinion

The Polish exhibition visitor from the Software Mind company, Grzegorz Mlynarczyk, commented that Barcelona is a beautiful and powerful city to hold this kind of international events. Also, Mlynarczyk thought that the Catalonia Stand “offers really good solutions and they are such a interesting business”. “I hope I could find the perfect company for my telecommunication business”, he added. The only regret he did have was about the Gran Via venue, “it is bigger but it is a little bit further from the hotels and other metro lines connections”.

Kishan Gupto, a student from University College London, recognizes it is his first time at the Mobile World Congress. “I am here to look for information for my research project about the mobile industry”, he said. Besides, Gupto added he is learning a lot thanks to the different types of exhibitors.