Wayra brings together the main players in the ecosystem at Espacio Movistar

Yesterday, Wayra organized “Investor Day 2024” at the newly launched “Espacio Movistar” – an event attended by over 300 guests, including the main investment funds of the local and international ecosystem, as well as Telefónica executives and experts and founders from the most important startups in its portfolio.

Paloma Castellano, director of Wayra Spain, was responsible for welcoming the participants and highlighted “the transformation that artificial intelligence is bringing to all sectors and how Wayra accompanies this change.”

She then gave way to Irene Gómez, CEO of Wayra, who spoke with Prithvi Rai, former global chief security officer of Uber, Facebook and Yahoo! and CEO of Borneo, on the importance of working to develop responsible AI and how organizations and investors can contribute to responsible technology development. During the conversation, Irene emphasized that: “The transformative impact of artificial intelligence is unprecedented, and we believe that through startups like the ones we support at Wayra, we are contributing to this change for progress.

Next, Marta Antúnez, Chief Investment Officer at Wayra Spain, shared Wayra’s investment activity over the past year and introduced some of the most outstanding startups in its space, ranging from climate risk management to digital health and secure cloud storage. The companies presented included:

• Mitiga Solutions is a company that combines cutting-edge climate science, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to help its clients understand their exposure to climate risk.
• Omniloy simplifies data analysis for businesses with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools. The platform enables non-technical employees to access and analyze business data using natural language queries.
• BCAS wants to make it easier for everyone to have access to quality education and better employment opportunities. They do this by financing studies, for which students pay only when they find a job. It cooperates with the best schools and offers training in the most sought-after areas, such as website development, UX/UI and data analytics. It is supported by the European Investment Fund and provides students with flexible payment terms adapted to their salary.
• Ciudadela, founded in 2022, is a digital property management platform focused on improving transparency, speed and security in property management.
• Honei is an innovative restaurant payment solution that enables a faster and more convenient guest experience. It allows branches to streamline the transaction process, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• GrabrFi is a digital service that allows users to access the US banking system without having to travel. You do not need to be a US resident to do this. With an ID card, you can enjoy all the benefits of the American banking system from the comfort of your home.

The event also included a panel discussion titled: “AI, VC & Everything in Between”, moderated by Pablo Moro, Managing Director at Wayra Ventures, with participation from leading international funds such as Nicholas Stocks from White Star Capital, Greta Anderson from Balderton Capital, Anne Charlotte Philbert, Managing Director at Eurazeo Growth and Ryan Foutty of the startup Perplexity. Speakers shared how AI is impacting the way VC works and the most scalable use cases.

Wayra demonstrated at Investors Day that it remains committed to high-impact technologies that are setting the pace for global digital transformation, such as artificial intelligence, enterprise software, fintech, insurtech and next-generation networks. Over the past year, Wayra has focused specifically on AI companies such as startups like Internxt, Shakers, and Uelz, among others.

Wayra, Telefónica’s corporate venture capital

More than 15 years after its founding, Wayra announced in February this year a strategic change in which it grouped all of the Telefónica Group’s startup investment initiatives under its brand, becoming the company’s corporate venture capital.

Wayra invests directly in seed and growth stage startups that are able to generate partnerships with Telefónica, investing from €100,000 to €5 million together with other leading venture capitalists including minority stakes with a strategic investment role.

The accumulated experience also allows Wayra to provide innovation services to third parties, while offering the opportunity to accompany other companies and institutions in implementing their open innovation strategies. In this area, Wayra offers a wide range of services tailored to the needs of its clients, such as: identifying start-ups, creating tailored innovation and venture capital programs and technology laboratories. It also has innovation platforms such as Alaian and Open Future and funds such as Vivo Ventures and Íope Ventures.