Wayra celebrated its “Investors Day 2024” yesterday at the newly opened Movistar Space. The event was attended by more than 300 guests, including leading investment funds from the local and international ecosystem, as well as leaders and experts from Telefónica and the founders of the most prominent startups in its portfolio. Paloma Castellano, Director of Wayra Spain, welcomed the attendees and highlighted “the transformation that artificial intelligence represents in all sectors and how Wayra is supporting this change.” She then introduced Irene Gómez, CEO of Wayra, who engaged in a dialogue with Prithvi Rai, former Global Head of Security at Uber, Facebook, and Yahoo! and CEO of Borneo, on the importance of working on the development of Responsible AI and how organizations and investors can contribute to responsible technological development. During the talk, Irene highlighted that: "The transformative impact of artificial intelligence is unprecedented, and we are convinced that, through startups like those we support at Wayra, we are contributing to this change for the sake of progress." Later, Marta Antúnez, Investment Director of Wayra Spain, shared Wayra's investment activity over the past year and presented some of the most outstanding startups in its ecosystem, ranging from climate risk management to digital healthcare and secure cloud storage. Among the companies presented were:
- Mitiga Solutions is a company that combines cutting-edge climate science, AI, and high-performance computing to help its clients understand their exposure to climate risk.
- Omniloy simplifies data analysis for businesses using AI-powered tools. Its platform allows employees, without requiring technical expertise, to access and analyze their business data through natural language queries.
- BCAS aims to make quality education and better job opportunities accessible to everyone. They do this by financing studies that students only pay for when they find a job. It collaborates with top schools and offers training in high-demand areas such as web development, UX/UI, and data science. It is backed by the European Investment Fund and supports students with flexible and personalized payment plans based on 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 payment solution for restaurants, facilitating a faster and more convenient experience for diners. It allows businesses to optimize their payment process, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
- GrabrFi is a digital service that allows its users to access the US banking system without having to travel. You don't need to be a US resident to use it. With your ID, you can receive all the benefits of the US banking system from the comfort of your home.
The event also included a roundtable discussion entitled ‘AI, VC & Everything in Between’, moderated by Pablo Moro, managing director at Wayra Ventures, with the participation of leading international funds such as Nicholas Stocks of White Star Capital, Greta Anderson of Balderton Capital, Anne Charlotte Philbert, Managing Director at Eurazeo Growth, and Ryan Foutty of the startup Perplexity. The speakers shared how AI is impacting the way VCs work and the most scalable use cases. Wayra demonstrated at Investors Day that it continues its commitment to high-impact technologies that are setting the pace in global digital transformation, such as artificial intelligence, enterprise software, fintech, insurtech, and next-generation networks. Of all of them, in the last year Wayra has focused especially on companies that apply AI, such as startups like Internxt, Shakers, and Uelz, among others.
Wayra, Telefónica's Corporate Venture Capital
After more than 15 years since its creation, Wayra announced in February of 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 arm.
Wayra makes direct investments in seed and growth-stage startups with the potential to generate business with Telefónica, with investments ranging from €100,000 to €5 million, alongside other leading venture capital firms taking minority stakes with a strategic investment role.
The accumulated experience also allows Wayra to provide innovation services to third parties, while It offers the possibility of supporting other companies and institutions in implementing their open innovation strategy. In this area, it has a wide range of services that adapt to clients' needs, such as startup identification, creation of customized innovation and venture capital programs, and technology labs, among others. It also has innovation platforms, such as Alaian and Open Future, and funds such as Vivo Ventures and Íope Ventures.