Following a successful promotional visit to Miami during eMerge Americas, the Gateway Summit has set its sights on its upcoming edition, scheduled for October 1 and 2 at the Málaga Cruise Terminal. The event aims to serve as a transatlantic bridge, connecting South Florida's tech hub with Málaga's innovation center, as revealed in an exclusive interview with Hispanic Target Magazine.
César Caballero, Coordinator of Gateway Summit, highlighted the positive reception from the American market during his May visit. "What we noticed in Miami is a massive interest in discovering new innovation hubs outside traditional markets," he said. Málaga's appeal lies in its combination of talent, high quality of life, international connectivity, and a rapidly maturing business ecosystem. The summit is returning with strategic collaboration agreements and commitments from numerous U.S. and Latin American investors and companies to explore joint investment and expansion opportunities.
The summit's unique airport-inspired concept, featuring spaces like the "Pitching Runway" and "Takeoff Talks," reflects its philosophy as a connecting hub where ideas take flight. This year's agenda balances top-tier content, investment, networking, and immersive experiences. Key formats include the Pitching Runway, where 10 finalist startups will pitch directly to investors, alongside workshops, deal-making meetings, and an Experience Zone with live demos and applied technologies.
Thematic priorities span major tech trends: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, FinTech, EdTech, HealthTech, SpaceTech, Smart Cities, Connected Mobility, Tokenization, Bitcoin, Real Estate, Tourism, and Impact Investing. Investment is a central pillar, with a new initiative bringing together around 20 investors to demystify the startup evaluation process and investment decisions.
Caballero emphasized the summit's goal to empower attendees to understand market trends, connect with leaders, and unlock tangible business opportunities. The international lineup includes executives from Mastercard, Renault, and Indra discussing connected vehicles and mobility; sessions on tokenization and digital assets; and technology's impact on healthcare with Quirón and space industry with PLD Space. Metricool will address AI applications, and Markus Gotthard will keynote on drones, AI, and energy resilience in global security. Representatives from Cisco, Reental, and Bolt will also feature, with more announcements expected.
The summit is tailored for startups, scaleups, corporations, venture capital funds, angel investors, family offices, institutions, universities, and tech hubs. For U.S. and Latin American attendees, it serves as a concentrated entry point into Spanish and European ecosystems. Investors can discover deals via the Pitching Runway, evaluate curated startups, and arrange one-on-one meetings. Advanced networking and matchmaking tools will facilitate pre-scheduled meetings to ensure productive connections.
Practical, actionable learning is a focus, with workshops like Reental's on accessible alternative investments and "Tres en Forma," a masterclass featuring investors Jesús Alonso Gallo, Rodolfo Carpintier, and Néstor Salvador Boichenco. The Experience Zone will showcase live tech demonstrations and immersive experiences. "We don't want Gateway to be just a place to hear about what's happening—we want participants to understand how it's done," said Caballero.
The summit's defining value proposition is its combination of knowledge, action, and strategic networking, aiming to answer not "Which presentation did you like best?" but "Who did you meet, and what deals will follow?" This focus on tangible outcomes is set to make Gateway Summit 2026 a pivotal event for transatlantic innovation and investment.
