Another year, more friends, and plenty of buzz

Another MWC is in the books, and MarsBased was right there in the middle of it. While the sheer volume of people was impressive, it was, more importantly, a week for the community. We spent the days catching up with old friends and putting faces to names we’ve only seen on screens.

The turnout for the sessions we participated in was incredible. It’s great to see that after all these years, people still want to hear what we have to say about building software and companies.

Check out our highlight reel below to experience the MWC buzz in 60 seconds:

Monday, March 2nd

InnoIT Consulting: AI Afterwork

We kicked off the week with a panel on the reality of putting AI into production. No hype, just the grit of dealing with system constraints and real-world design.

The panel focused on the long journey companies are undergoing to make the most out of AI-balancing fast adoption versus chasing the "newest shiny thing," and understanding the risks of agentic AI while keeping costs under control.

The highlight: A solid night of networking, pizza, and beer to get things started.

Tuesday, March 3rd

4YFN Panel: When vibes become code

Àlex moderated this discussion on how "vibe coding" and multimodal cues are starting to replace traditional syntax in engineering.

Àlex’s reflection: > In a year or two, we will have forgotten about "vibe coding" the same way we forgot about "founder mode." This trend, however, will leave two positive things in the market:

First, it helped lower the barriers of tech, pushing the roadblock of "I can't do this" further down the development funnel. Second, we have managed to speak in a much more natural language with our coding tools, making it easier to convey our ideas and forgoing the technical limitations imposed by previous tools.

Talent Arena: A modern take on tech talent

We spent a good chunk of time at the Talent Arena, which felt like a breath of fresh air. It has a modern, dynamic feel compared to traditional stages, focusing on the people and the culture behind the code.

Our CTO, Xavier Redó, joined a panel to discuss the evolution of the developer's role and how agentic AI is changing our day-to-day work.

Xavi’s highlight: > The audience’s optimism stood out. Most attendees see this shift as an opportunity for professional growth rather than a threat.

Xavi emphasized that AI is now capable of writing code at a level comparable to human developers. As engineers, our responsibility is to understand these tools and use them responsibly. We discussed how software development will evolve, with a greater emphasis on planning, system design, and quality evaluation, while coding itself becomes more of a commodity.

Founder Series: Bootstrapping & legacy

Àlex joined Amir Salihefendic (Doist) at the Agora Stage to discuss the realities of building sustainable, remote-first companies without the "VC treadmill."

Core lesson: Bootstrapped businesses treat money differently because they generate every penny themselves. While this makes us more rational, it can also make us too conservative.

However, because we aren't just another company in a portfolio, we operate independently. Unlike VC-backed companies, which might be deprioritized if they don't hit hyper-growth, we can make our own long-term bets. Amir's "founder-led marketing" works because he embodies his company's values, making customers feel like their money truly supports a quality product.

Wednesday, March 4th

Session: 20,000 blunders in tech leadership @ Talent Arena

We headed back to the Talent Arena for one last session focused on the human side of tech: managing technical debt, identity crises, and mental health in leadership.

The biggest blunder: One panelist shared how they blocked millions of euros in transactions due to an overly conservative security approach and a lack of business context. In a world where large consultancies often fill projects with entry-level profiles for high-level tasks, this asymmetry can be dangerous.

Closing thought: We discussed the current vulnerability of C-levels: the fear of being replaced, impending layoffs, impostor syndrome, and AI burnout.

Final thoughts

This edition of MWC has proven once again that MarsBased is a staple in this ecosystem. We aren’t just here to talk; we are here to support the community that has supported us for over a decade.

It has been an absolute pleasure to rub shoulders with so many talented people. Every conversation was an opportunity to learn something new, and we’re heading home with fresh ideas and the satisfaction of knowing we're exactly where we need to be.

We would like to thank the organization of MWC / 4YFN / Talent Arena for inviting us to be part of the show, and particularly the Talent Arena crew for hiring us to help with content curation for the third year in a row. We love contributing to these events for our city and hope to do so for years to come.