Elche and Alicante joined forces to celebrate innovation at a unique event in the province, where technology took center stage. Tech Day brought together companies, entrepreneurs, and professionals from Alicante’s technology sector in a gathering designed to foster knowledge, collaboration, and the growth of the ecosystem.
Organized by Palmera Tech and AlicanTEC, the event provided a new meeting point for the sector. The day took place on June 4th at the Alicante Science Park (PCA), with a full program of presentations, roundtables, and a shared space to showcase both established leaders and emerging talent.
The opening ceremony featured the participation of Luis Barcala, Mayor of Alicante, who attended the PCA accompanied by María del Carmen de España, Councilor for Employment and Economic Development and President of the Local Development Agency, and Amparo Navarro, Rector of the University of Alicante.
Technology, Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence.
Following the opening remarks, the various presentations and panel discussions began, focusing on some of the main challenges and opportunities in the technology sector.
- Ignacio Guillem: “Innovating to Survive: Technology at the Service of a Planet in Transition”
- Sustainability Panel, with Ignacio Guillem, Iván Navalón, and Yurik Budyk.
- Ginés Cortés: “Talent in the Age of Augmented AI” – Talent Panel: Ginés Cortés, Juan Carlos Valero, and Esperanza Navarro.
- David Buenhombre “Is Technological Independence Possible in the Cloud?”
- Joaquín Pedreño “Autonomous Agents: AI That Works for You”
- Robotics Roundtable: Joaquín Pedreño, Paqui Rubio, and Antonio Sánchez.
The morning included the AI Challenge 2026, the outcome of which was decided by the audience, who chose the winning team that would later be recognized during the awards ceremony.
The Alicante Futura team, the municipal strategy of the Alicante City Council, presented its action plan and announced the date of the next Alicante Futura Summit, the leading innovation forum in the province, which we can now reveal will be held on October 7th and 8th.
Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia & VDS, closed the morning session in Alicante, inviting the audience to continue the day in Elche.
Recognizing the technological excellence of the province.
In the afternoon, the Altamira Palace in Elche hosted the The technology awards gala was held to recognize the work of companies and professionals contributing to the technological development of the province.
The ceremony was opened by Juan José Cortés, Director General of Innovation for the Valencian Government, who introduced the jury responsible for evaluating the nominations. The committee was composed of representatives from the academic, business, and institutional sectors.
- Xavier Barber – Professor at UMH specializing in AI
- Frank Escandell – Director of Institutional Partners at OdiseIA
- Javier Cantoral – CEO of Convotis Iberia
- Paqui Arán – R&D&I Coordinator at INESCOP
- Marcelo Soda – Director of FACEPHI
- Juanjo Milla – Director of Palmera Tech
- Antonio Sánchez – President of AlicanTEC
- Itziar Pérez – CEO of Dual Link
- Gareth Rhys-Jones – President of Jovempa Elche y Comarca
Award-winning companies and professionals.
- The winners of this second edition were:
- City Council Award The award for Best Technology Startup went to Calpech in Elche.
- The Banco Sabadell Award for Best Technology Company went to Softwariza3.
- The Verisure Award for Young Technology Leader went to Raquel Martínez.
- The Technology Leader Award went to David Ivorra of Lynx View.
- The Caja de Ingenieros Award for Best Private Initiative went to Nitsnets.
- The DXC Technology Award for Best Public Initiative went to the Visit Benidorm Foundation.
From the Alicante City Council, Antonio Peral, Councilor for Innovation, Strategic Plans, and European Projects, presented the Alicante Futura Award for Best Technology Scale-up to Abionica Solutions.
The closing ceremony of the gala and Tech Day was led by Antonio Peral, Councilor of the Alicante City Council, and José Claudio Guilabert, Councilor for Services, Public Spaces, and Innovation of the Elche City Council, bringing the day to a close. which once again demonstrated the dynamism, talent, and innovative capacity of Alicante’s technology ecosystem. Ayuntamiento de Elche, poniendo el broche final a una jornada que volvió a evidenciar el dinamismo, el talento y la capacidad de innovación del ecosistema tecnológico alicantino.
Finally, it is worth noting that the second edition of Tech Day was sponsored by Banco Sabadell, Caja de Ingenieros, the Alicante City Council, the Elche City Council, DXC, Verisure, Alicante Futura, and OVHcloud, whose support made it possible.
Likewise, the event has had the collaboration of the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, Tertiario Avanzado, Avecal, UEPAL, the European Business and Innovation Center of Elche, FEMPA, the Alicante Science Park, Inescop R+D+i, Multitec, the Miguel Hernández University Science Park, AEPA, Alicante Emprende, Ineca, Jovempa, Impact Hub Alicante, Torre Juana, FBS Business School, El Circle of Directors of ALicante, Impulsalicante and Alia-Invest in Alicante.
