On 21 October, the Banco Sabadell Foundation held the ‘Culture of Talent’ event in Barcelona, a forum designed by and for young people, which brought together around 300 attendees, including entrepreneurs, creators and contributors from the cultural, educational and social spheres.
Held at the Sala Astoria and open to participants aged between 18 and 30, the event was intended to be a source of inspiration and a meeting point to bring together a new generation of role models committed to the positive transformation of society, with accessible and dynamic talks on leadership, creativity, technology and understanding our world.
“After years of supporting young people in a wide range of areas, we have found that an opportunity can open a door, but it is people, conversations and trust that truly pave the way. That is why we are promoting this event: to provide a space where talented young people can connect, ask questions, find inspiration and discover new perspectives. Because we believe that great ideas often arise from unexpected encounters and that we build a better future when we work together as a community” explains Sonia Mulero, Director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation.
David Rodríguez, founder of Fundación Pegasus and a well-known figure in leadership, wellbeing and personal development, presented the event and gave a talk on ‘projects with a purpose’, in which he shared his experience of overcoming his disability.
The first discussion panel, which focused on Technology kicked off with Jan Carbonell, an entrepreneur and member of the Celera community, Diego Miguel Lozano, an artificial intelligence researcher at ELLIS Alicante, and Albert Beltran, co-founder of Balance Phone. The speakers reflected on AI and its regulation in Europe, the huge wealth of talent on the continent, and the way in which companies have managed to capture so much of our attention through screens.
“We believe that great ideas often arise from unexpected encounters and that we build a better future when we work together as a community.” Sonia Mulero, Director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation.
The panel for the topic Understanding our World continued the discussions with Karima Shujazada, activist, speaker and leading figure in diversity, gender issues, inclusion and intercultural dialogue, and Matthew McLaughlan, researcher and analyst at CIDOB. Karima focused on her journey as an Afghan migrant and on what she experienced whilst fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power, whilst Matthew broadened the perspective of the discussion to analyse the global geopolitical context.
A discussion on Creativity brought the programme of talks to a close, with the participation of actress and creator Mariamu Touré, a former student of Dentro Cine, a free, therapeutic film school run by Cineteca Madrid and Matadero Madrid with the support of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, and Lucía del Greco, who took part in one of the micro-operas from the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s ‘Oh!pera’ cycle. Lucía, who spoke first, shared what opera and art mean in her life, whilst Mariamu explained how her time at Dentro Cine transformed her career and how she has managed to make a living as an actress.
The programme was rounded off with music, food and a prize draw for those in attendance. Prizes and tickets to entertainment events were raffled off, all donated by projects and organisations that the Foundation collaborates with.
Supporting young talent with a long-term vision
Through events such as this, the Banco Sabadell Foundation reaffirms its mission: to empower the younger generations to act as a driving force for transformation and collective progress, and to support those who create, research and undertake new ventures. As a result of this commitment, the Foundation invests nearly 60% of its annual budget in projects that promote young talent.
In fact, over the last five years, it has managed to help around 75,000 people through its projects and expects to end 2026 with more than 16,000 people benefiting from social impact programmes. Furthermore, in 2025 it granted more than 700 awards and bursaries to talented individuals, consolidating its prestigious awards for young researchers: the Banco Sabadell Foundation Awards for Economic Research, Biomedical Research, Science and Engineering, and Marine Sustainability.
Among the latest projects and initiatives that the organisation has recently launched, the video podcast ‘La Cultura del Talento’ stands out, consisting of a series of episodes aimed primarily at younger generations and designed for distribution on social media, particularly TikTok. The podcast showcases the success stories of young people who have taken part in programmes promoted by the Banco Sabadell Foundation, as well as influencers and content creators from various fields, with the aim of bringing talent and innovation to new audiences.
Another noteworthy project, currently in development and soon to take place, is the Hackathon Human AI, which aims to encourage young people to take an ethical, critical and responsible approach to the use of artificial intelligence. The event will be held on 5 and 6 November at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid and will bring together 75 young people from different disciplines, who will work in multidisciplinary teams to tackle some of the real-world challenges associated with areas such as culture and the arts, social action, education, rural communities, and health and wellbeing.
