Python, PySpark, dbt, Monorepo, Databricks, Streamlit, Amplitude… the German company IFCO impressed us in their debut as participants of the 17th edition of Tech Up Nights: they showed us their technological stack that controls millions of cash registers all over the world. Then it was the turn of Ocado Technology who shared their experience of migrating the Quartz scheduling library to AWS EventBridge. Techie content, for the most techie profiles in Barcelona. Here is a summary of the content:

Sergi Vila, Head of Digital Hub at IFCO & Carlos Buenosvinos, VP of Software and Data Development at IFCO

Carlos and Sergi focused on IFCO’s transformation: the company not only produces reusable packaging for fresh produce, but has also become a technological role model in smart logistics.

In the session, they explained that they have developed in-house IoT devices that send near real-time data to a software platform that monitors and analyses the status of the boxes. In addition, they have put in place a technology infrastructure that can process more than 4TB of data per day and that receives, processes and makes use of the data sent by the IoT devices.

The German company now better controls the flow of reusable goods, reduces logistics costs and generates new revenue by turning its IoT platform into a marketable product, applicable to logistics services in different sectors.

Andrzej Pozłutko, Engineering Team Leader at Ocado Technology

Andrzej explained how a simple technology migration of the Ecommerce team boosted reliability, reduced costs and simplified maintenance.

Ocado built a more modern, simple and cost-effective architecture by moving away from the Quartz library, a traditional Java-based, task-scheduling solution, to AWS EventBridge. Beyond the challenges of this transition, Andrzej highlighted the advantages: a much cheaper infrastructure, fewer support issues and therefore less stress and more time and energy for testing and learning.

The data speaks for itself – on Wednesday night, around 200 ‘techies’ got together for the 16th edition of the Tech Up Nights to enjoy some serious tech content from i2cat, Osmium Solutions, and Ocado Technology, followed by a great networking session. As always, here’s a summary of all the content:

Elena Fernández, Researcher and PhD Candidate at the Space Communications research group – i2CAT & Juan José Grosso, CEO & Founder of Osmium Solutions.

Elena and Juan gave a talk about cybersecurity for satellite communication. As mega constellations push the boundaries of technology, it is becoming essential to have secure links between satellites for efficient network management.

During the talk, Elena shared how i2CAT’s research on inter-satellite links is exploring how to make these connections both possible and high-performing. While Juan talked on Osmium’s behalf about how cybersecurity principles can be used effectively in different space link scenarios. The collaboration between i2CAT and Osmium Solutions is paving the way for secure, reliable communication in space, a challenge that’s more critical than ever in an era of expanding satellite networks.

Toni Tassani, Deputy CTO at Ocado Technology

Ocado Technology talked about productivity and how making things more efficient can improve workplaces and get people working together and coming up with new ideas. He explained how Ocado Technology has used a data-driven approach and internal platforms to boost productivity.

Toni said it’s important to use measurements to make things better, not just set goals. He also talked about the risks of relying too much on measurements, such as evaluating individuals based on targets instead of focusing on overall progress and team growth.

On the 15th edition of the Tech Up nights, we dove deep into pure data science to discover the algorithms MediaMarkt uses for stock optimization, and learned about Eurecat’s tools for summarizing audiovisual news content. Content created by techies and for techies, with a good dose of networking.

Carlos Nodar, Lead Product Owner at MediaMarkt & Aleix Sacrest, Data Scientist at MediaMarkt

MediaMarkt showed how Data Science is changing the way products are organised, using advanced models to work out how much stock to keep in store and choose the right mix of products. One important new idea is using personalised advice to work out the best amount of each product to have in each category and store. By using information about past sales, future demand and real-time trends, these models help to avoid having too many products and make sure that products are available in the places where they are needed most.

They are also using large language models (LLMs) to analyse web shop searches, which gives them valuable insights into what customers want. By finding patterns in how people search, the team can make sure that the right products are prioritised. This means they can work better and also make shopping better for customers by selling the right products at the right time.

Rafael Redondo Tejedor, AI and Computer Vision Researcher, and Head of the Image Group at Eurecat’s Multimedia Technologies Unit.

Eurecat is working on technology that uses AI to make short and clear summaries of long videos. This makes it easier to look for and use videos in different ways. By combining large language models (LLMs) with speech transcription, this technology extracts the most important moments in news, interviews and events. This makes the content easier to access and engage with.

The technology uses advanced speech-to-text models and is easy to use, as validated by media professionals. These smart tools can compress content really well, so you can summarise a 10-minute interview into just one minute. This helps to make the editing process more efficient, while keeping the quality of the content high.

However, “human supervision is still essential to ensure content quality”.

It started pouring down. But that didn’t stop over 120 techies from gathering for the 14th edition of Tech Up Nights at Pier01’s Sala Naturgy.

Aram Sargsyan, COO of FREENOW, and Engineering Director Jaume Viñas revealed how the German company is transforming the taxi industry with technology developed in Barcelona. Meanwhile, Jordi Abad, CTO of SEAT CODE, and Principal Engineer Juan Luis Ozáez discussed the technical challenges and solutions behind their SaaS mobility platform, Giravolta. There’s no better way to celebrate the European Mobility Week.

Aram Sargsyan, COO & Jaume Viñas, Engineering Director at Freenow

Freenow’s Barcelona Tech Hub is the centre of the company’s tech innovations. They are always making the app that connects thousands of drivers and riders across Europe better. After Aram introduced the company, Jaume learned about the impressive technology used at the centre. With a team of over 150 engineers, they work on everything from real-time location tracking to dynamic pricing and navigation. The team uses a range of technology, including Kotlin, Java, Spring Boot, and MongoDB, to make sure the app works well. They develop both iOS and Android apps natively, which means they work really well on any device. Thanks to this solid tech foundation, FREENOW can offer features like real-time booking updates and efficient, reliable journeys.

Jordi Abad, CTO & Juan Luis Ozáez, Principal Engineering at SEAT:CODE

Giravolta is SEAT:CODE’s answer to the evolving landscape of urban mobility —a flexible Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform designed to integrate and manage different transport solutions within cities. Developed entirely in-house, Giravolta powers everything from car-sharing and e-scooter fleets to corporate mobility solutions, allowing businesses, city operators, and end-users to access an efficient way to move around.

No bad luck here, quite the opposite – despite it being the 13th edition, this event jointly organised by Tech Barcelona and Ocado Technology attracted a packed audience eager to learn from Adevinta and Sanofi’s AI implementations. Here’s a summary:

Alina Zdrenghea, R&D Digital AI Director at Sanofi

In today’s fast-paced world, the pressure to innovate and deliver new products and solutions quickly is immense. The real promise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) lies not just in boosting productivity, but in drastically shortening the time it takes to move from the early stages of discovery to large-scale launch. That said, harnessing AI effectively brings its own set of challenges, considerations, and risks.

Sanofi is setting its sights on becoming the first biopharma company powered by AI at scale. Their vision is to revolutionize healthcare by improving patient care, reducing costs, and enhancing disease management. Sanofi’s AI efforts stretch across all phases of drug development, from discovering new molecules to getting treatments into patients’ hands. Their AI-driven approach includes analyzing single-cell data, selecting biologics, uncovering new therapeutic targets, advancing drug design, and speeding up clinical trials.

Marta Ros, Product Director at Infojobs & Anna Via, ML Product Manager at Adevinta

For over eight years, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence have been shaping the journeys of candidates and companies at InfoJobs, helping create perfect matches. Recently, Marta and Anna explored the latest GenAI-powered features and discussed the key challenges associated with adopting this new technology. They highlighted several risks, including data leakage and privacy issues resulting from free input, as well as concerns about prompt injection and security. On the free output side, dangers such as hallucinations, toxicity, and biases could lead to discrimination.

External large language models introduce their own challenges, such as increased dependencies and high latency. Additionally, a significant shift in mindset is required as we move from building deterministic software to probabilistic systems. This transition raises questions about how to measure “harmfulness” in data, ensure features are genuinely useful in terms of user experience (UX), and ensure that users can easily understand these features from a design perspective.

Throughout this journey, Marta and Anna have emphasized that their work has always focused on the responsible use of technology, especially AI, to ensure it brings a positive impact on society.

The go-to event for IT professionals in Barcelona just turned two years old.

Throughout the 12 editions of Tech Up Nights, this initiative by Tech Barcelona and Ocado Technology has featured speakers from Nestlé, HP, Adevinta, Damm, MediaMarkt, and other companies, sharing their insights on how they are using technology to transform their companies. In this latest edition, Ocado Technology discussed strategies for minimising cloud costs, while i2CAT introduced an exciting new development: a real-time holoportation platform.

Kevin McCormack, Associate Engineering Director at Ocado Technology.

Kevin McCormack, Associate Engineering Director at Ocado Technology, delivered a presentation similar to one he gave at the AWS Summit in London this past April. He explained how Ocado Technology, recognised for its innovative e-commerce and logistics platform, has successfully reduced cloud costs without compromising its commitment to innovation. The company has optimised its cloud infrastructure through several strategies, including cost-aware engineering, efficient resource utilization, and the adoption of serverless architectures where applicable. This approach has allowed them to maintain rapid innovation cycles without sacrificing performance or functionality.

Sergi Fernández, Media & Internet Area Director at i2CAT; Mohamad Hjeij, Media Internet Research Engineer at i2CAT; & Miquel Angel Pérez, Knowledge and Technology Marketing at i2CAT.

It’s no longer science fiction. i2CAT has introduced HoloMIT, a solution that makes holoportation possible by reducing data volume, bandwidth, and computational needs, enabling immersive 360º experiences on current devices. HoloMIT captures people with depth cameras, encodes the data, transmits it, and renders it in a digital space—creating what’s known as holopresence.

The technology uses point clouds to produce realistic digital representations and is designed to work with low-cost devices. It also supports smooth multi-user sessions, accommodating up to 12 people at once. This could be the next big thing for virtual meetings, similar to how videoconferencing took off in the early 2000s.

HoloMIT has practical applications for businesses, including holoconferences, training, and demonstrations. One example is its use on TV3’s show Euforia, where multiple cameras captured scenes around the set, offering an interactive visualization of the performances.

In the end, the cake disappeared in a matter of seconds. But don’t worry, we’ve got pizzas, beers, and some connections on the menu for next time. See you in July!

More than 130 tech lovers found out how HP and Nestlé are keeping a whole army of printers and coffee machines connected through IoT. And then just kept the good vibes rolling and networked over pizzas & beers at the event’s 11 edition, organised together with Ocado Technology. Here’s a quick recap:

Albert Such, Digital Ecosystem & Solutions Architect at HP & Roque Bonilla, Domain Chief Engineer at HP

HP has over 270,000 printers connected for telemetry and more than 32,000 printers connected for operational data and control…”IoT at Large”. Albert Such and Roque Bonilla discussed various use cases such as business analytics, service support, and device monitoring, emphasising the importance of quality of service considerations. They also addressed the management of data volume and storage requirements across diverse devices and architectures, alongside security measures to protect data integrity and privacy. Furthermore, they highlighted the evolution of connectivity from basic unidirectional to bidirectional communication, with advancements in latency and bandwidth for improved performance.

Francisco Javier Cabello, Global IoT Product Manager at Nestlé

Nestlé is also creating new business models and data insights from connected coffee machines. Why is this international corporation investing so much in IoT then? To enable differentiation and engagement, to create value for consumers, and to improve efficiency and to support product evolution through data-driven insights.

Tech Up Nights celebrated its 10th edition with a bang. 197 tech lovers from all over the world went deep into the use of AI in business processes (by Damm & Nennisiwok) and ecommerce retail media (by Ocado Technology). And of course, pizza and Damm drinks followed, making networking so much easier.

Here’s a recap:

Laura Gil, Director Transformation in Damm & Lluis Pallarès, CEO & Founder of Nennisiwok

How an old brewing company such as Damm is transforming into a data-driven organization? Transitioning from disorganized external data to a sophisticated data analysis framework, Damm aims to establish a comprehensive data lake to fuel over 100 upcoming projects, including an Intelligent Sales Proposal solution leveraging AI for optimized product assortments and real-time margin insights.

Marie Masselot, Group Product Manager at Ocado Technology

Ocado Technology is revolutionising retail media strategies, enabling partners to boost their revenue streams. Their approach includes a world-class monetisation platform offering tailored digital marketing content to shoppers. Key features include optimised product showcases, advanced advertising banners, precise segmentation, and dedicated advertising pages, promising benefits like dynamic expanded brand opportunities, enhanced coverage, and improved customer targeting for an elevated shopping experience.

The 9th edition of Tech Up Nights, hosted by Tech Barcelona at Pier01, kicked off with an intriguing question –”Why Your Washing Machine Can Become Your Worst Enemy?”– which set the stage for a highly technical yet practical discussion:

Albert Such, Digital Ecosystem & Solutions Architect at HP &  Nadim Zubidat, Security Architect at HP

During the session, Such and Zubidat delved into the complexities of protecting modern devices against cybersecurity threats. The discussion not only highlighted the potential vulnerabilities present in everyday appliances, such as washing machines, but also emphasized the critical necessity of implementing robust security measures across all connected devices. Including printers.

Attendees gained insights into the innovative approaches employed by HP to protect their own and customer’s devices. Through an exploration of cutting-edge security protocols and technologies, Such and Zubidat provided practical knowledge essential for safeguarding against threats in today’s interconnected world.