TechConnect joined the stage at Startup OLÉ Marbella 2026, one of Europe’s most dynamic startup and innovation gatherings, held at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Marbella

Yasmina Stitou, Consultant at BluSpecs, presented the panel “The Invisible Gap: Why Great Technology Fails in the Real World” alongside Natalie Samovich (a leading entrepreneur in energy and digital transition and founder at V53), which was moderated by tech expert Kwamara Thompson, bringing a powerful real-world lens from energy infrastructure and frontier tech deployment

When it comes to technology adoption, it’s easy to misplace the source of friction. At StartUp Olé, we asked the room, “Whose fault is it, the tool or the people?” But as TechConnect’s research across 600 interviews, 140 hours of fieldwork and 4 European hospitals shows, that’s the wrong question entirely

The answer is: neither. The problem is the gap between them; a gap that has been invisible to most organisations. Now, TechConnect has produced outputs that are able to map, diagnose and address these gaps across organisations. No existing methodology had a language for it, let alone a way to measure it

A large part of what TechConnect brought to the stage was introducing the next iteration of the project’s outputs after two years of research: the development of the TechConnect Toolkit: a first-of-its-kind diagnostic instrument that lets organisations identify the gap, locate it by task, role, team and organisation, and address the causes generating it. A dynamic working instrument for the people who build, buy and deploy technology

Startup OLÉ Marbella was proof that the European innovation ecosystem is ready for this conversation. The questions from the audience, the energy in the room, and the conversations after the panel confirmed what our research has been showing: organisations are not short on technology. They are short on the tools to make it stick

If your organisation is buying, building, or implementing technology right now, apply  here to join an invite-only expert group for high-level EU professionals who will be first to shape and deploy the first toolkit of its kind