• The delegation, led by Councillor Paula Llobet, has held meetings in San Francisco and Silicon Valley with OpenAI, NVIDIA, Google, Stanford University, and the city governments of Los Angeles and San Jose.

• Valencia’s model has attracted international interest from global AI leaders as an example of public innovation and urban sandbox.

• The aim of the mission is to build partnerships with the world’s leading technology companies so that the city’s small and medium-sized enterprises, local businesses and talent can access the most advanced AI tools and compete on a global scale.

“Valencia, a leading Mediterranean city for urban innovation, has spent this week engaging directly with the organisations shaping the future of artificial intelligence,” said Paula Llobet, Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment Attraction. The city has carried out an institutional mission to San Francisco and Silicon Valley to establish collaboration with the world’s leading AI and technology organisations while helping to advance València’s artificial intelligence strategy.

The delegation, led by Councillor and Vice-President of València Innovation Capital (VIC), Paula Llobet, together with the València Chamber of Commerce and Startup València, returns with what Llobet described as “a result that confirms València as a recognised partner for the world’s leading AI companies.”

According to Llobet: “We travelled to Silicon Valley to learn from the very best and to ensure València has a seat at the table where the future of technology is being shaped. We return with new avenues for collaboration that will help us deliver our artificial intelligence strategy alongside the world’s most advanced partners, and proud to see the strong interest generated by Valencia’s public innovation model.”

City-to-city collaboration: learning from global leaders

The mission positioned Valencia alongside two of the United States’ leading examples of technology-driven urban innovation. The delegation met with the City of Los Angeles, at the office of Mayor Karen Bass, and with the City of San Jose, the institutional heart of Silicon Valley and a driving force behind the GovAI Coalition, the world’s largest coalition of public administrations promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

With both cities, Valencia exchanged knowledge, strategies and experiences on how AI can transform public services, while agreeing to maintain an ongoing collaboration to continue sharing expertise. This city-to-city dialogue places Valencia’s public innovation model firmly within the international conversation.

One of the mission’s most significant outcomes was the strong interest shown in València’s Urban Sandbox, the city’s innovation framework that enables new technological solutions to be tested and validated in real urban environments before large-scale deployment.

In this regard, Paula Llobet said: “The interest generated by our Urban Sandbox confirms that our roadmap is the right one. València is pioneering an approach that opens up the city’s infrastructure so companies can test real technologies in real urban settings.”

Both institutional representatives and industry leaders recognised Valencia’s model—driven from La Harinera through its commitment to public innovation and GovTech—as an international reference. The meetings also opened the door to future collaborations to develop and scale AI solutions for cities.

Meeting the world’s AI leaders

Valencia also met with some of the most influential organisations shaping artificial intelligence worldwide. The delegation held working meetings with OpenAI, one of the companies leading the current AI revolution, as well as with NVIDIA and Google, two of the world’s foremost technology companies. The agenda also included meetings with leading organisations such as PayPal, focusing on AI for public services, technology governance and open innovation.

These meetings have created opportunities for collaboration to support València in implementing its AI strategy, both in modernising public administration and in strengthening AI skills among citizens and SMEs.

Reflecting on these meetings, Llobet said: “Meeting with global leaders such as OpenAI, Google and NVIDIA opens enormous opportunities for Valencia. Our ambition is for this knowledge to reach our local economy. We want our SMEs, local businesses and talent to have access to the world’s most advanced AI tools so they can compete globally.”

The delegation also met with Stanford University, one of the institutions at the heart of Silicon Valley’s success. Discussions explored opportunities for collaboration in education, talent attraction and the application of AI to the public sector—one of the key pillars of Valencia’s strategy. “We know there can be no thriving AI ecosystem without talent and universities,” Llobet added.

The mission also had a strong community dimension. During an event held at Plug and Play, one of the world’s leading innovation hubs, the delegation met with Valencian and Spanish entrepreneurs, executives and startup founders based in California. The gathering strengthened ties with Valencian talent already succeeding in Silicon Valley while creating new opportunities to reconnect that expertise with the city’s innovation ecosystem.

The mission forms part of València Innovation Capital’s roadmap to consolidate Valencia as one of Europe’s most dynamic technology ecosystems. The city is currently home to 1,689 active startups, more than 20,000 highly skilled technology jobs, and attracted a record €229 million in investment in 2025, reinforcing its position as Spain’s third-largest innovation hub after Madrid and Barcelona.

“Our entire strategy has one clear objective: creating prosperity. Establishing Valencia as the Mediterranean’s leading technology hub means attracting investment, retaining our young talent and continuing to create high-quality jobs that benefit the whole city,” Llobet concluded.

Through this mission, Valencia continues to expand its international network of strategic partnerships at a defining moment for artificial intelligence, strengthening its position as the Mediterranean’s leading technology hub.