A different path towards Artificial General Intelligence

Mario Garcés, Founder & CEO of The Mindkind, participated in Valencia Digital Summit (VDS) 2026, held on October 21–22 at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, as part of a mission organised through ICEX Desafía.

Under the theme “GENESIS: Origin of What’s Next”, the ninth edition of VDS brought together startups, investors, corporations and technology leaders from around the world to explore the technologies shaping the next generation of innovation.

For The Mindkind, the event provided an opportunity to introduce an alternative technological approach to one of the most significant challenges in artificial intelligence: developing systems capable of learning and adapting while remaining efficient, traceable and explainable by design.

While much of the AI industry continues to pursue increasingly large statistical models, The Mindkind is exploring a different path, grounded in neuroscience, complex systems and its proprietary ETR Cognitive Architecture.

ICEX Desafía: connecting Spanish deep tech with international opportunities

Participation through the ICEX Desafía mission reinforced The Mindkind’s international development strategy and its engagement with the global innovation and investment ecosystem.

ICEX Desafía supports the international development of innovative Spanish companies by facilitating access to technology ecosystems, business networks and opportunities for collaboration.

For The Mindkind, whose research and development combines neuroscience, artificial intelligence and cognitive architectures, these connections are particularly relevant to its transition from foundational research to commercial applications.

The mission provided a valuable setting to explore potential relationships with investors, technology partners, system integrators and organisations interested in AI solutions where transparency, adaptability and accountability are essential.

This participation also builds on the company’s growing relationship with ICEX, following its recognition with the Faro AI Award at ICEX Desafía Day 2026.

Intelligence by architecture, not by scale

The Mindkind’s technological approach originates from the Emotional Theory of Rationality (ETR), a scientific framework developed by Mario Garcés and published in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience in 2019.

Rather than relying exclusively on increasing model size and computational resources, ETR investigates how sophisticated intelligent behaviour can emerge from interactions between simpler, specialised cognitive processes operating over shared knowledge.

This research is being translated into commercial technology through ETR 0.5-FLY, an adaptive and explainable machine-learning engine designed for applications in which decisions must remain understandable and auditable.

Its key differentiating capabilities include continuous adaptation, resource efficiency and native decision traceability, offering a potential alternative for organisations that need reliable AI in business-critical processes.

The company’s longer-term ambition is Algorithmic Artificial General Intelligence (A-AGI): exploring a route towards general cognitive capabilities through measurable architectural advances, rather than relying exclusively on scale.

Recognition within the Aragonese innovation ecosystem

The Mindkind’s participation at VDS 2026 was also acknowledged by Aragón EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub), which highlighted the company’s evolution alongside other innovative businesses from Aragón.

In its LinkedIn publication about VDS 2026 , Aragón EDIH welcomed the opportunity to reconnect with The Mindkind, recognising its development since its participation in the StartTech acceleration programme.

This recognition reflects the company’s trajectory from long-term independent scientific research towards the development of practical, commercially applicable artificial intelligence technologies.

A new website for a new stage

Coinciding with VDS 2026, The Mindkind officially launched its completely redesigned corporate website:

www.themindkind.com

The new digital platform reflects the company’s technological progress and its transition from foundational research towards market-oriented solutions and international expansion.

It presents the ETR Cognitive Architecture, the ETR 0.5-FLY technology, the company’s development roadmap and opportunities for industrial collaboration and investment.

Beyond technology, the website also introduces a more human-centred narrative, emphasising the importance of building artificial intelligence that remains understandable, accountable and aligned with human interests.

As Mario Garcés highlighted in his LinkedIn announcement , the new website represents an opportunity to communicate not only what The Mindkind is building, but also why a fundamentally different AI architecture matters.

From scientific ambition to business opportunities

VDS 2026 created a valuable environment for connecting technology innovators with international investors, corporate partners and business leaders.

For The Mindkind, participation through ICEX Desafía marks another step in bringing its technology to organisations seeking new solutions for adaptive, explainable and trustworthy artificial intelligence.

The company’s strategy combines the commercial deployment of ETR 0.5-FLY with the progressive development of increasingly advanced cognitive capabilities.

AGI is the destination. Traceable adaptive intelligence is the business on the way.