By Sally Warburton
In its 10th year in Lisbon! Ten years! Announced CEO Paddy Cosgrave at the Opening Ceremonies at MEO Arena, Lisbon to a massive crowd. An eager crowd. A tech-loving, AI crowd! Paddy said “Ten years ago it already felt like the world was changing fast, but it’s nothing compared to how fast the world is changing today” And the CEO of Web Summit added “It’s been 10 years since a tiny three person startup called Revolut showed up at Web Summit. Today Revolut is Europe’s most valuable private tech company.” There’s another Revolut out there with all the startups! Meaning the startups represented at Web Summit will find success. A parade of flags representing every country at Web Summit was stunning. 157 countries! Some statistics for this year’s Web Summit Lisbon – 71,386 attendees were welcomed including CEOs, government and trade delegations, global media and more startups and investors than ever before. 1,857 investors from 86 countries, a 74% increase from last year. The largest number ever to attend the Web Summit. 2,725 startups from 108 countries exhibited, with AI and machine learning as the top industry. 40% of startups are women-founded. Opening night featured the most followed on TikTok Khaby Lame; Lovable Co-founder & CEO Anton Osibka; also, entrepreneur and tennis legend Maria Sharapova. A perfect opening evening in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in Europe. Lisbon.
WeRoad Meetups STAAAKE Rah walk and talk – Job ? said the best way of having a meeting was to walk and talk – Praça do Comércio with the Web Summit sign in the centre of Lisbon was a popular meeting spot. Walking tour guide leader André Gomes @walkingwithandre with his multiple languages was an interesting and energetic guide for the Night Summit Walking Tour which was a night stroll in a big group to get to know main reference points in Portugal’s capital city. STAAAKE led by Rah did an energizing walk from the centre to the subway to Oriente stop to Opening Ceremonies of The Web Summit. A unique way of connecting with other attendees from many countries and an excellent way of learning the Lisbon subway. STAAAKE also offered a variety of activities throughout the week including lunches, dinners, walks, sports STAAAKE.com (add link) LUMA To maintain contact and to expand horizons STAAAKE offers several WhatsApp groups.
Women in Tech Master Classes
Oh, did I mention the rain?! Umbrellas for sale everywhere… Yes, there was some beautiful sunshine… but the rain ruled this year at Web Summit Lisbon.
Highlights – the general excitement of being part of a huge international event with over 71,000 people in attendance! LinkedIn and connecting on the Web Summit App Sunday and Wednesday Web Summit Networking Event @Delirium Café given by WeRoad @Weroad (ADD contact link) Most popular booth? IBM F1 Simulator Ferrari Premium Partner – where attendees had the opportunity to try the simulator and be an FI Ferrari driver for a few minutes! AI was by far the most represented industry.
Who was there at the Press Conferences for up close and personal mini talks and then chance for media questions before hitting the stages for attendees – Armin Van Buuren, Musician & DJ. (before his talk on the main stage) Lisbon city Mayor Carlos Moedas & Upwork CEO & President Hayden Brown, Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave with his awesome ‘Press’ sweater knitted by an Irish woman, Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, Tik Tok VP Khartoon Weiss, AI pioneer Dr Ben Goetzel, CEO of the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance, Cabo Verde’s Secretary of state for Digital Economy Pedro Lopes. Qualcomm President & CEO Cristiano Amon, Jameela Jamil Podcast host, actress and activist, Sonke Iwerson author of bestselling book The Tesla Files . Musician & songwriter Imogen Heap & SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton . Chris Smith Found & CEO BLOXX with New Zealand actor & film producer Cliff Curtis.
What’s the best way to get your money’s worth? Plan your time! Create your own schedule by using the Web Summit App to see the schedule of events – Stage talks – Which stage? Who is talking? What is the topic? Check the App. Stage themes were AI, Healthtech, Robotics, Marketing / Social Media, Cybersecurity etc. New this year China Summit and The Future of Media. Hundreds of Startups throughout the pavilions – which days they’re there as Startups are there one day only of the three, Attendees get the most out of Web Summit by planning their time. The Pavilions are filled with people and movement can be challenging – getting from one end to the other takes some time. An example of Centre Stage and smaller stage talks is ‘Who Runs the News Now?’ with Time CEO Jessica Sibley, The New York Times media reporter Katie Robinson and CEO The Independent Christian Broughton. Check the schedule for Master Classes you wish to attend as these fill up quickly.
Countries represented by welcoming booths were Poland, Germany, Taiwan, Serbia, Spain, Brazil, Qatar, Turkiye, Greece, Moldova Innovation Technology, Netherlands, Portugal Unicorn Factory Lisboa, to name a few…
This year Web Summit supported more than 30 community initiatives to create real impact. Four exceptional partners showcased on a global stage: Sigma Labs, and The Lisbon Project, Women Leaders Circle and Tech Connect Africa.
The Investors’ Lounge area. Women in Tech, Meetup areas for the many themed meetups – over 400 exclusive meetups with meaningful, high value connections from Women in Tech and backend developers to AI innovators, along with moments of play and reset like Giant Jenga and guided meditation – daily including Canadians in Lisbon.This year there were open working areas available in pavilions at some booths
Hungry? Food Summit – lots of food trucks offering a wide selection of delicious food, drinks, coffees, desserts, snacks Plus importantly when and which booths were offering beer, wine or snacks?!
Night Summit – at many different venues throughout Lisbon. Monday night started with a big group at very crowded Time Out Lisbon along with many other venues for smaller groups. Night Summit not only introduces attendees from out of town to Lisbon’s hotspots, but it allows attendees to make business connections and make friends – some to last a lifetime…Tuesday and Wednesday night also had many meetup events. Thursday the closing STAAAKE walk was shortened due to the rain – and was a walk to a last get together in a rooftop bar luckily partially sheltered.. Again another chance to connect. To see other STAAAKE events https://luma.com Another amazing Night Summit was Walking with Andre @walkingwithandre on Instagram. Andre led a big group through the cobbled and steep streets of Lisbon, showing us the city highlights while getting a great walking workout and making connections.
How to get to the Web Summit? Easy. Take the subway to Oriente and walk through the Centro Vasco de Gama Shopping Mall (and don’t forget to buy some souvenirs!!) Starting the Saturday before, pick up your Web Summit accreditation and buy a subway / bus pass at the airport when you arrive or go there easily by subway after you’ve arrived. The Web Summit venue also had accreditation pick up starting Saturday before.
Remember to walk around the outside area to see the giant cat statue made of recycled garbage and recycling bins! A masterpiece in the beautiful area by the waterfront! Take your photo beside the huge Web Summit name located throughout Lisbon – Praça do Comercio, Barrio Alto, at the top of the former tram street (get your workout climbing that hill!) with a beautiful view of Lisbon too! Discover Lisbon on foot and get an excellent workout with all the hills! You’ll have done 10K steps in no time! In addition to the steps done at Web Summit!
Gotta mention the rain again – however, it didn’t stop the connections, the business deals, the Startups, the excitement, the learning. First time in all 10 years that it’s rained throughout the Web Summit!
Last day, Thursday,the winners were announced at Press Conference Andreia Trigo of Enhanced Fertility was the winner! Enhanced Fertility is a one stop shop, fully digitalised fertility patient pathway. AI and remote diagnostics make better clinical decisions. She won €15,000.for her successful startup.
Enjoy the Web Summit Conference. Get to know the beauty of Lisbon – its coffee, beer (Bock & Sagres), food, codfish, pastel de nata and other awesome Portuguese specialties. Tile Museum, catch the outdoor Christmas Market (if you stay for the weekend after Web Summit when it opens) and explore on foot.
The Web Summit Lisbon was another great success. Business connections, like-minded people creating friendships. Opening your mind to the world. Next on the Web Summit 2026 agenda are Qatar in February, Vancouver (2nd year) in May, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June and then back to Lisbon, Portugal in November. Check it out. websummit.com
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