WebSummit 2024 opens in Lisbon with 70,000 attendees
Europe's largest technology conference, WebSummit 2024, kicked off in Lisbon, bringing together 70,000 attendees for a four-day event focused on innovation and tech policy discussions. The conference, running until November 14, features prominent speakers including Microsoft President Brad Smith, Visa CMO Frank Cooper, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.
The event showcases a record-breaking 3,000 exhibiting companies, with 1,200 women-founded businesses and 500 startups aligned with UN sustainable development goals. Notable features include participation from 1,000 investors representing major venture capital firms, and trade delegations from approximately 40 countries.
A recent funding report reveals impressive financial outcomes, with companies from WebSummit 2023 raising $60.6 billion, while startup program participants secured $755 million. The average funding for WebSummit startups reached $5.5 million, significantly higher than the industry average of $3.3 million.
The conference addresses crucial topics including artificial intelligence, government regulation, elections, sustainability, and social media. World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee is scheduled to discuss improvements to his creation from 1989.
The event also emphasizes impact initiatives, with nearly 20% of attending startups focusing on UN sustainable development goals. The conference features community meetups, networking opportunities, and Night Summit events across Lisbon's popular districts.
Major partners include industry leaders such as Adobe, IBM, Alibaba, SAP, Meta, Dell, and Visa, among others, demonstrating the conference's significant influence in the global tech ecosystem. Originally launched in Dublin in 2009, WebSummit has expanded globally, with additional events held in Qatar and Brazil earlier this year.
