Websummit
Web Summit: The Final Moments
14.11.2024Since I’m writing for an Irish outlet, it seems prudent to check if there’s anything worthwhile or interesting at the Dublin Partner Startup Island. There isn’t. Almost everything is over and attendees are starting to leave. Startups are beginning to take down their boards (souvenirs of their time here) but not en mass just yet. […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: The Final Day Continues
14.11.2024I attend a “gamers” meetup, which takes place in what feels like a cattle pen. It’s good! I chat with a few people, including a 20 year veteran of the games industry. The meetup could stand to be longer – they kick us all out of the cattle pen after twenty minutes. That said, conversations […]
Read MoreWeb Summit 2024: The Beginning of the End
14.11.2024The final day of Web Summit is the coldest yet and I’m back in thermal tights. I’m not seen many dresses here. Not especially surprising – the women here want to be taken seriously, which means wearing powerful pant-suits and business-casual jeans. I’m not especially concerned with being taken seriously – these dresses are just […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: Night Summit Continues
14.11.2024The moon is out when I pass that wonderful view from the metro between Bela Vista and Olaias. It’s difficult to capture on a smartphone so you’ll have to take my word for it. Another beautiful Lisbon day that I spent inside. At least this one was brisk and windy. I’m looking forward to the […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: Partner Startup Islands
14.11.2024Most of Web Summit’s startup stalls are grouped together by industry but there are also Partner Startup Islands, many of which are designated to a specific country (or city, in the case of Dublin). Presumably these are places whose governing body is partnered with Web Summit. A startup being grouped with their own industry vs. […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: Press Conferences
14.11.2024One big benefit to having media credentials at Web Summit is you get access to press conferences at the event. I miss the first half of Harry Nym and Chelsea Manning’s twenty minute talk at Stage 11. I found the chess stall. What can I say? Luckily for me though, they’re also booked in for […]
Read MoreWeb Summit Startup Spotlight: ZEN8
14.11.2024Once again wandering the startup stalls, I find something genuinely compelling. A swimming trainer app produced by Beta Startup ZEN8. This is something I’ve not seen before. They even have a prototype for new hardware they’ve designed! You can use these to move your avatar around a virtual environment and the app will give feedback […]
Read MoreThe Beauty of Web Summit
14.11.2024In The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of Wilde’s characters – I forget which – tells us that everything useful is ugly because it expresses a need. There’s something profoundly beautiful in the form of Web Summit. What could be more useless than the alpha startup searching for speculators to invest in their game where […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: The Start of Night Summit
13.11.2024The first full day of Web Summit is done. My plan is to drop stuff at my hotel and grab a jacket because, even in Lisbon, this is still a November evening. Maybe I’ll eat something too. Then I’ll be off to the first evening of Night Summit. My experience of Night Summit last year […]
Read MoreWeb Summit: Partner Startup Islands
12.11.2024Most of Web Summit’s startup stalls are grouped together by industry but there are also Partner Startup Islands, many of which are designated to a specific country (or city, in the case of Dublin). Presumably these are places whose governing body is partnered with Web Summit. A startup being grouped with their own industry […]
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