Lisbon Investment Summit happened over two weeks ago now, but for us, it is still going: through all the things that we learned, the moments we treasured and the relationships we started.
It’s all about community
The most important thing we learned at #LIS19 is something that we at Beta-i have always believed: it’s all about community. Innovation is only possible when different stakeholders join forces together and collaborate to thrive – and #LIS19 is the perfect melting pot that joins entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, investors and decision makers in one place.
The highlights:
Humanity Will Fix the Future
Andrew Keen, the best-selling author of How To Fix the Future and the headliner at #LIS19, spoke about the unfulfilled promises of technology – the promise that it would bring equality, boost democracy and create bridges between people. To overcome these challenges, we must take action through regulation, innovation and citizen engagement. The “fixing” of the future does not rest on more technology – it rests solely on our shoulders.
Investment in Portugal
Pedro Falcão, Managing Partner of LC Ventures, gave #LIS19 attendees an overview of the investment landscape in Portugal. You can download the report here:
Lisbon Investment Summit would not be the same without our amazing pitch competition, sponsored by GROW, which was one of the highlights of these two days – 12 amazing startups pitched on stage but there can only be one winner. The prize went to Musiversal, represented by founder André Miranda (and a Lisbon Challenge alumnus).
The Web Summit, and with it an exciting week, is about to take Lisbon by storm. The entire city is preparing to welcome 60,000+ attendees and 1,000+ speakers from 160+ countries. In addition to the tech conference, there are countless satellite events, such as workshops, meetups, and parties.
The week can be overwhelming, there are too many cool events, interesting people and new business opportunities, and not enough time to tend to all of them. It can be difficult to navigate through all that’s going on. For you to get the most out of your stay in Lisbon we have compiled a list of all the events happening during the week.
The type of events vary widely. Some are meant to give you an introduction to the city and the Portuguese ecosystem, such as the Street Art Tour, Secret Food Tours and Lisbon Startup Tour. Some offer meetups and workshops on specific topics and interests, allowing you to learn, develop your skills, and broaden your perspectives, such as Public Speaking Trainings and ntop and Wireshark Users Group Meeting. And some are just meant for you to hang out and party, such as WSCO 17 Web Summit Chill Out and Funky Party by La French Tech and Beta-i.
Go ahead, take a look at the various events happening in Lisbon. They present endless possibilities for networking to create global connections. All you have to do is decide which one best fits your needs, take note and show up. Maybe we’ll see you there?
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Frank Borman, a retired NASA astronaut, once said: ‘exploration is really the essence of the human spirit’. Now, you don’t have to go all the way to space for exploration. There are plenty of wild and unexpected adventures made possible by a short flight. It seems like more and more people share the beliefs of Frank Borman. Nowadays, more people are traveling, going to far-away destinations, whilst seeking more immersive experiences.
More than ever, we are looking for ‘exploration’ and not just ‘holidays’. It is changing the face of the travel industry. New niches are being created, with new solutions entering the market. Three core themes driving the disruption of the industry are demand for sustainability, future traveler’s needs and innovation.
Sustainability
Not only have we become more aware of making our travels a lasting memory, we are also seeking to make a positive impact on the destination we travel to. The travel industry has become the largest industry worldwide, increasing our responsibility to protect and preserve the places we love to explore. Travelling is associated with a large carbon footprint and the derogation of natural and cultural heritage. As we are becoming more aware of this, travelers are starting to demand green and sustainable alternatives at every step of the journey. Now, 70% of travelers expect companies to demonstrate a commitment to preserve the natural environment. Many local and national economies rely on tourism, yet many are starting to realize the negative impact of tourism. Spain is a prime example of a country struggling with mass tourism. Forcing the nation to take constricted action to reduce the number of visitors in its most popular destinations. Thus, there are many changes being made in the industry; new regulations, innovative technologies and sustainable alternatives to combat the bad rep of traveling as an environmentally polluting activity.
The Future Traveler
Travel is about consuming experiences, and we all want a unique experience tailored to ourselves. Technology is making this possible. In turn, technology is making the needs of the future traveler more complex and higher than ever. We want more out of each experience. Each encounter on the travel needs to be unique, memorable, adventurous, effortless and personalized. The future traveler has technology at their fingertips, with access to personalized information, whenever, wherever. Before the trip, technology allows for a more seamless integration of planning tools for easy booking of hotels and add-ons tailored to your interests. During the trip, the connected traveler can easily navigate their way through the final destination and easily discover the offers around you. As a result of social media, the future traveler is seeking unique experiences, going off the trail for a killer image. It is no longer possible to satisfy the needs of the future traveler without innovating and offering tailored services to the individual.
Innovation
There are many technological innovations entering the tourism industry today. Crowdsourcing sites with reviews and advice make choosing restaurants and experiences easier. The sharing economy gives rise to new options in accommodation, such as Airbnb and Couchsurfing, as well as cheaper transportation and meal offers. Online platforms are making it easier to plan your holidays. Virtual reality is making it possible to experience your holidays before you go, to get a glimpse into what you can expect. Augmented reality can be your personal tour guide, tailoring the guide to your interests instead of a generic group tour. There are countless new innovations entering the market every day, improving our travel experience throughout the journey.
It is not a coincidence, that these three areas are in fact the three core themes covered for the Lisbon Tourism Summit. The Lisbon Tourism Summit is an event dedicated to the tourism industry; its innovators, challenges, and developments. Seeking to inspire, demonstrate new solutions and bring together key players in the industry.
As a final note, I will leave you with another quote. Some food for thought. ‘The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see” – Gilbert Chesterton.
Web Summit is not magic. Seriously, you have to hack it. 45.000+ attendees are announced. It’s massive. Much more than a conference, it will be a whole city fuelled by enthusiasm during a full week and that’s what we should leverage on.
You can easily get lost with the amount of stages, people and side events happening while you juggle with limited resources such as time, team and budget allocated to the event. The Web Summit is at the same time a huge source of opportunities and a potential trap if you just seat there and wait for things to happen. Sorry to say this, but you need to act on it.
To ensure that you get concrete outcomes from the Web Summit, you should take on an integrated vision and define a specific strategy for the main objectives, whether they are related to investment, media, sales, talent or further opportunities.
That’s what the bootcamp “Road 2 Web Summit” will be about. In partnership with Startup Portugal and the Web Summit team, Beta-i will help Portuguese founders to plan a relevant roadmap. Trainers include Josh Collins (Startup Programme Manager @ Web Summit) ,Marian Gazdik (Managing Director Europe @ Startup Grind), Felix Petersen (Managing Partner @ Faber Ventures), Clara Armand-Delille (Founder @ ThirdEyeMedia), Jorge Reto (Founder & CEO @ Xposition), Pedro Alegria (Founder & Creative Ideator @ TORKE+CC), Rita Mendes (Operations Lead @ Landing.jobs) and Maria Almeida, our almighty Duchess of Content.
Interested in better understanding how to get ready to talk to investors, journalists, prospects, potential hires; master your 1-min pitch and hack your way to stand out at the Web Summit? Stay tuned as we will share some insights from this bootcamp, happening at the end of the week.
As Paddy Cosgrave told us a few weeks ago at the event “Road 2 Web Summit”: The Portuguese have an unfair advantage, they know the city. Now, it’s game on!
Yesterday was a great day for the Portuguese startup scene. The Road 2 Web Summit event took place in the new hub Criativo do Beato and 66 Portuguese startups were selected to attend the Web Summit in Lisbon this November.
We couldn’t be happier for all those entrepreneurs who worked so hard during all this time, and who have shared with us at Beta-i their challenges and doubts. Today, all that hard work, all those pitch practices and long nights at the office have paid off. Congrats, especially to those who are part of our community, such as Clickly, doDOC, Doinn, GetSocial, Graf.ly, HeartGenetics, Heptasense, Infraspeak, Kinetikos, Knok Health, Magnifinance, Noxidity, Probe.ly, Sensefinity and Tripaya.
However, now, is the time to work even harder to prepare for the world’s largest tech event that will bring 50.000 people to Lisbon, including top investors, executives and well-known entrepreneurs.
For this reason, and knowing that you’ll have to get ready for Web Summit, we’re excited to announce that Beta-i will be running an exclusive bootcamp for the selected startups, as well as Startup Braga, in partnership with Startup Portugal.
We’ll be bringing top experts to Beta-i to help you with all the challenges that Web Summit represents, allowing you to convert the Web Summit into a source of growth for your startup.
We’ll cover topics such as ‘How to Talk to Investors’, ‘How to Hack the Media’, ‘How to Get the Most Out of Networking’ and much more. It will be hands-on and action-driven. For example, we’ll carefully analyse the lists of attendees, including investors, potential clients and media, to help you figure out who you should contact and how.
After this intensive 2 day bootcamp, you’ll be able to set your strategic objectives, define your roadmap, understand the event dynamics and its secret opportunities.
Just like Paddy Cosgrave, CEO at Web Summit, said yesterday at Hub Criativo do Beato:
“You are playing in house, you have all the cards in your hands, you should lead the game! Everyone is going to be wondering what to do in Lisbon and you know the answer, so go and make the most out of it”
See you on the 14th and 15th of October at Beta-i!
