The Future of Tech : What You Might Have Missed at Websummit
Context : WebSummit
Two weeks ago @linardbenoit and I (@benjmerritt) flew to Dublin for the most exciting of Tech events: WebSummit. It’s probably the only place on earth where you’ll be able to meet and be inspired by tech giant speakers, startup CEOs, investors and 21 coloured sheep at the same time!
This article isn’t about how huge and awesome this event was but rather a recollection of memories that might show you this is the event you shouldn’t miss if you want to stay ahead. We’d like to thank Paddy and his team with a little contribution of our own for the community:
What’s that ? A snapshot of the 2113 startups from 88 countries classified in 22 Categories that were exhibiting at WebSummit in Dublin few days ago. don’t thank me, thank Paddy ;)
A touch of love from Paris, Laughing out Loud in the face of those who believe we cannot help ourselves and have fun at the same time.
Why make a WebSummit List ?
We’re fully aware that it is beyond difficult to see every single startup during WebSummit due to the sheer size of the event, so even if you were lucky enough to go there you probably missed out on a thing or two! I share that frustration as we might have missed a great discovery, a partner, or even a competitor. Three days is a lot for some busy people who can’t attend and certainly not enough for the lucky ones who didn’t want to leave (yep, that’d be us).
We wanted to sum up our experience to our collegues @reputationsquad and list all the great startups and people we were fortunate enough to meet during this crazy week. But we just couldn’t figure out a way to choose or categorise all of them efficiently, as it was clear to us that every single startup is interesting in its own way, at least to someone out there. As it turns out, the WebSummit team had already gathered all of the interesting startups in one place. Remember, it’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.
Websummit List : Find and connect with the startups you’ve missed!
And because my boss will never read such a long email here’s my feedback - from an attendee POV.
The 5 misconceptions of WebSummit
#1 It’s Davos for Geeks.
Nope, everyone is welcome! You actually don’t need to be a geek to go there, even if they will definitely feel at home! There’s something for everyone and inspiration and business opportunities for all of us. With that little extra spark: the next big idea might be at WebSummit.
And these are only the summits, every industry has its place to be and unless you can clone yourself a hundred times over you simply cannot catch every single one of the the 1000 speakers.
#2 It’s a holiday week disguised as a business trip.
Negative, It’s amazingly frustrating and frantic! When you need to choose between the best tech giant speakers or the thousands of startups you’ll both probably never see again, it’s a tough call.
You need to choose wisely, prioritise and be fit: if you don’t want to choose, you’ll need to run everywhere !
(Note/idea for the future : GPS tracker for next WebSummit).
Most of the startups are exposing for a day only, so you need to catch them before they go and you can’t afford to stay hours with only one of them even if he’s a genius. A solution is to invite him to tag along to a pub crawl, where the real trials begin: Drinking Guinness from 6PM to… late ! It’s a challenge! The hardest part of which being waking up the morning to marathon back the thousands of new startups and speakers of the day.
#3 WebSummit : the beginning (and the end) of an adventure
WebSummit is more than a 3 day relationship. While enjoying WebSummmit in Dublin, Paddy and his team were already preparing the next WebSummit, to be held in Lisbon. WebSummit can also mark the beginning of business relationships, partnerships and friendships. Which happens naturally: you have 42 000 people in the same place, sharing the same interest and fun as you.
Some startups are here at a very early stage. Some of them don’t even have a logo or website. These are the Alpha’s ! Not all of them of course, some are already saving the world, but most of them are here to shout from the rooftops that they exist and should be reckoned with! Pitching their value proposition, getting attention, generating curiosity, gathering interesting feedback, confronting ideas and visions with future partners or competitors… That is their aim, making these three days fairly hectic!
#4 Be prepared or die trying
This one is almost true ! But Websummit will probably teach you more than you’ve been preparing yourself for!
- If you are an attendee, you are here to be inspired, to discover great people, be impressed by all of the inventive ways someone can attract your attention up to their 1m² stand (one of them drew a line with stickers from the central summit all the way to their area) and focus on what’s important: everyone is aware of the importance of the elevator pitch.
- If you are a startup, you’ll have to explain your vision to young and old folks, busy or relaxed, be they investors, marketers, members of the press or attendees. You’ll share with people from industries you’d didn’t even thought could be interested in you and share with the competition what you until now were keeping secret, only to realise they’re sometimes doing the same thing and may share great insight. But hey, in a way that’s reassuring, it means you’re probably both doing it right!
#5 Websummit is over
False, you can continue discovering and meeting startups with the WebSummit List at least until Lisbon next year ;)
#MissedYouAtWebSummit #MissedItButWishedIDidnt #WhileWaitingForLisbon
A very special thanks to :
@Paddy and his incredible team, the organisation was top notch, and let’s not forget about the friendly and reliable volunteers!
@Alberic & @Fabrice, for allowing us to go to WebSummit ;)
Oh and special to @OneHash : they actually made me win an iPad with a business card lottery during WebSummit. #TrueStory #AwesomeIdea
