The Web Summit – Where the Tech World Meets
The Web Summit has been heralded as “Davos for Geeks” by Bloomberg and The Guardian confirmed, “It defines the eco-system”. So naturally we are looking forward to getting amongst it. With the excitement building for this huge tech gathering, held in Dublin (4-6th November), I wanted to explore what I think is so great about this relatively new show. Start-ups.
There has been space on the technical circuit after the World Mobile Congress lost it’s edge as a new comer and the Barcelona scene has become increasingly filled with throngs of so called mobile gurus. To the point where the show is now over popular and has become difficult to stand out…so step aside WMC and welcome to the Web Summit, where the tech world meets.
After the big boys have taken to the stage and relayed their stories of toil of trouble along the pathway to success – there is a shining light as to what the art of the possible could be. Brands like Dropbox & Hailo all started with humble beginnings. Dropbox was created by Drew Houston who was endlessly frustrated by carrying USB drives and emailing himself files. In early 2007, he teamed up with fellow student Arash Ferdowsi and the two began working on the project that would eventually become one of the most popular file hosting services on the planet, and worth an estimated $10 billion. Or for Hailo when in late 2010, a meeting between three London taxi drivers and three technology entrepreneurs created a concept for a superior and safe way to connect passengers with the black cab network, Hailo have now raised over $125 million in funding to take on the world. The speaker line up is packed with super brands and inspiring individuals that have fought their way through a bewildering number of products, services, apps and technology to become renowned names and our industry “A” list. We look forward to what they have to say.
But what does the future hold? Who will be the winners in the digital economy in 2015 and who will fade into the background as another brilliant start-up that didn’t quite fly. Here at Ness we are constantly looking for ingenious ideas and partners that can make our service better – if there is a solution out there that we can plug in to help differentiate the offering, bring speed to market for a release, deliver a unique user experience or a simple tool that helps improve business efficiency to reduce costs – this is the type of tech we look at to help our clients succeed.
In a short series of blog posts I wanted to highlight some of the start-ups that look kind of cool, quirky or smart. We will hunt out at a range of companies specialising in: travel, finance, sports, education, retail, business & B2E. And of course while at the show we will report back to you so even if you are not attending you will be able to share the experience. We will learn as we go; who are the companies to watch, what insights can be derived from the trends that are emerging on this world stage and what technology will be fuelling the digital economy in the years to come.
The full list of the UK tech start-ups attending can be found here or alternatively – just check back on this blog and we will give you everything you need to know!
