Tom Kelshaw
Director of Innovation
They inspire us all to think: how might we solve that problem using technology?
Tom Kelshaw, Director of Innovation at Maxus, shares key trends at this year's Web Summit.
Web Summit, which started as an early-stage startup conference in Dublin in 2009, has experienced startup-like growth itself. The 2016 move from Dublin to Lisbon made room for 50,000+ attendees over 4 pavilions and a stadium. It now houses 21 conferences including marketing, fashion, automotive, finance, sports, health, content and music.
The caliber of speakers and diversity of attendees puts Web Summit on track to eclipse SXSW and Cannes as one of the most important gatherings for marketers. With over 1500 early and mid-stage startups exhibiting, demonstrating and hustling for attention, it was almost impossible to attend the simultaneous speaker presentations. Luckily, many talks were recorded and streamed on Facebook Live this year.
The usual cloud software, social media, diversity and AI discussions were everywhere. Three new themes got my attention this year:
1. Multi-planetary Markets – Get outta here!
Startups for Mars is now a thing. With the planet heating up and political strife all over, people are looking off-planet for answers. Web Summit 2016 marked the first, serious, businesses I’ve spoken with promoting solutions for other planets:
- Helix.works: DNA storage promises long-term (400+ years) incorruptible storage that survives nuclear blasts, power failures and interplanetary voyages. DNA storage is currently at $500 per MB. Expect to see it get cheaper quickly.
- Dobis Interplanetary – Space manufacturing and supply-chain, focusing on Mars.
- Ycera Limited – GMO insects might prove a viable Martian food source.
2. Global Marketplace – startups for everywhere
Is the tech world leaving a large part of the population behind, in its hype around Mars colonization, AI automation and electric cars? The most valuable part of Web Summit is its focus on global diversity, attracting businesses from large and lucrative markets that receive less coverage in the tech press.
These startups remind us that tech can improve and empower not only the mundane and the global, but also individual, cultural and local needs.
- Hajjnet – Travel startup supporting Muslims on the most expensive, important and often dangerous journey of their lives.
- MerkatoExpress – Powering some of the 4 billion USD remittance market in Ethiopia via in-market luxury goods.
- Feria Ganadera – Meat and livestock is a massive part of the South American economy. This business is a trust-oriented “eBay for Animals” and is already making millions.
3. Waste not, want not
Technology advancements have empowered entrepreneurs to take advantage of dormant value in the modern world. Terms like “waste”, “rubbish”, “energy” and “conversion” were commonly used in startup pitches this year. Unique and clever offerings included:
- Omniflow– Vertical windmill & solar panel solutions. They can be retrofitted to streetlights or signage poles on busy, windy roadways for green energy.
- MyFoody ‘ Restaurants throw out a lot of food. Last-minute food deals can reduce food wastage and deliver healthier meals to people at lower cost.
- Aera – What happens to old cars when we go electric? Aera proposes electric car retrofit kits to upgrade your ride.
Whilst these examples, thankfully, sit outside the usual ad-tech space, they do inspire us all to think “how might we solve that problem using technology?”
