The WEB SUMMIT was held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 1-4 November. The first edition was held in Ireland in 2010, and since 2016 the event has been held in Lisbon, now for the 11th time. More than 70,000 participants from 160 countries attended, with approximately 2,300 start-ups and more than 1,000 investors, and business meetings, pitch events, lectures and sessions were held. Exhibitors from Germany, France, the UK, Portugal, and even Switzerland and Estonia were present, as well as from Brazil and other countries.
From Japan, the JETRO Japan Pavilion saw the participation of eight start-ups from Tokyo and elsewhere. Technologies such as robotics, IoT products, entertainment tech and agri-tech were exhibited. Some of the start-ups passed the selection process and were given the opportunity to pitch. When start-ups were interviewed about the purpose of their participation at WEB SUMMIT, they mainly said that they were looking for investors, customers and partners, and to pick up reactions in the European market.
The official WEB SUMMIT app was mentioned by several participants as being useful in contacting the target audience. All participants download the app upon entering the exhibition and register information on attributes such as ‘start-up’ and ‘investor’, as well as industry sectors such as ‘Fintech’ and ‘Sport, fitness & wellness’. Start-ups can also post slides introducing their technology. The app allows participants to connect with all participants, for example, by using the search function to contact suitable parties for both start-ups and investors.
The start-ups that made good use of the application, expressed their positive feedback from participating in the WEB SUMMIT, such as “We were able to have some interactions that could lead to business negotiations” and “We were able to obtain high quality results for the purpose of customer development”.
It is hoped that more start-ups from Yokohama will participate in the future, including at this event.