Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

The Heart of Tech

To start off, it would not be a surprise given the success of TNW but for what other reason(s) did TNW decide to branch out and create TNW València?

TNW has hosted regional events in more developed ecosystems New York and Sau Palo before but when we look at what value our flagship event TNW Conference has brought to developing the Amsterdam startup ecosystem over the last 1.5 decades, it made us realize that our sweet spot is helping more immature and developing startup innovation ecosystems form quicker by using our platform.

València is exactly that. An admittedly fairly nascent startup ecosystem – but with a strong government mandate and support to digitise its economy, a mix of highly relevant verticals which are game changing, and what we believe is the right culture of entrepreneurship and collaboration. We believe that these are the necessary ingredients that will accelerate València’s innovation ecosystem over the next 5-10 years, and TNW València is here to be the platform to make that happen faster and with greater impact. Oh, and to ensure those doing the hard work get to have some fun along the way…

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friendly networking opportunities

TNW València’s speaker lineup is quite impressive! Who are you most excited to hear from during this inaugural event?

We are super excited to be bringing a number of international investors into València for the very first time. Such as.. Monica Wheat from Venture Catalysts, Scott Hartley form The Fund, and Darien Shirazi from Gradient Ventures. Alongside this we want to showcase the best of the local ecosystem of startups, corporates and government speakers. A couple of headliners I am looking forward to are Àlex Roca, FC Barelona’s latest ambassador and Javier Gómez Molina, CEO of La Liga.

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main stage

TNW València is shaping up to be a great opportunity for startups to showcase their innovative new tech to industry experts. Are there any unprecedented technologies included in the batch of applicants that we should keep our eye on this year?

Just like every tech event in 2023, AI or Generative AI to be more specific is coming out strongly from our TNW for Startups cohort. But, based on vertical strengths in the region, there are dozens of startups across sports, health and wellbeing, agritech and supply chain and logistics. We will have over 95 exhibiting startups and companies which span quite a mix, but that is the point.

We’re pleased to see that you’ll be focusing on sustainability during this event. What can potential attendees look forward to re: new sustainable tech / initiatives this year?

We take on our responsibility for delivering a sustainable but also inclusive experience seriously. Therefore we’ve made sure that wherever possible we are collaborating with local suppliers to deliver TNW València. This has been a challenge for us and the ecosystem as an event like this has never been held in the city, and we have very high production values. The closest examples would be consumer events like the marathon or even back to the America’s cup and F1. We will also be storing and reusing much of our printed produce for future editions.

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speakers from all over the world

Finally, TNW València is planning to tackle topics that aren’t usually presented on stage during most Tech events. What are some of the innovative topics that will be included in the program this year?

Something that makes TNW a bit different, is not always about what the topics are, but how they are delivered to cut through the crap and get to the stuff that you really won’t get (even from the same person) on another stage. You’ll see this in a session we have titled “confessions of an investor” – where founders will get to hear what keeps investors up at night.

You’ll see other tech events leaning into AI this year, creating their propositions and themes, but as TNW is the <3 of tech, we are leaning into the humanisation of bringing people together. The beating hearts that attend TNW Conferences are reclaiming the future of tech.

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Events 2 days ago

Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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New Materials 3 days ago

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