Unlocking insights to build meaningful connections in Tech Events

Explore the intersection of past wisdom and future possibilities with Cecilia Tham’s applied futurism at Futurity Systems.

Bootstrap Europe co-founder Fatou Diagne details the transformative journey of venture debt in the European tech and life science sectors, advocating for its strategic role in startup funding and growth.

Daniel Dumig’s Corporate to Innovation Journey Daniel Dumig’s transition from the corporate world to the realm of innovation is a fascinating journey. He recounts his early days leading marketing for major sports lifestyle brands and how that led to the creation of the TenKan-Ten Startup Accelerator under Asics. This venture further evolved into two separate entities – The MotherTrees and U-Skale, leading to his latest project, the Venue Barcelona. “We spun off into our own companies,” Daniel shares, emphasizing the seamless move from corporate to innovative entrepreneurship. The Birth of Innovative Event Planning: Venue Barcelona The Venue Barcelona, an upcoming innovation zone located in the city’s Olympia Stadium, is poised to become a central hub for music, sports, and a variety of events. Highlighting the project’s origins, Daniel explains, “Our landlord is the City of Barcelona via B:SM (Barcelona Serveis Municipals)… They had the innovative concept to transform a section of the Olympia Stadium into a dedicated innovation zone.” This ambitious initiative, actively supported by the Barcelona municipality, aims to cultivate an ecosystem that further enriches Barcelona’s already vibrant culture in music and sports. Driving Innovation in Music and Sports Daniel and his team are driven by a clear mission for the Venue Barcelona – to actively stimulate and support innovation in the realms of music, sports, and events. Utilizing Barcelona as their dynamic playground, the project ambitiously aims to provide a creative sandbox for testing innovative solutions, particularly in areas like fan engagement, media, and sustainability. Importantly, Daniel underscores the significance of addressing key challenges such as water consumption and overall sustainability in large-scale events, noting, “When you think about big events, there’s inherently a sustainability challenge around it.” Creative Event Solutions: Beyond Traditional Event Formats The Venue Barcelona approaches corporate-startup collaboration uniquely, steering clear of what Daniel terms ‘innovation theater.’ Instead, they focus on practical, value-driven partnerships. “It’s actually corporate-driven,” he states, emphasizing the importance of real-world application and impact. The project aims to create tangible solutions, moving beyond mere ideation to implementation and scaling. The Future of Event Organization: Vision of Venue Barcelona Looking ahead, Daniel envisions the Venue Barcelona playing a significant role in transforming business events. Drawing from his experience with networking dinners, he aims to challenge traditional event formats and create more engaging, value-driven experiences. “We always look at the stuff and ask ourselves why people do what they do and what the result is out of it,” he explains, highlighting his commitment to innovation not just in products but also in event experiences. Find Daniel on: Find Ben on:

Discover Pere Duran’s journey through tech event management, from a sales coordinator to the director of the influential 4YFN.

This week’s podcast highlights Scott Cohen, the innovative force behind The Orchard and Jukebox. Scott shares his fascinating journey from envisioning digital music distribution in its infancy to transforming music royalties with Jukebox. His unique insights and unwavering optimism in entrepreneurship paint a picture of a trailblazer reshaping the music industry landscape.

Explore the journey of Ben Bowler, a musician turned tech innovator, who founded Aux to bridge the gap between music and technology. From launching ChewTV, a pioneering DJ live streaming platform, to creating Aux’s Direct.app for artist revenue growth, Ben has consistently pushed the boundaries. Discover his latest venture, LoopGen, a groundbreaking AI-powered tool set to transform music production.

Delve into the world of Allen Bargfrede, a visionary in the music and technology space. From pioneering transparency in the industry with Rethink Music to tackling metadata challenges, Allen’s journey is a blend of law, technology, and strategic innovation. Discover his insights on the rising trend of investing in music assets and his efforts in fostering a music-tech community, leading up to his latest endeavor, Music 2030.

Recorded live at MIDEM 2024, Paul Pacifico, CEO of the Music Commission of Saudi Arabia, discusses his unique career from banking to music and its impact on leading Saudi Arabia’s music evolution under Vision 2030.

In this episode, Tom Miskin of Oslo Innovation Week discusses nurturing Norway’s startup scene. He covers Oslo’s ecosystem evolution, pandemic-era digital shifts, and the role of international VC. Learn how their community-driven format supports entrepreneurs and investors.

This week’s interview explores Susanne Najafi’s approach to embracing diversity in the VC sector. She highlights the importance of active investment discovery, unconventional networking, and data-driven decisions. Najafi’s firm, BackingMinds VC, focuses on overlooked areas and diverse teams, leading to higher returns and a broader entrepreneurial talent pool.

In this week’s episode of the Selected podcast, Ben dives into an enriching conversation with Jenny Gyllander, founder & CEO of Thingtesting. Recorded live during Slush 2023 in Helsinki, their discussion spans a range of topics including entrepreneurship, investment culture, e-commerce, and the dynamics of the Tech event scene.

This week’s episode features Josefiina Kotilainen, CEO of Finland’s Startup Foundation. Recorded live during Slush 2023, Josefiina’s shares insights behind her incredible career path & her belief that by 2050, 100 Finnish startups will be earning (at least) €100M in annually recurring revenue!