Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

Ben’s List 44

Web3

Digital ownership, the birth of a new concept

“From a legal standpoint, our immersion in this entirely digital world is posed to challenge a number of legal concepts that have arisen out of the material world, including the fundamental concept of ‘ownership’. Important questions, such as whether virtual assets qualify for ‘ownership’, or whether new forms of ownership will emerge from the metaverse, are going to demand attention from users of the metaverse, and potentially from law makers, as the world transitions into virtual environments.”

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Fat Protocols

“What’s significant about this dynamic is the effect it has on how value is distributed along the stack: the market cap of the protocol always grows faster than the combined value of the applications built on top, since the success of the application layer drives further speculation at the protocol layer. And again, increasing value at the protocol layer attracts and incentivises competition at the application layer. Together with a shared data layer, which dramatically lowers the barriers to entry, the end result is a vibrant and competitive ecosystem of applications and the bulk value distributed to a widespread pool of shareholders. This is how tokenized protocols become ‘fat’ and its applications ‘thin’.”

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Publishing on crypto

“Crypto’s innovation is infusing value exchange with all the desirable attributes of a digitally-native information medium—programmability, interoperability, composability, virality, transferability. Importantly, crypto solved the one major limitation of digital mediums that previously made them unsuitable for a purely digital representation of value—scarcity guarantees.

Crypto protocols therefore blur the line between information and value. They encode value as information, and, consequently, information as value. Crypto turns media into financial assets, and as well as financial assets into media.

With crypto, sending five dollars to a relative across the globe is finally as easy as sending them a family photo.”

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Chris Dixon and Packy McCormick on the future of crypto

“The year ahead will show that blockchains can support a lot more applications beyond money and finance. In 2022 decentralised services will chip away at big tech companies’ stranglehold on the internet. A cluster of new ‘web3’ technologies, such as tokens, will dramatically improve the digital economics of creators, technologists and small businesses.”

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Crypto & NFTs: Network Effects in Web3

“The second possibility is that we are still too early in the web3 cycle for sustainable defensibility to emerge — similar to Yahoo during the early years of web 1.0 and Myspace in web 2.0. In other words, most projects are still experimenting with the capabilities of web3. And the long-term winners — with stronger and more defensible network effects — will only emerge after this phase of experimentation.”

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GovTech

Game Design for Public Services

“Gamification, or the use of game mechanics in non-game contexts, has demonstrated a unique ability to capture attention and promote behaviour change in users. This is true across a number of fields that are relevant to public sector challenges, including Health and Social Care, Sustainability, and Education. We explore the opportunities for Gamification to transform public service design across these areas, as well as in Diversity and Inclusion and Financial Welfare and Wellbeing, and make recommendations for government to enable and take advantage of this transformation.”

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  • public.io/research-reports/game-design-for-public-services (Report) :: Jess Taylor + Lichelle Wolmarans

Art

Generative Art Guide: Examples, Software and Tools to Make Algorithm Art

“Generative Art is a process of algorithmically generating new ideas, forms, shapes, colors or patterns. First, you create rules that provide boundaries for the creation process. Then a computer  follows those rules to produce new works on your behalf.”

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Generative Art by Manolo Gamboa Naon, an Argentinian artist who uses algorithmic tools including Processing to create art.

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Walking through the sprawling halls of IFA Berlin 2025, it’s immediately clear that this isn’t just another trade show. This year’s edition solidified IFA Next as Europe’s premier showcase of consumer technology startups, an event where innovation meets practical applications in a comprehensive hardware-focused startup environment. The heart of European consumer tech innovation IFA Next has evolved into Europe’s hub for the latest on consumer tech. It’s where the continent’s most promising hardware startups converge with global visionaries and industry pioneers. This isn’t just marketing speak — Hall H25, dedicated entirely to consumer-focused hardware, was in many ways the largest and most influential gathering of consumer technology startups in Europe. The centerpiece was the Dream Stage, where bold ideas are shared through keynotes, panels, and highly anticipated pitch battles. Unlike other tech conferences, IFA Next maintains laser focus on technologies that will directly impact how people live, work, and interact with their environments. The Dream Stage is also where Europe’s next consumer tech unicorns are spotted far before they take flight. The finale of this year’s IFA Next Pitch Battle 2025: Breakthrough Battle saw founders presenting concepts to investors, media, and industry experts, competing for visibility, investment, and growth opportunities. Complementing the Dream Stage was the IFA Lab, an interactive testing ground where exhibitors, investors and industry  professionals collaborate to bring innovations from prototype to store shelves. The Lab is where Europe’s startups refined their ideas, engaged with industry experts, and pushed new technologies from concept to market reality. Hall H25: Europe’s consumer tech capital Hall H25 was home to what has become Europe’s largest dedicated consumer technology startup space. Beyond the sheer numbers, the hall is an indicator of how mature Europe’s hardware ecosystem has become. IFA Next specifically champions hardware solutions that people can touch, use and integrate into their daily lives. The diversity and ambition on display were remarkable. Both European and international startups presented solutions spanning healthcare, sustainable products, and cutting-edge tech for everyday use.  What stood out Addressing a critical gap in healthcare technology that affects families across the world, Coro, which won an IFA Innovation Award, accurately measures milk supply in real-time during breastfeeding. This is exactly the kind of practical, user-oriented innovation that defines IFA Next’s positioning. LeydenJar Technologies‘ groundbreaking battery technology deserves special mention for fundamentally rethinking energy storage for everyday devices. This startup is tackling what will arguably be one of the biggest challenges for consumer electronics as AI-powered devices become ubiquitous in European homes: more energy storage while keeping the dimensions small. Dtablet’s medication management solutions address  healthcare challenges that affect millions of European families. Their focus on reducing dosing uncertainty represents the practical, user-centered approach that characterizes Europe’s tech startups. Paptic’s bio-based, recyclable packaging materials are made from renewable wood fibers, a distinctly European approach to sustainable products. The startup won multiple awards, demonstrating how European startups are leading global sustainability trends. Unframe showcased immersive applications combining virtual reality and artificial intelligence, a bellwether of  next-generation digital experiences. The startup’s user-centric approach to VR and AI reflects its emphasis on practical applications over pure technological spectacle. Broadcasting innovation: IFA’s Twitch strategy One of the most forward-thinking aspects of IFA 2025 was the creation of dedicated Twitch live rooms for presenting products and news in real-time. Modern users expect interactive, accessible content about the products that will impact their lives, so this integration of live streaming represents a crucial evolution in how innovations reach their intended audiences. Sessions like “Retro Tech Rewind” with IFA CEO Leif Lindner were specifically designed for Twitch, demonstrating IFA Next’s commitment to making innovation accessible beyond the convention floor. This approach to content delivery could set new standards for how European startups engage with their markets. Europe’s consumer tech ecosystem at scale What makes IFA Next compelling is its comprehensive approach to nurturing consumer-focused innovation. It’s not just about displaying finished products; the focus here is on creating an environment where startups can connect with VCs, retail partners, buyers, and over 4,500 journalists. This ecosystem brings together everything from AI-powered home devices, smartphones, laptops and sustainable products to smart health solutions and wearable technology. With dedicated spaces for both demonstrations and retail networking, IFA Next bridged the gap between cutting-edge research and retail opportunities, a critical pathway for European hardware startups. While cities like London, Berlin, and Amsterdam host numerous tech conferences, none of those events match IFA Next’s specific focus on hardware innovation or its ability to connect startups directly with the global consumer electronics retail ecosystem. Samsung’s strong AI focus Samsung has put in a lot of time and effort into comprehensively integrating AI across its consumer product ecosystem. Take for example Its AI-enabled refrigerator: besides keeping your groceries fresh, it can propose recipes, and even identify missing ingredients — it’s a masterclass in how established brands are setting the bar for startups to reach and surpass. Samsung also showcased its expansion beyond traditional consumer electronics into B2B applications. Its IoT systems and 3D building visualization software demonstrated how consumer tech innovations can scale into commercial applications — a pathway many European startups at IFA Next are actively pursuing. The future of European consumer tech IFA 2025 has demonstrated that Europe’s technology startup ecosystem isn’t just thriving — it’s defining global trends. From sustainable packaging solutions to revolutionary healthcare devices, European startups at IFA Next are solving real problems with practical, scalable solutions. The combination of established electronics giants setting innovation benchmarks, ambitious startups developing market-ready solutions, and innovative presentation formats showed that IFA Next has become more than Europe’s largest consumer tech startup showcase: It’s evolved into an essential preview of European technology leadership. For anyone interested in understanding where European consumer technology innovation is heading, IFA Next represents the definitive annual checkpoint. The innovations showcased here by European and international startups will likely be the everyday products of tomorrow, and Europe’s leadership in making that transformation happen is becoming undeniably clear. As Europe’s premier consumer tech startup showcase, IFA Next

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