Web Summit 2025: Record 1,857 Investors in Lisbon

LISBON, Portugal — Technology conference Web Summit recorded 71,386 attendees from 157 countries in Lisbon this week, with 1,857 investors participating, according to the organization.

The investor figure represents a 74 percent increase from 1,066 investors in 2024 and is the highest in the event's history, according to Web Summit.

The conference includes 2,725 exhibiting startups from 108 countries, the organization stated.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning companies account for nearly one-fifth of exhibiting startups, according to Web Summit. Forty percent of exhibiting startups are founded by women.

Software as a service, health technology and wellness, financial technology, and sustainability comprise the remaining top sectors, according to the organization.

Chief Executive Paddy Cosgrave noted during opening ceremonies at MEO Arena that 10 years have passed since a three-person startup called Revolut first attended Web Summit.

Revolut is currently Europe's most valuable private technology company, according to Cosgrave.

The investor participants include representatives from QED Investors, Accel, Amino, and Indico, according to Web Summit.

The organization cited Crunchbase data showing that nearly 200 startups from the 2024 conference subsequently secured $ 715.5 million in funding.

The conference is scheduled to feature 869 speakers, according to Web Summit.

Speakers include Toto Wolff, team principal and chief executive of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, former tennis player Maria Sharapova, and Alex Schultz, chief marketing officer at Meta Platforms, according to the program.

Additional speakers include Anton Osika, co-founder and CEO of Lovable; Cristóbal Valenzuela, co-founder and CEO of Runway; and Michele Catasta, President and Head of Artificial Intelligence at Replit, the organization stated.

Media attendance totaled 1,519 individuals from publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Economist, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and Pickool, according to Web Summit.

Government delegations numbered 268 representatives from 82 countries, including Portugal, Spain, Poland, Brazil, Germany, the United States, Canada, Japan, China, India, Mexico, and Qatar, the organization said.

This year, Web Summit introduced two program tracks.

China Summit addresses innovation and regional collaboration in media, artificial intelligence, and technology sectors.

The Future of Media Summit convenes editors and reporters to examine the effect of technology on journalism, according to the organization.

Exhibitors include IBM, Visa, Qualcomm, Alibaba Cloud, Revolut, KPMG, Replit, Huawei, and LinkedIn, according to the conference program.

The conference scheduled 400 networking sessions for participants.

Sessions are organized using Summit Engine, software that matches participants based on their industry, interests, and stated objectives, according to Web Summit.

Fifty-two Irish students received passes to attend the conference and access to speakers and production teams through a scholarship program, according to the organization.

Web Summit stated that it is collaborating with over 30 community organizations, including Sigma Labs, The Lisbon Project, Women Leaders Circle, and Tech Connect Africa.

The conference ends on Thursday.