Top global AI leaders will gather on the 23rd and 24th of October for the seventh edition of VDS at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, an international tech event organized by Startup Valencia. The event will analyze the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on society. It aims to address the market demands created by this technology, which is revolutionizing every aspect of the world: development, integration, application, and investment.
The theme for VDS2024 is "Embracing evolution: Invest in the leaders of tomorrow." Aiming to replicate the record-breaking figures from previous editions, VDS2024 expects to welcome over 12,000 attendees from more than 100 different countries, over 700 investors with an investment portfolio exceeding 200 billion euros, and feature more than 600 renowned speakers and over 2,500 startups. Among the guests will be tech and corporate leaders from companies like Mastercard, IBM, and Facebook.
VDS2024 will host more than twenty AI-related talks, aiming to examine the role of this technology across various sectors and domains. Topics like how to tackle AI funding challenges, AI’s impact on people management, and the ethical and legal challenges of AI for the audiovisual sector will be explored on three stages: the Main Stage, the Santander Stage—sponsored by Banco Santander—and the Audiovisual Stage, supported by the Generalitat Valenciana, Ciudad de la Luz, and the Comunitat Valenciana Film Commission.
Among the leaders in this technology who have already confirmed their presence at the tech event are Randi Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook Live and Founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and HUG, who will share insights on personal development and scaling a business around AI, and Joaquín Cuenca, CEO of Freepik, who will participate in the panel discussion on leadership in AI and the direction it is taking alongside Álvaro Martínez, CEO of Luzia, and Carlos Santana, partner at the investment firm EQT Partners. Additionally, Armand Ruiz, Vice President of Product AI at IBM, will deliver a keynote on the future of work through AI.
On the first day, roundtable discussions will take place, connecting key AI and financial players, featuring speakers like Samuel Gil from JME Ventures, Roman Orus from Multiverse Computing, and Ton van’t Noordende, partner at QDNL Participations. Additionally, Jimmy Klein, Global Innovation Director at Diageo, Sara Martínez, Founder/CEO of Bentónico, Paz Vega, Founder of Aitaca, and Sonia Paz, Co-Founder of Miraiku.ai, will talk about the importance of collaborations between companies to drive sector growth.
Another leader participating in VDS is Ahmed Menshawy, Vice President of AI Engineering at Mastercard, who will lead the panel discussion on Advancements in Generative AI in Business alongside Neema Balolebwami, CEO and AI expert at Neema.ai. Tony Betramelli, Head of Products, AI, and Prototypes at Miro and Founder and Former CEO of Uizard, will also share the success story of Uizard, providing a unique insight into its journey and achievements.
VDS is at the heart of Valencia, attesting to the technological prowess of its founding firm. Startup Valencia is a private non-profit organization representing and driving Valencian's innovation and tech ecosystem, making the region an international tech hub. Founded in 2017, the company currently has over 350 associated startups, generating a combined turnover of €303,431,982 and providing 5,585 highly skilled jobs.
In 2018, Startup Valencia organized VDS, a leading international tech event, for the first time. This event has generated an economic impact of over €30 million in the Valencian Community and has facilitated connections between investors and startups, contributing to over €50 million in investments in 2023 alone.
Now, Startup Valencia collaborates with partners like GoHub Ventures (Global Omnium), BStartup (Banco Sabadell), Wayra (Telefónica Group), Elewit (Redeia, Grupo Red Eléctrica), Zeus, Plug and Play, HP, BBVA Spark, Tbig Finance, Marina de Empresas, Banco Santander, Innsomnia, CaixaBank, Naturgy, and Sesame, as well as supporters such as Sales Layer, RCD, Damm, Fresh People, Aktion, Voicemod, Google for Startups, Zubi Group, OVHcloud, Opentop (Valenciaport Innovation Hub), Internxt, Next Tier Ventures, and Urban Sports Club.
Through various presentations on the role of generative AI in business transformation, the future of foundational models, and their transformative effect, VDS2024 will highlight the relationship between AI and people. Other speakers joining AI tech leaders will include Amr Awadallah, CEO & Co-Founder of Cloudera/Vectara, Tom Mason, CTO of Unlikely AI, Maite Sanz, Director of ORH Editorial Group, Yolanda Gutiérrez Rodríguez, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland, and Carmen Reina, Head of Data Culture at Orange.
The connection between investment and entrepreneurs will be a focal point throughout the tech event, with numerous networking spaces and leadership panels led by Alessandra Sala, Senior Director of AI and Data Science at Shutterstock, Javier Villamizar, Operating Partner at Softbank Investment Advisors, and María Wasastjerna, Managing Partner at Kvanted Ventures.
Additionally, at the VDS Startup Competition, AI emerges as the dominant technology, with more than half of the participating startups operating in this field, showcasing its growing relevance in the international tech ecosystem. Besides AI, startups are also integrating other key tools, such as Big Data, followed by innovative technologies like Cloud Computing, ICT Information & Communication, Blockchain, and the Internet of Things. This focus on AI underscores its fundamental role in the development and success of tech startups.
VDS is one of the most important international tech events in Southern Europe, transforming Valencia into a global tech hub. It annually brings together the world’s best startups alongside the most influential companies and investors in the stunning setting of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. More than an event, VDS symbolizes a new era – one where technology and humanity co-exist in a powerful symbiosis.
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