VDS, the international technology event organized by Startup Valencia, will hold its seventh edition at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia on October 23 and 24. The event will bring together prominent leaders from major companies, leading venture capital firms, and top startups from around the world.
Heading the list of confirmed speakers are two prominent figures from the global tech arena with ties to major tech companies like Facebook and YouTube, along with a key figure from the International Olympic Committee with a long track record in innovation and disruptive solutions: Steve Chen, Randi Zuckerberg, and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Steve Chen, co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of YouTube, a company that revolutionized online video sharing and played a crucial role in shaping the digital landscape, will share his insights and experiences as the creator of one of the world’s most visited websites.
Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and HUG, will bring her extensive experience from the early days of Facebook, now called Meta, and her leadership in the creation and development of Facebook Live. As a leader and advocate for women in the realms of cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and Web3, her insights will provide a unique perspective on the intersection of technology, art, media, and innovation, as well as the role of women in these sectors.
Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, has played a significant role in integrating technological advancements into the Olympic Games to enhance athlete experience and audience engagement through innovative solutions. His ideas will delve into how technology is transforming the world of sports and the significant opportunities on the horizon for this industry.
Highlighted Topics at VDS2024
Artificial intelligence will be a key topic at this seventh edition of VDS. The international technology event aims to address the market needs generated by this technology, which is revolutionizing the world in all aspects: development, integration, application, and investment. To this end, companies with an international trajectory such as Hugging Face, Stability AI, Microsoft, IBM, Cloudera, Shutterstock, Mastercard, Intel, Babel, Eleven Labs, Multiverse, and Freepik will participate.
The event offers participants unique opportunities to establish new connections through its six stages, where current topics such as sustainability, the audiovisual sector, health, the future of work, and women in technology will be discussed alongside artificial intelligence. Additionally, entrepreneurial and technological talent, both national and international, will be showcased through its international startup competition, which has received over 800 applications from more than 65 different countries this year.
Moreover, over 700 investors with assets under management exceeding 200 billion euros are expected to attend. International funds that have already confirmed their participation include Blue Opal Capital, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Katapult VC, Kvanted Ventures, CCEP Ventures, SoftBank Investment, Techstars, and IDC Ventures.
As Patricia Pastor, President of VDS, explains, “the goal of this international technology event is to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs by fostering connections with industry visionaries, providing inspiration, and facilitating pathways for networking, funding, and business expansion.”
For Juan Luis Hortelano, President of Startup Valencia, the organizing entity of the event, “the quality of the speakers participating in VDS, the investors attending, and the networking spaces generated position this event as a key destination for startups seeking capital and strategic alliances, as well as for innovation ecosystem agents, governments, and anyone passionate about technology.”
