Everything you need to know about our community partner programme

Applications for our community partner programme are now open. Learn more about our previous partners and how you can get involved at Web Summit Lisbon 2024.

All of our events are defined by our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our community partners are an integral part of what makes Web Summit “a vital conduit for connecting talent, ideas and innovations with the global tech landscape,” according to the Daily Hive.

Our programme allows us to partner with grassroots organisations, community builders and nonprofits to bring in new ideas and provide representation for traditionally marginalised and underrepresented communities.

What are our community partnerships?

Our community partnerships are a series of collaborations and initiatives with various groups, ranging from networks of tech enthusiasts and nonprofits to fellowship programmes.

Once accepted into the programme, organisations get full access to our event, which brings together tech enthusiasts with fresh ideas and worthy causes with professionals from all over the world.

Why do we have community partnerships?

The community partnerships at Web Summit offer groups from around the world equitable access to amplify the voices of those in marginalised communities.

Our joint focus, as a tech event and a convener of professional leaders, means that we partner with companies that prioritise underrepresented tech enthusiasts. We are dedicated to supporting the wider efforts being made to diversify entrepreneurs who are starting new businesses, and the venture capital firms funding them.

We also want to provide educational and career development opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds. This includes working with various fellowship programs, offering free tickets and showcasing additional content outside of our normal event days.

Previous community partners at our events

Girl Move Academy

Girl Move Academy was created to help stop the cycle of poverty and under-education in Mozambique. Through its academy programme, Girl Move provides opportunities for young women to become community and business leaders. We have welcomed Girl Move Academy members to our events since 2019.

The academy has three main programmes targeting different age groups: university graduates, undergraduates, and seventh-grade. After finishing the seventh-grade programme, participants’ transition rate from primary to secondary level of school is 88 percent (versus 30 percent of national statistics).

Indigenous Friends Association

A group of attendees sitting at the Indigenous tech circle at Collision 2023. Image: Web Summit/Web Summit (CC BY 2.0)

The Indigenous Friends Association is an Indigenous-led, not-for-profit tech organisation that empowers Indigenous communities to create, engage and renovate digital technologies through ethical and communal values.

The organisation responds directly to the calls to action 7 (youth programme) and 66 (educational gaps) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to minimise the education and employment gaps of Indigenous people in Canada.

In 2023, at our former Toronto event, the Indigenous Friends Association collaborated with its fellow community partner, Animikii, to host an Indigenous tech circle – the first of its kind at any of our events.

LSE Generate

LSE Generate is the home of entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics and Political Science, supporting students and alums to build socially responsible businesses in the UK and beyond. LSE Generate students have attended our events and hosted roundtable discussions on topics including sustainable investing.

Six key features of LSE Generate are funding opportunities, mentoring, workshops and events, networking, incubation space, skills development, and social innovation (a focus on businesses that aim to create positive social impact).

League of Innovators

Members of the League of Innovators speak to an audience during a Scholarship Session at Collision 2023. Image: Vaughn Ridley/Web Summit (CC BY 2.0)

A national Canadian charity empowering young people to take control of their careers, League of Innovators aims to support entrepreneurs and innovators inside and outside of the workplace.

The organisation offers accessible and diverse education and acceleration programmes, focusing on skill-building tools and networking opportunities to help support young founders.

At Collision 2024, the company brought its network together to host scholarship sessions.

Applications for our Web Summit community partner program are now open. Get involved today.

Main image of people speaking at the Afrotech meetup at Web Summit Lisbon 2023: Web Summit/(CC BY 2.0)