Record investors at Web Summit 2025, bucking industry trends

Web Summit 2025 is welcoming 71,386 attendees this week, including CEOs, government and trade delegations, global media, and more startups and investors than ever before. Below we present Web Summit 2025, by the numbers:

Key takeaways

• Web Summit 2025 joins 71,386 attendees from 157 countries.
  
• 1,857 investors are joining Web Summit 2025 from 86 countries, a 74% surge from last year’s 1,066. It is the largest number ever to attend the event.
  
• 2,725 startups, from 108 countries, will be exhibiting, with AI and machine learning emerging as the top industry. Notably, 40% of startups are women-founded.
  
• ⁠⁠Nearly 200 startups raised funding post-event: According to Crunchbase, nearly 200 startups from Web Summit’s 2024 Startup Programme secured post-event investment, with total funding reaching $715.5 million. You can read more about it here.
  
• 869 speakers join Web Summit’s stages this year, with Opening Night featuring leaders shaping the future of tech, business and culture, including the most followed person on TikTok Khaby Lame; Lovable, Co-founder and CEO Anton Osika; entrepreneur and tennis legend Maria Sharapova.
  
• 1,519 publishers, CEOs, editors and reporters, from outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Economist, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Axios, CGTN, Globo, Sapo, Renascença, Valor Económico, RTP and Euronews are joining Web Summit to explore new technologies and ideas shaping the future.
  
• 268 government delegations are joining from 82 countries, including Portugal, Spain, Poland, Brazil, Spain, Angola, Germany, the US, Canada, Ireland, Austria, Japan, China, Belgium, India, Mexico, Qatar, Australia, and more.
  
• 400 curated meetups are underway, helping attendees make meaningful connections, from women in tech and backend developers to ai innovators, to a giant Jenga session.
  
• Partners exhibiting at Web Summit include IBM, Visa, Qualcomm, Alibaba Cloud, Revolut People, KPMG, Replit, Huawei, and LinkedIn.

“Ten years ago it already felt like the world was changing fast, but it’s nothing compared to how fast the world is changing today“, said Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave on Web Summit’s Opening Night. “It’s been 10 years since a tiny three person startup called Revolut showed up at Web Summit. Today Revolut is Europe’s most valuable private tech company.”

“I’ve no doubt that there’s another Revolut at Web Summit, maybe several. Two or three people with a tiny stand and a huge idea. I hope you all take the opportunity to meet our more than 2,500 startups who are exhibiting over the coming three days“, he continued.

More investors than ever 

A record 1,857 investors are set to attend Web Summit 2025, the highest in the event’s history and a 74% surge from last year’s 1,066. The growth underscores the global appetite for meaningful connections and in-person deal-making at an event that will showcase the ideas from 2,725 startups from 108 countries.

This year’s investor community includes partners from some of the most influential funds in venture capital, including QED Investors, Accel, Amino and Indico.

AI emerges as the most represented industry

A record 2,725  startups from 108 countries will exhibit on the show floor, with AI and machine learning emerging as the top industry, representing nearly one-fifth of all exhibiting startups. SaaS, healthtech and wellness, fintech, and sustainability complete the top five sectors.

Notably, 40% of startups are women-founded, in line with Web Summit’s efforts to increase visibility for women across the global tech ecosystem.

869 speakers will be discussing the future of tech

Toto Wolff, Team Principal, CEO & Co-owner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team; Maria Sharapova, tennis champion and entrepreneur; Alex Schultz, Chief Marketing Officer at Meta, and Cristiano Amon President & CEO of Qualcomm, a global leader in wireless technology and semiconductors are amongst the leaders in technology, business, sports and entertainment that will be taking to the stage to discuss and debate global changes.

Some of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world will also be speaking on stage. These include names like Anton Osika, Co-founder & CEO of Lovable; Cristóbal Valenzuela, Co-founder & CEO of Runway, an AI research and technology company pioneering multimodal world simulators; and Michele Catasta, President & Head of AI at Replit, leading the company’s advances in AI-driven software creation.

These newsmakers will connect with 1,519 publishers, editors, and reporters, from outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Axios, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, TIME, Newsweek, The Economist,, CGTN, Globo, Sapo, Renascença, Valor Económico, RTP and Euronews, joining Web Summit to explore and cover new technologies and trends shaping the future.

New this year: China Summit and Future of Media

This year, Web Summit introduces China Summit, a dedicated track showcasing innovation and driving debate on how collaboration between regions can accelerate global progress across media, AI, and frontier technologies. Web Summit also debuted the Future of Media Summit, an exclusive gathering of leading editors and reporters from major international outlets, to explore the evolving reality of media and the impact technology is having on the media landscape.

400 exclusive meetups underway

400 curated meetups are already underway at Web Summit, helping attendees make meaningful, high-value, curated connections, from women in tech and backend developers to AI innovators, along with moments of play and reset like Giant Jenga and guided meditation. 

Powered by Web Summit’s proprietary software, Summit Engine, attendees are matched with the people and companies most relevant to their goals, based on shared industries, interests, and intent. The objective is creating spaces where people don’t just meet, they find their communities inside Web Summit.

52 scholars joining from Ireland

Through Web Summit’s new Scholar Programme, fifty-two Irish students traveled to Lisbon for Web Summit, with full all-access passes to the event, to shadow speakers and learn directly from the production, communications and engineering teams. Throughout the week, they’ll network with startups, investors and senior executives, attend curated dinners and exclusive events, watch the PITCH final from centre stage, and take part in a highly immersive, behind-the-scenes programme designed to develop their skills and global connections.

Community initiatives

This year, Web Summit will support more than 30 community initiatives by collaborating with mission-driven partners to create real impact across different communities and sectors. 

As part of its IMPACT program, Web Summit has selected four exceptional partners to showcase on a global stage. Sigma Labs, a Palestinian innovation organization, and The Lisbon Project, a nonprofit supporting refugees, will each host exhibition booths, connecting their work with thousands of attendees and potential collaborators. 

Women Leaders Circle, a network empowering women leaders across Europe, and Tech Connect Africa, a pan-African tech community, will lead masterclasses, sharing insights and expertise with the Web Summit audience. 

Through IMPACT, Web Summit is using its platform to amplify underrepresented voices, accelerate meaningful change, and champion a more inclusive global tech ecosystem.