Don’t miss these speakers on Day 1 of Web Summit

The first day of Web Summit 2022 is here. We’ve selected some high-profile speakers and unmissable talks you can catch on Day 1 – Wednesday, November 2.

There are more than 600 talks taking place over three days at Web Summit 2022, exploring deep tech, digital marketing, the creator economy, politics and society, climate change, the state of journalism and so much more.

Here are some Day 1 talks you won’t want to miss.

Owning your niche: Monetise your fans’ attention

The OnlyFans business model is like a mash-up of Instagram and Patreon. Influencers and content creators can make videos and post images just like on the ‘gram, but fans have to pay a subscription for the content.

One such influencer is model Lottie Moss. She joins OnlyFans CEO Amrapali Gan on stage to discuss how the platform works, and how it allows creators to connect directly with their fanbase, without the social stigma.

Preserving humanity’s most important information: Then and now

Quintillions of bytes of data are generated each day, but who’s preserving the pertinent data for posterity? This is one of several questions on data access and archiving that will be tackled by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Filecoin Foundation chair Marta Belcher.

Filecoin Foundation recently teamed up with the Internet Archive (the group behind the Wayback Machine) to support the Archive’s new Democracy’s Library project, which is collecting, preserving and making accessible government research and publications from around the world – an initiative that has parallels to Wikipedia’s collaborative and decentralised model.

Exit strategies in a down cycle

‘Down’ and ‘cycle’ are perhaps two of the least inviting words to follow the phrase “exit strategy”, but this is 2022 and, with scant IPO activity, late-stage startups do need to think strategically about their next steps.

Are mergers and acquisitions the only way to go? M&As are on the rise this year, after all. Or should founders be looking to create their own exit plan?

DN Capital founder and managing partner Nenad Marovac, B Capital Group general partner Rashmi Gopinath and Alpha Partners co-founding partner Brian Smiga dispense some sage advice.

Me, myself, and generative AI

Generative AI – AI that has been trained on existing data to create original works of art, text or even music – is becoming one of the most contentious tech topics of 2022.

Is art that’s created using Open AI’s Dall-E – or other image generators – the intellectual property of the user? Is AI the artist? If the art is based on a recognisable style by a human artist, is this a violation of their intellectual property?

Although Getty banned generative art from its site in September, Shutterstock has just inked a deal to allow these images on its site.

VC experts Cristina Fonseca and Kanu Gulati are joined by Mozilla Foundation’s executive director Mark Surman for what’s sure to be a lively talk.

You know you love it… XOXO, investing in Gen Z

Whether you’re a fan of the original Gossip Girl TV series or are interested in how gen Z is shaping the next generation of social media platforms and online communities, this session will tick your boxes.

Actress Kelly Rutherford – perhaps best known for playing matriarch Lily van der Woodsen on teen drama Gossip Girl – has turned her hand to investing in tech startups. In this session, Kelly discusses recent investment Whyzzer, a social media app for sharing knowledge in a safe, inclusive space.

TikTok tips and tricks: Q&A with TikTok star – and Joystick founder – Michael Le

Marketers, advertisers, business owners… They’re all still trying to understand how to tap into TikTok’s explosive popularity with gen Z. It’s a good thing we’ve scheduled a Q&A with Michael Le, one of the more successful creators on the platform.

Michael divulges some tips and tricks for making viral content, and talks about the transition from TikTok dance star to business founder.

Desert island book shelf

If you like the idea of getting inside the heads of a group of journalists, creators and investors all at once, then this is the talk for you. This is Desert Island Discs – but with books.

It’s been an interesting year, filled with political and economic turmoil, climate panic, the dwindling allure of crypto, and the onward march of TikTok and other social media platforms. Will these speakers – who include the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s James Ball – choose titles that address any of these issues, or books that serve as a balm for modern life?

See the full schedule for Day 1 here.

Main image of Lottie Moss, Jimmy Wales, Kelly Rutherford and Michael Le: Web Summit