Web Summit – the largest technology conference in the world, which is held annually in Lisbon – this year was held from November 1 to 4 and brought together 42,000 participants.
Representatives of the Russian company 24TTL, which develops innovative IT solutions in the field of online retail, visited Web Summit for the third time. Yuri Siskin, the founder of the company, shared his observations about the context that unites IT companies from all over the world and what trends will be most in demand in the very near future.
Agenda Web Summit 2021
In 2021, the reports and startup pitches of all conference participants were united by a common concept related to sustainable development and an environmentally friendly approach in the field of production, work, and even relationships.
Obviously, the restrictions that the whole world faced during the pandemic had such an impact. This trend was actively discussed and mentioned by the participants of the event at reports and master classes.
There are several key areas that received the most attention from the participants, most often heard in the speeches of speakers and discussed at workshops and master classes:
fintech (FinTech);
medical technology (EdTech);
metaverse (Metaverse);
AR/VR technologies;
human resource management in the context of remote work and the new reality;
sale of goods through social networks and during live broadcasts (social and live commerce).
Fintech
Compared to last year, it can be noted that the interest in blockchain and crypto has noticeably decreased on the part of the technology community compared to 2019. But many fintech companies have been talking about their products in the context of a transactional model and looking for ways to make it the fastest, most convenient, and most useful across industries.
The examples are varied, from tourism solutions that connect guides and potential tour participants directly, to more complex infrastructure projects, such as face-to-face payments, which we already see in Russia.
So, the Dutch company Mollie presented solutions that help to quickly integrate all major payment methods using a set of free plugins. You can also create your own payment product using a simple API. A very popular tool for any business.
A promising project was presented by DAMP from Switzerland. In an era of ubiquitous digitalization, when keeping track of assets becomes more difficult, the company helps users to collect, control and process all types of assets. DAMP has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s best financial consolidation and monitoring service.
According to the subjective impression, the development of fintech in Europe is somewhat behind the Russian level. Everything that we have been seeing for a long time, using and considering as fairly familiar functionality, is in the development zone for European startups.
EdTech
In the context of life in a pandemic, many began to think a little more and take care of their health, study it – this became the starting point for the explosive growth in the field of EdTech.
Soon, software will be able to widely use software that can, for example, determine caries in a patient by an image or other signs. Also, IT solutions will learn not only to track vital parameters, but also to maintain mental health at a new level or get out of alcohol and drug addiction.
I’ll give you a couple of examples.
Finder is a medical technology company that provides smart inhalers and telemedicine systems for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Recognizing that prevention and the right treatment can improve patient safety and overall quality of life, the company develops products and promotes research programs to develop artificial intelligence that can accurately predict asthma exacerbations. Physicians can treat their patients remotely, providing care when it is needed with constant access.
Sober One wants to help millions of people around the world overcome alcohol addiction and change their lives for the better. The developers have studied, collected in the application modern scientific models of behavior change and connect addicted people with the right resources, offering clear plans and personal training to regain control over addiction.
Also, much attention in the field of medicine today is paid to technologies in the field of testing people. I remember the Japanese startup Miraa Genomics, which produces mini-laboratories 20×20 cm in size, which allow for full-fledged testing of people in a variety of parameters.
Metaverse
The topic of “another (tph) me”, or digital twin – digital self – has become very widespread, especially in the context of a massive transition to remote work and the need to hold a large number of virtual presentations and events. Yes, and Facebook, with its recent rebranding, only strengthened this trend. Microsoft recently introduced its metaverse.
If we talk about applied solutions, to which we can already get mass access as users today, then in fact this is still just an interesting concept. The pioneers in this industry are Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft. In general, entry into this area is still quite difficult, but there are all prerequisites that it has a great future in terms of opportunities for the development of various startups.
The company Meta (Facebook) presented its mission – to create a mix of real and virtual universe, in which there will be everything that surrounds the user both physically and remotely. At the first stage, MR glasses will be used to implement this concept, and then, perhaps, it will be lenses or more compact solutions through which we will be able to perceive augmented reality. Given the level of financial investment that Meta is investing in the development of the metaverse, we can all expect a technological breakthrough in the very near future.
A breakthrough today can be called the development of the NFT direction (non-fungible token) and digital art – as part of the metauniverse, which is actively entering our lives and spreading faster than the Internet at one time.
For example, Excludible is an online NFT platform developed by luxury brands in fashion, watches, jewelry, beauty, and automotive. In the age of conscious consumption, Metaverse is opening up new playgrounds for big brands
