A taste of Tech Insights 2021
October 28th, 2021
When the pandemic hit the world in February 2020, we had just started to organize our annual Tech Insights event, planned for the end of June – that time of the year when we call in Milan senior executives, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs from all over the world to discuss ideas at the intersection of technology, economy, and society. A big part of Tech Insights is to make connections, create a network and let serendipity happen: that’s why, back then, we decided to put our event on hold until we could safely gather once again.
Then, two things happened. The pandemic lasted much longer than anyone would have expected, and digital adoption took a quantum leap. Technology helped us to navigate those uncertain times and rethink a new world where digital connections are as meaningful as in-person ones.
Virtual events proved to be an equally effective way for coming together and connecting. They are sustainable, have a lower environmental footprint, and are 100% online, so everybody can join. It’s easier to bring on board amazing speakers with valuable experiences who are based abroad. And online attendees absorb content more profoundly.
But how to make online events as relevant as the IRL ones? Since its first edition, United Ventures’ Tech Insights aims to be the place where the investor community meets to discuss the trends shaping the tech industry and the venture capital scenario globally. So, we organized an afternoon of conversations into the major themes driving the industry forward and a session of company presentations, where exceptional Founders and CEOs from United Ventures’ portfolio shared their stories:
- Federico Mattia Dolci told us how BOOM, the world’s first automated visual production platform to get fast content at the click of a button, is transforming the world of visual content management through technology;
- Ivan Aimo presented Deliveristo, the first digital platform where restaurateurs buy directly from farmers and producers, aiming to revolutionize the food & beverage industry by carefully shortening the B2B supply chain;
- Paul Hinz explained how Entando’s application composition platform can maximize the potential of Kubernetes stacks and how micro frontends help enterprises increase developers’ joy;
- Luca Emili showed how InSilicoTrials can hyper-accelerate drug and medical device development (did you know that an average of 2.6 billion dollars and up to 12 years are needed to bring a new drug to the market?);
- Matteo Vanotti told us about xFarm’s mission to drive digital transformation in agriculture improving the life of millions of farmers worldwide and why the effort to make agriculture sustainable passes through innovation;
- and, last but not least, Andrea Ferrero introduced us to Young Platform, an ecosystem of products that cover the needs of all crypto customers, no matter their background, aimed at making the crypto-industry fair and meaningful for everyone.
Our Co-Founders and Managing Partners Massimiliano Magrini and Paolo Gesess had two insightful fireside chats with Luca Bocchio from Accel and Carlotta “Lotti” Siniscalco from Emergence Capital. In case you missed them, you can watch the recordings below.
In the chat “The hyper-acceleration of digitization”, Massimiliano and Luca discussed the more interesting VC investment trends in Europe and the biggest opportunities in the ecosystem after the great pandemic disruption: global venture capital fundraising at an all-time high, with many countries seeing record results; the VC world undergoing a major transition – with the most prominent venture capital firms in Silicon Valley adopting new, diversified models – and the European tech ecosystem at an inflection point. We tried to understand with Luca where we are heading from here, which part of the cycle we are at.
In the chat “The quest for impactful returns”, Paolo e Carlotta discussed sustainability and venture capital – subjects that are actually a lot more aligned than most people think. Both are focused on building for the long term; both are focused on building something that will endure. As Carlotta says, “Great VCs are able to anticipate trends and connect the dots before others can. This includes understanding not just shifts in technology, but also in society, value systems, etc. And whether we like it or not, whether we are ready for it or not, sustainability is beginning to matter a lot”.
The 2021 digital edition of Tech Insights was a success and we would like to thank everyone who contributed to making it happen. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and we are looking forward to meeting you – virtually or in-person – at next year’s edition!
In the meantime, we will continue to spot and support the best entrepreneurs out there 😉
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