This article reflects my personal experience and opinion. I attended Web Summit with the goal of evaluating the event and learning as much as possible. If I sound opinionated — it's likely because I'm speaking from direct experience.
Overview
The 2025 Vancouver Web Summit concluded on Friday, May 30. For a three-day event (or four, if you count the opening), it didn't feel as “busy” or “enriching” as the 2025 San Jose NVIDIA GTC — despite our booth day and a high volume of interactions. That said, in terms of sheer traffic, we saw meaningful results: increased LinkedIn follows and website visits. This kind of measurable impact is rare without a physical presence at tech events.
Event Organization
- The founder's talk could have been more engaging and focused.
- There were no complimentary snacks, coffee, or giveaways for general attendees — a surprising miss for an event of this scale. The “Food Summit” trucks were limited, though some offerings were delicious.
- The Mayor's enthusiasm in welcoming Web Summit was appreciated, though the tone occasionally felt as if the city was overextending to host it.
- The event leaned heavily into a business networking environment. I'll expand on this further below.
- Many attendees were job seekers, which didn't align well with the startup/partnering focus of the event.
- The conference had diverse topics but lacked a unifying theme or headline announcements, making it feel less cohesive compared to events like NVIDIA GTC or AWS re:Invent.
Observations and Business Insights
Our booth day on Friday was busy, though we didn't get the opportunity to pitch to the general audience. I did attend a few pitch sessions, and most presenting startups had established products, customers, or revenue. They appeared significantly more “market-ready” than we are, and it reinforced a valuable point: as with VCs, traction and revenue are key to standing out.
We observed that startups with interactive demos or physical setups drew the most attention — and I am glad we prepared some video recordings along with live demo for our software.
One key theme across Web Summit and the AWS x NVIDIA startup event: pitches that address familiar, non-technical problems resonate the most.
Examples with strong “immediate appeal”:
- AI-enabled autonomous toddler stroller
- Underwear that boosts sperm quality
- Smart AI-enhanced bra
- AI-powered back pain seat pad
Mid-tier:
- NFC-enabled digital business card
Harder-to-grasp but high-potential ideas:
- Bacteria-based paint with environmentally friendly manufacturing process
- Visual programming systems aimed at boosting developer productivity
The Opening Event
Held Tuesday night, the opening event felt underwhelming. The visual setup (crate-like backdrop) was eye-catching, but no food or drink was offered to general attendees. Only startups had access to coffee, which felt misaligned with the event's scale.
The CEO's welcome speech lacked energy, and overall, the program felt flat. Music and trailers were fun at first but quickly became disconnected from the tone. The immediate transition into a panel with Gary felt abrupt and missed an opportunity for a celebratory kickoff.
Opening Talks — Highlights from Gary's Panel
Despite the subdued opening, Gary's insights on AI and technology were a highlight:
- Granting too much power to immature AI systems is risky.
- LLMs are “autocomplete on steroids” — not true intelligence.
- AI-generated code is quick to produce but hard to debug: we're often fixing code we didn't write.
- Prompting feels like “prompt and pray,” and the trial-and-error approach introduces inefficiencies.
Time spent verifying AI-generated content can outweigh the benefits, especially for tasks like world-building.
- Traditional algorithmic systems remain superior for traceability and reliability.
Further observations:
- GPT-5 was renamed 4.5 — performance expectations weren't met.
- Grok 3 is 10x more expensive than Grok 2, but with diminishing returns.
- LLMs may not scale to general intelligence as hoped.
- AI industry valuations are likely inflated — driven by hype over real returns.
- A survey of 7,000 companies found AI had limited impact on bottom-line results.
BlueSky & Decentralized Social Networking
Jay Graber (BlueSky CEO) offered thoughtful insights on AT Protocol and decentralized, user-first platforms:
- Offers open APIs for data, feeds, and identity
- Introduces community-powered moderation
- Small team (25 people) supporting over 35 million users — a strong proof of scalability
- Operates as a “public benefit” company, not ad-driven
- Monetization via subscriptions and feed-sharing
- Especially strong traction in science, niche, and developer communities
It's worth experimenting with the technology and we might explore how Divooka can share content into niche BlueSky feeds to find more aligned communities.
Final Thoughts
- I heard from a university contact that some ALPHA startups received free admission and even airfare — this is worth looking into for future events.
- Despite Web Summit's global reputation, I found NVIDIA GTC more impressive in content, even at reduced scale.
- The AWS x NVIDIA pitch event was a letdown — minimal food, no meaningful connections, and unanswered follow-ups.
- The true highlight was the Web Summit pitch competition: well-organized, engaging, and a great conversation starter.
- Night Summits felt too business-focused, with crowded venues and no complimentary food. Only the final night was more casual and enjoyable.
- Vancouver's setting is breathtaking. Even though many talks were just average, the opportunity to meet startups, gain exposure, and learn from others made the trip worthwhile.
Overall, Web Summit is a strong platform for early-stage startups to get visibility and connect. I'd recommend attending — especially if you're pitching. That's where the event truly shines.