Is Lisbon a startup hub because of the Web Summit, or does the Web Summit keep coming back to Lisbon because of the city’s growing tech scene?
Regardless of the answer, the fact is that one of the most prestigious events in the tech industry is about to open its doors again, making tens of thousands of people flock to the Portuguese capital. Here are a few things you should know about the conference and the Web Summit Lisbon 2025 edition.
What is the Web Summit Lisbon 2025?
The Web Summit is one of the largest and most prestigious innovation and networking events in the world, founded in Dublin, by Paddy Cosgrave, in 2009. After moving to Lisbon in 2016, the event signed, in 2018, a 10-year deal with the city, granting its annual spot in the Portuguese calendar.
Filled with interesting talks, round tables, pitch opportunities and much more, the event has received many important names of a wide arrays of fields such as tennis player Serena Williams, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, musician and activist Bono Vox, SpaceX Founder Elon Musk, and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, just to name a few.
The Web Summit as a company also promotes other events such as RISE, and Web Summit Rio, Vancouver and Qatar, though the Web Summit Lisbon is the flagship event.
This Web Summit Lisbon 2025 kicks off on November 10th, with there being multiple speakers on the opening day, including Lisbon's Mayor, Mr. Carlos Moedas.
For 9 consecutive years now (including a virtual edition during the Covid-19 pandemic), November is a month when Lisbon welcomes more than 70,000 tech enthusiasts, CEOs, and start-up investors who join in the capital of Portugal to attend one of Europe’s leading tech events. The Web Summit has brought much attention to the country, promoting a rise in economic growth, and drawing global technology companies to open businesses and start-ups that created various tech job opportunities for both fellow Portuguese and expats.
They will now be able to join visitors who are pouring in from all 4 corners of the world to connect to make the best out of the 4-days event that will bring together over 1000 speakers, divided into 15 tracks.
Where is Web Summit's Location in Lisbon and How to Get There?
if you've never attended the Web Summit before, and are coming for the first time, it's held in FIL (Feira Internacional de Lisboa), Lisbon's Exhibition and Congress Centre.
it has a total area of 100.000m2 spread across 4 pavilions and it is located in Parque das Nações, the most modern neighbourhood in Lisbon.
The Web Summit takes all the pavilions and also an extra important venue in Lisbon: MEO Arena, one of the most popular concert halls in the city, located right next to FIL.
This is where the centre stage is located and where some of the most famous people of the planet have set foot on, either to perform or to participate in one of the Web Summit’s talks.
That means that, in order to make the most of your experience, you need to plan ahead.
Stages sometimes are not close to each other and with multiple things happening, you will have to choose carefully what you want to see the most, where and when it is happening.
Now, if you are wondering how to get to the event, we can assure you it will be easy. If you aren't staying in Expo – how many locals will call the Parque das Nações area, due to the fact it was created to host the Expo 98 – there will be plenty of transportation available.
Depending on where you are, you can catch a train, a bus or a metro to Gare do Oriente, a huge terminal station within walking distance to where the Web Summit is.
Web Summit Lisbon 2025: Main Speakers and Topics
If you haven't checked this year’s Web Summit schedule fully, we have some highlights for you.
Opening night will begin on November 10 at 18:00 on the Centre Stage, with speakers including Anton Osika, Co-Founder & CEO of Lovable, and tennis legend Maria Sharapova, who will talk about how technology and perseverance shape success. The evening will also feature sessions such as “Building for the 99%: Inside Lovable, the world's fastest-growing tech company” and “Smarter Plays: How AI is Changing the Game”, setting an inspiring tone for the days ahead.
By day 2, you can stop by one of the morning wellness sessions or join thought-provoking talks like “From Scenes to Simulations: The Rise of World Models” with Runway’s CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela.
You can also take part in exclusive networking events such as the African Diaspora Founders Meetup and the Girls in Movement podcast session, or simply enjoy the Night Summit across Lisbon starting at 20:00.
Day 3 will be packed with discussions across more than 20 tracks, covering topics from AI, fintech, and sustainability to regulation and creative media.
The day will close with more Night Summit meet-ups around the city, perfect for connecting with innovators and investors from around the world.
The fourth and last day of Web Summit Lisbon 2025, November 13th, will wrap up the event with final keynote sessions and panels on the main and side stages, followed by closing networking events that mark the end of another remarkable edition.
Also, throughout the whole event, there will be, of course, a lot of talks and round tables around the subject of the moment: AI.
This is really just a glimpse of what this huge event will bring, and the best way to go about it is to keep yourself up to date through Web Summit’s app and website.
Read more:
Lisbon: The Perfect City for Entrepreneurs
Why Does Web Summit Keep Returning to Portugal?
It is not by chance that Lisbon has received the prestigious Web Summit conference for the past 9 years.
Hosted in a country that has the 7th cleanest air quality in Europe and that is also ranked as the 7th safest country in the world, Lisbon has a small town quality of life but with all the perks of an important European capital. It surely also helps that Portugal is the 6th most English proficient country in the world.
Apart from the multitude of leisure and cultural activities, ranging from museums to national landmarks, the main Portuguese city also features two UNESCO world heritage sites: the Torre de Belém, built to commemorate the Vasco da Gama expedition, and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a 16th-century cloister and former friar refectory.
Also, although Lisbon exudes old-world charm, it also showcases outstanding diversity in its culture and has become, in the past years, an important technology hub of the continent, hosting a dynamic startup ecosystem, including some of the 7 Portuguese-born unicorns, companies that have reached a value of over $1 billion.
It is hard to tell if the Web Summit address in Lisbon is the result or the cause of the growth of Portugal’s growing importance in the tech scene, with many remote workers moving into the country in search of a thriving business environment combined with unparalleled quality of life, but the fact is that the event has grown exponentially in here.
Now, Web Summit and Lisbon are undeniably intertwined and are both partly responsible for the high-tech centre the region has become, with places like the Unicorn Factory, Startup Lisboa, and Oeiras Valley becoming the preferred address to many innovative companies. Portugal has even been ranked among Europe's Top 10 Leading Start-Up, much due to Lisbon’s entrepreneurial and startup community.
This thriving scenario is also one of the main reasons why, in the last years, many wealthy individuals have also decided to come to Portugal, not only because of the country’s great climate, safety and quality of life, but also to make the best out of business opportunities that are in constant growth.
Through Residency by Investment programmes such as the Golden Visa and the D2 Visa, they can live and work in Portugal and become neighbours to the Web Summit and all the innovations it fosters.
