The 2025 edition of the flagship tech event brought thousands of founders, innovators and investors together in a three-day sprint of announcements, showcases and high-stakes networking. Over the course of the gathering the tone was bold, the focus sharp and the ambition palpable. Attendees walked into an expo hall, breakout sessions and mainstage presentations that promised to define what comes next in startup culture and technology. From discussions on artificial intelligence to autonomous vehicles, the mood was “we’re building the future now,” and the participants showed up ready.
Highlights & Key Themes
One of the dominant threads was the acceleration of AI across enterprise, hardware and consumer fronts. Speakers unpacked how AI is shifting from research labs into real-world deployment, and how startups must pivot fast to keep up. Meanwhile the programme included segments on scaling startups, going public, autonomous mobility and community-driven tech. In short, the narrative was: big tech isn’t the only place where change happens anymore. The stage was also framed as a place where startups could get discovered, elevate their brand and join the next wave of growth.
Major Stage Moments
On the main stage, high-profile voices delivered sharp commentary on current issues. One speaker challenged the logic that powering AI inevitably damages climate goals, noting that new energy approaches and regulation will matter more than hype. On another panel the question of when to go from private to public company took centre-stage, and candid remarks about market timing, investor expectations and startup governance spurred intense audience reaction. A discussion on autonomous vehicles included a pointed comment that society will accept self-driving tech—but only if companies meet a “high enough bar on safety.”
Startup Battlefield & Showcases
The high-visibility startup competition remained a major draw. Hundreds of startups exhibited in the expo hall, pitched on stage and networked with investors in the wings. For many young companies this event functioned as a compression chamber of growth—intense conversations, rapid feedback loops and the need to articulate value in seconds. One founder shared how in just six days they set up a booth, handed out hundreds of brochures and refined their pitch dozens of times — an indicator of how fast-paced and unforgiving the environment was. But for those who kept up, the payoff was clear: connections, insight and sometimes even deal terms.
Networking, Partnerships and Buzz
Beyond the formal sessions, the informal moments were equally impactful. Evening receptions, side-events and partner-led round-tables gave attendees a chance to deepen relationships and explore less scripted topics. Some of the networking was intentionally designed by sponsors who curated sessions on growth marketing, hiring globally and building startup-friendly ecosystems. This layering of content meant that the event was not just about watching but also doing — meeting someone and applying what you heard that same day.
Why This Year Mattered
What set this edition apart was its scale and ambition. With over 10,000 attendees, over 250 speakers and more than 200 different sessions, the event was packed. And rather than being a repeat of past years, the programming felt calibrated for a moment of transition: from generative-AI novelty to real-world productization, from hobby-stage startups to serious global ambition, from demo-day theatrics to enterprise strategy. If you left the show floor and didn’t feel energized, you missed the point.
The Takeaway for Attendees and Founders
For startup founders the message was clear: be ready to pitch, refine fast, leverage the space and engage beyond the stage. For established companies the signal was also strong: delay is risk. Whether you’re hiring globally, navigating AI hardware, or preparing to scale enterprise SaaS, the time to act is now. Because this event made it abundantly clear that waiting means getting left behind.
In the end, the gathering offered more than announcements; it provided a snapshot of where the next era of tech will be fought, won and scaled. Anyone who attended or watched came away with more than a notebook full of quotes — they came away with a war-plan.
