Web Summit Rio 2025 for Startups

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Web Summit returns to Brazil for its second edition in Rio de Janeiro from April 27–30, 2025. The event will take place at the Riocentro exhibition and convention centre and is expected to gather over 30,000 attendees, including startup founders, investors, tech executives, and media from Latin America and around the world.

Why Brazil?

Latin America’s tech ecosystem has seen rapid growth in recent years:

  • $36 billion invested in Latin American startups between 2019 and 2023
  • $21.9 billion of that investment went to Brazilian startups
  • Brazil is home to 13,000+ startups – 63% of all in Latin America
  • 45 unicorns have been created across the region – 24 in Brazil
  • The country ranks 15th globally in venture capital activity
  • Average time to unicorn status: 8.5 years

This momentum makes Web Summit Rio a strategic meeting point for founders, investors, and global operators interested in the region’s growth.

Startup Programme

Web Summit’s startup programme is designed for early-stage teams looking to scale. Startups accepted into the ALPHA track receive event tickets and access to curated programming including:

  • Masterclasses and roundtables with investors and experts
  • Mentor Hours for hands-on feedback
  • Startup activations such as PITCH (live competition), Startup Showcase, and 40 Words (quick-pitch format)

Founders are also supported by a startup success coordinator and can create a dedicated profile within the platform to boost visibility. The programme also includes Impact startups – early-stage companies working toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals, combining innovation with long-term societal benefit.

Speakers 

Web Summit Rio 2025 features leaders from across the tech, venture, and startup world. Confirmed speakers include:

Marcelo Claure (SHEIN), Justina Nixon-Saintil (IBM), Marcio Aguiar (Nvidia), Maren Lau (Meta), Angela Strange (Andreessen Horowitz), Carol Baracat (TikTok), Dileep Thazhmon (Jeeves), Priscyla Laham (Microsoft), Nicolas Robinson Andrade (OpenAI), Vidya Peters (DataSnipper), Chris Stephens (Groq), Gabriela Comazzetto), Luis Silva (CloudWalk), among others.

About Web Summit

Founded in Dublin in 2009, Web Summit has grown from a 150-person meetup to a global conference series. In addition to its flagship Lisbon event, the platform also runs editions in Brazil, Qatar, Canada, and Asia.

Web Summit’s mission is to enable meaningful connections between founders, investors, policymakers, and technologists shaping the future of the world.

Event Dates: April 27–30, 2025
Location: Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro (Av. Salvador Allende, 6555 - Camorim)

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