What to look for at Web Summit ‘18

When it comes to getting the most from a conference planning is everything. For the ones too busy or just lazy our team has created a curated list of engaging sessions for Fintech, SaaS and Startups.

We, at Payhawk, are glad to announce that we will attend this year’s Web Summit taking place in Lisbon, Portugal from November 6th till November 9th.

We will be part of a special group of fast-growing startups and technology companies that will be exhibited at the forum. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend, and we will be joined by the CEOs and founders of the world’s biggest companies. In today’s challenging environment those events gather the most innovative and disruptive, the ones aiming at battling the challenges and giving the directions for the future.

The Summit will be divided in 24 tracks all of which prove to be very interesting, however we have created our schedule to be focused around fintech, SaaS and corporate innovation.

Tuesday — Day 1

10:30 — Rethinking technology at large enterprises

SaaS Monster

Modernising corporate IT means correcting the sins of the past to invigorate and innovate in the future. Procter & Gamble’s CTO Alan Boheme draws on his wealth of experience to explore how large enterprises can transform their businesses in the digital age.

11:10 — The SaaS business model & metrics: Understand the key drivers for success

SaaS Monster

SaaS businesses are extremely sensitive to a small number of important variables. If you are running a SaaS company, understanding how these variables drive your business model is crucial to long-term success. In this talk, David Skok, author of the now famous SaaS Metrics 2.0 blog post will talk through those key metrics and their impact on the overall SaaS business model.

12:05–9 secrets for startup success

Startup University

Lean Startup taught the world how to find product/market fit, but in the B2B world that isn’t enough. B2B founders must then find a way to build repeatable, scalable and profitable growth before they are ready to step on the accelerator and grow at high speed. In this talk, five-time serial entrepreneur and author of the ForEntrepreneurs blog, David Skok, breaks this journey down into 9 distinct stages and explains the playbook at each stage. Warning: trying to force growth by skipping a step is the number one mistake entrepreneurs make, and it is often fatal.

13:30 — From fast growth to sustainable growth

SaaS Monster

How can your company triple your team and revenue within a year? What are the pitfalls of scaling too quickly, and how can you ensure growth is both fast and sustainable?

14:25 — Initialising a new generation of founders

Startup University

Garry Tan and Alexis Ohanian tear into all the 1000 landmines they’ve seen founders step on over the last decade of founding and being the earliest investors in companies.

16:00 — GDPR: What all tech start-ups need to know

Startup University

Insights from the European Commission and the Portuguese Data Protection Authority.

Wednesday — Day 2

11:40 — Partnering to ensure change at scale

MoneyConf

Insurance is a trillion dollar industry that has been ripe for disruption for years, yet many entrepreneurs struggle in their efforts to take on the established players. A rare few have seen strategic partnering as the logical step for both sides if they are to be successful in revolutionising an age old industry. In this case study we look at such a pairing and ask the question: how are they finding the journey?

11:50 — What comes after product market fit?

SaaS Monster

Creating a good product that serves a substantial market is difficult, and only the first of many steps to becoming a successful startup. What happens next? How do you reach this market and monetise it? How do you grow your product and decide what the next one should be? What’s the best way to react to competitors and new entrants? If you’ve built a product that is succeeding and are wondering what comes next, this talk is for you.

12:25 — Platform or die: How can banks move forward?

MoneyConf

One of the most significant financial talking points of the past year has been the strategic shift towards banking platforms. However, have we really seen this business model develop and is it realistic to expect banking to ever be truly consumer centric? Our expert panel take a look at the much changed face of consumer banking.

14:25 — Today’s fintech unicorn: How to become a statistical rarity

MoneyConf

Today, there are over 25 fintech unicorns across four different continents, and yet thousands of failed fintech startups. What does it take to rise above the herd in such an incredibly competitive marketplace, and what does it take to stay there?

14:45 — Sales: The secret to SaaS success

SaaS Monster

As more businesses seek out Saas solutions for their speed, agility and effectiveness, SaaS sales teams must focus not only on selling but on establishing relationships with their clients. Two leaders in the field share their extensive experience of creating cultures of success within their teams.

15:40 — Financial fairness and where to find it

MoneyConf

Almost three billion people are underserved by the formal financial sector but emerging technologies are making it easier than ever to change that and to build a financially inclusive world. With over 150 years of global leadership in this space, we look at the bigger picture and how fintech can really change the world.

Thursday — Day 3 — Payhawk Day

All day

Pavillion 2— Alpha Zone A-318

We, at Payhawk, are aiming at disrupting the conventional banking model. We issue next-generation company cards with automated expense management. This means no more paperwork for employees, automatic export to your accounting system and no need for reconciliations. Our vision is to build a marketplace for financial instruments independent on currencies, cultures or languages. The Payhawk team will be exhibiting the whole day. Make sure you visit our stand on day 3 of Web Summit.

Come and meet us in Lisbon! Vamos!