We want to believe that our business angels - and all business angels -  play a critical role in bringing the “right” future to the world. Angel investors are the engine behind founders and their ideas, bringing their technology to life. Investing in the right technologies to help develop a more sustainable and thriving future is more critical than ever.

‍

This brings me to the first (and the most important thing) I learned at the web summit this year:

1.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet, took the main stage at the Web Summit to tell us that

EVERYONE is responsible for making the Web a better place.

Today, when half of the world is online, seeing through financial gains and investing in a technology that’s right for the world is more important than ever.

‍

2.

Cryptocurrency is the new kid on the block,

making so many young fintech startups look so old already. CoinSwitch Kuber, a cryptocurrency exchange platform exclusive to the Indian market, invested by Sequoia Capital, makes it easier for a 25-year-old to exchange bitcoin than ordering a pizza on Zomato. According to Guillaume Pousaz (Checkout.com), the pandemic has driven the adoption of digital money services faster by five years. Fintech has grown so big that the term Unicorn is not enough anymore. 

‍

3.

AI is still making a difference in bringing the most customized solutions to the world.

From lifestyle to Climate Tech, AI’s power to transform humanity’s response to enormous problems makes it one of the essential parts of technology today.

Startups using AI to avoid water leakage, material waste and improve agriculture won innovation prizes at the web summit left and right, giving more meaning to Web Summit 2021 coinciding with the United Nations' COP26 conference.

‍

4.

Mental health tech is in high demand in the post-COVID world.

As the world emerges from the pandemic, the idea of pouring your heart out into a piece of software doesn’t seem weird anymore. AI is being used by a growing number of mental health start-ups. And, mental health chatbot Woebot gets its users to discuss their problems. The replies come from artificial intelligence and not from a therapist. 

‍

5.

Choosing the right investor is more important than ever.

There used to be a time when funding seemed to be scarce. Founders were running after investors, and only the lucky ones would win the fundraising race. Today, however, founders have funding options at the table more accessible than ever before. Guy Galonska, Co-founder of Infarm, closed his interview at the web summit talking about the importance of having the right people on board and the right investors. Watch his interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tzUOxFExsY 

‍