UpScrolled founder @issamhijazi speaking at @WebSummit Qatar opening night this Sunday. The breakout app of 2026. Cannot wait. - @realUpScrolled

During Web Summit next week, some Lisbon hotels have raised prices by over 100% compared to the following week. With demand for 4-star hotels in the city centre above 90% - 98% full as per Booking.com data see details below - I would suggest these huge price increases are understandable and reasonable. BUT, BUT when certain hotels hike prices by more than 300%, and sometimes 500%, compared to their normal November rates, and then complain publicly about guests turning to Airbnb, it’s hard to sympathise. Some Lisbon hotels have priced themselves out of the market and now blame Airbnb for a lack of demand. Those hotels only have themselves to blame. But even these hotels’ claims don’t add up. In the case below for example, the price per night for a room the week after Web Summit in this lovely 4 star hotel is about €130 per night, but during Web Summit week it’s over €700 per night. That’s inflation of ~570%. There are lots more examples, see below. I have no sympathy for hotels who do this, and then also complain, despite Booking.com data suggesting occupancy for these types of hotels being at 98% for the week of Web Summit. I call bullshit on any hotel or hotel federation trying to distract people or confuse journalists from the reality that there is a problem with price gouging by SOME hotels in Lisbon. The data is clear. Most Lisbon hotels are great!!! Most Lisbon hotels are doing great, as per Booking.com data. But there’s always SOME who become blinded by greed, and have the brass neck to still complain. Enjoy next week - wherever you are staying - the weather is looking increasingly better. ☀️ ❤️

A little Web Summit news: The largest number of startups ever will be at Web Summit this November. We're beyond thrilled and I'm so proud of the team. Today we share the data for the first time. The number of American startups exhibiting in Lisbon will surpass 150 for the first, reaching more than 250! The number of startups exhibiting from both the UK and Germany will reach ~300 for each country, up sharply on 2023. The number of startups exhibiting from Spain and Italy will increase by more than 50% compared to 2023, to ~170 from Spain and ~100 from Italy. These rates of growth are unprecedented for Web Summit. But non-traditional markets are also up sharply too. The number of startups exhibiting from Serbia for example, will exceed 50, which is more than double the number compared to 2023. The number of startups exhibiting from Finland has also doubled in just a single year. And that’s just startups who are exhibiting. There are far more founders and startups simply attending; networking, listening, learning. We estimate there will be ~15,000 founders at Web Summit this year. A large part of this unprecedented growth is driven by a boom in bootstrapped startups. That boom is ushering in a new era in tech. Traditional, early stage VCs are increasingly being sidelined, while a new generation of bootstrapped startups are starting and scaling without them. For the first time, "seeking investment" is no longer the top priority for startups at Web Summit. It's “meeting customers”. Tech is changing. And Web Summit is changing to meet this new reality. So why is there a boom in bootstrapped startups? Perhaps it is because it has never been cheaper to build software; perhaps it is because it has never been cheaper to scale a software startup; perhaps it is because it has never been easier to find customers; perhaps it is because major tech companies fired hundreds of thousands of highly talented staff in recent years and many of those are now bootstrapping a new generation of startups. Whatever it is, you'll meet an entirely new generation of founders and startups at Web Summit, more of them bootstrapping than ever before in our history. The numbers are unprecedented. The entire Web Summit team has worked flat out for the last year to hit this incredible milestone. I'm so proud of them. The entire team of more than 300, who've worked full time throughout the year, can’t wait to welcome you and an entirely new generation of founders and startups to Lisbon. See you all in November.

A little Irish company just brought together 34,000 nerds from 100+ countries over 3 incredible days in Rio. The energy, the positivity, the innovation & the ambition were off the charts. Rio was an incredible host city ⛰️🇧🇷❤️. Next stop Kerry, Ireland ✈️ 🇮🇪

Today I’m returning as CEO of @WebSummit. When I stepped back last year, it was the first time I had taken time off in 15 years. It gave me time to think about Web Summit, its history, why I started it on my own from my bedroom and what I wanted it to be. I took the time to reconnect with old Web Summit friends and I listened to what they had to say and what they wanted from Web Summit. Some incredible tech advancements, relationships, partnerships, and companies have grown from our events and I want to continue building on this. If anything I want to supercharge this mission even further to build even stronger communities within Web Summit. In a very real sense, as Web Summit becomes bigger, our aim should be to make it smaller for our attendees. More intimate. More convivial. More community focused. We will seed small communities at our events, and then help those communities thrive long after each event. I’m incredibly excited for the future with loads more to share. Ps. My favourite Web Summit trailer below 👇