2020 IS WAITING TO DEPART: A “THANK YOU” CARD TO ALL OF YOU!

In image above: the spatial feel to infinite traveling at the VIP Lounge of the new Gagarin airport, Russia, brought by the Asadov architectural bureau, Moscow, RU. 

After 6 years around – a Covid-19-one included in the bill- we remain grateful enough still being able to provide our readership meaningful, design-related reports, news, articles, insights, events, that do matter.  Guess what: we are so incredibly determined to continue our journey in and out design, all over the continent and beyond, providing you with excellent quality, interesting, life-changing design content.  

Special thanks to media partners and PR Officers, who facilitated us a great deal by reaching out this intriguing year and provided us with continuous updates/access to their manifestations, based at: Kartell Press, G&G Magazine, Migliore + Servetto, ADP Comunicazione, Pedrali Press, Smart Planet, Klimt02, International Fair of Lisbon, Triennale Milano, Ritzwell & Co., Fondation Le Corbusier, Salone Del Mobile.Milano Press, GlobalData, ACPV (Antonio Citterio Patrizia Viel), BlockCroup PR, LG Hausys PR, Portugal Smart Cities Summit, Web Summit Media Success Team, BWF (Broadband World Forum) Press, Athens Jewelry Week, Kamp C Press Office, CoS (Church of Scientology) Public Affairs, The European Center/Contemporary Space Athens, CRA (Carlo Ratti Asssociati) Press, MIT Dalai Lama Centre for Ethics, Vogue Business. 

A huge round of applause and tons of gratitude to all of our guest interviewees who took the time to answer those 5 (or more) essential questions and get published in our design blog particularly this complicated year as well. Our love and care to our readers from the EU, USA, Asia, Russia, Middle East, Australia and South America: we are honoured to have you for one more year and we constantly intensify our efforts to bring you the most exciting and noteworthy developments in the design-at-large, multidiverse areas.

Disclaimer: Hope (and Design) are the very Last two elements into that Pandora Box😉. 

Keep Up the Work - Love 4 All - Happy New 2021

A4D-D4A 💙💚🙏

OUT OF THIS WORLD: THE A-LIST OF STARTUPS AT WEB SUMMIT 2020 (Part B).

In picture above: Rheaply’ CEO Dr. Garry Cooper is presenting the company’s portfolio - one of the strongest contestants at Web Summit 2020 PITCH, (running digitally this year on the WS2020 online platform).   

Drumroll! Here we go with the top list of what is typically known as Alpha and Beta areas inside the physical space of the Web Summit annual conference.  New scalable models of growth are rising again this year on the digital platform of the event, at an extremely high level indeed, in terms of knowhow, functionality and innovation. Whereas last year it was most of a FinTech moment as a general vibe, 2020 marks a re-boot for MedTech & Pharma plus Environment, Energy & CleanTech - all along with relevant AI, Machine Learning, SaaS and Enterprise Software getting the hang of it- those teams are about to save the planet at fast pace, offering solutions for society and employment. Explore our selection bellow by category, always powered by Web Summit 2020 and chose the company most adopted to (your) current needs and challenges:  

💨💨💨

Education 

1. Ahead (Germany) 

A career platform and network of passionate, ambitious and experienced individuals who are navigating their career re-launch journeys. 

https://www.andahead.com/ 

2. Addictive Learning Corporation (Ukraine) 

https://addictivelearning.io/ 

Interactive mobile LMS App for all your Edu Products. Invite, engage, sell, retain. 3X learning engagement boost. Your Edu App here and now! 

3. Dilemma (USA) 

https://www.dilemmainsights.com/ 

Interactive classroom content for higher education developed with top faculty and a community of professors to share ideas and lesson plans 

4. She is Mom (Romania) 

https://www.sheismomclub.com/ 

Happy moms can create a better world! Education to design your own career path. Together we can change the world! 

5.Youthopia (Malaysia) 

https://www.youthopia.co/ 

Youthopia is focused on equipping 10-16 year olds in South East Asia with 21st-Century Skills via a gamified online platform and through Youthopia camps.  

Environment, energy & CleanTech 

1. Botany Labs (Spain) 

https://plantkoru.com/ 

The first AI-powered natural air purifier and plant care solution. Enhancing the power of Nature  through Technology, in a timeless Design. 

2. RESCYCLE (Colombia) 

https://rescycle.co/ 

RESCYCLE is a collaborative platform to connect supply and demand of wasting in Colombia, generating profitable results. 

3. RECYDUO (Spain) 

https://recyduo.com/ 

Recycle and request to collect your garbage without leaving your premises.  

MedTech & Pharma 

1. 3D Bioprinting - Frontier Bio (USA) 

https://www.frontierbio.com/ 

The 3D bio-printing of human tissue will revolutionize medicine. We've made blood vessels for several companies including the Mayo Clinic. 

2. Oyama (Finland) 

https://getoyama.com/ 

Your everyday tool to process your  thoughts and emotions. 

3. PhysioBiometrics Inc. (Canada) 

https://physiobiometrics.com/ 

Optimizing people’s capacity to Walk-BEST (Better, faster, longer, Stronger) through accessible technologies 

4. LifeTime HSS (Greece) 

https://foreverlifetime.com/ 

Eliminate the response time in case of emergency.  

Hardware & IoT 

1. Acta Robotics (Brazil) 

http://actarobotics.com/ 

Autonomous transportation with one touch. 

2. GuardIoT (Czech Republic) 

https://www.guardiot.io/ 

Continuous Vulnerability Assessment for IP camera networks, preventing Cybersecurity incidents based on present vulnerabilities. 

3. Packetworx Inc. (Philippines) 

https://www.packetworx.com/Packetworx 

A social enterprising rise providing hardware and software solutions that enable the Internet of Things. 

 

Travel & Hospitality 

1. 3e60 (Portugal) 

https://3e60.pt/ 

Virtual Reality Concierge that connects experiences and helps tourists  feel safe with reliable, up-to-date and low-cost itineraries. 

2. kleesto (Greece) 

https://kleesto.com/ 

kleesto is the intelligent booking management tool helping tour operators organize and automate their booking and communication operations.

  

Enterprise Software Solutions 

1. Rheaply (USA) 

https://rheaply.com/ 

Resource management technology to scale the circular economy. 

2. Wellbeing Warrior (Portugal) 

https://www.wellbeing-warrior.com/welcome 

Connect and engage employees with automated initiatives. The best  holistic solution for company culture and promoting happier workplaces. 

3. Planless.io (Portugal) 

https://planless.io/ 

Calculate the Best Path to Success, every Time.  Planless helps businesses move faster, reduce risks, & augment predictability. Making planning possible and keep your business on track. 

 

eCommerce & Retail 

1. ADWORK (Malaysia) 

https://www.adwork.io/ 

Adwork is a self-serve media advertising marketplace (eCommerce). In  simple terms, Amazon for Advertising. 

2. UnboxMyGift (UK) 

https://unboxmygift.com/ 

The global marketplace  for gifts powered by local stores, independent boutiques and designers. Forget global shipping. Think local delivery.  

Design 

1. attractive.ai (Finland) 

https://attractive.ai/en 

A virtual UX expert that makes sure users will love your site & design. Requiring  no expensive consultants or slow user testing. 

2. Drawify (Belgium) 

https://drawify.com/ 

Drawify is the tool to translate your message into an unforgettable drawing, powered by our Drawifiers.  

AI & Machine Learning 

1. Botifica (Chile) 

https://botifica.com/en 

Developers of cool chatbot ideas for Facebook Messenger as a replicable product/platform. 

2. Fairly AI (Canada) 

https://www.fairly.ai/ 

Enterprise audit platform for automated decision making systems.  

Philanthropy & Social Good 

1. Food Haven (USA) 

https://foodhaven.app/ 

Food Haven is an online platform that connects people to restaurants selling menu items at discounted prices.  

Event Management 

1. Digital Funeral Professionals (Netherlands) 

https://digitalfuneralprofessionals.com/ 

Have you ever wondered about your #outofofficeforever? DFP safeguards your digital legacy. Empowering  your wellbeing and freedom of choice.  

Telecommunications & Utilities 

1. emma - home of multicloud (Slovakia) 

https://emma.ms/en 

emma guides in the multicloud world, building a secure, fast, scalable and efficient overlay on any kind of cloud environments.  

HR & Recruitment 

1. Factorial HR (Spain) 

https://factorialhr.com/ 

All-in-one HR Software that helps companies to better manage and develop their talents. Top 3 Startups in Spain. 

2. ResumeFree™ (Canada) 

https://goresumefree.com/ 

ResumeFree™ takes the guess work out of recruiting by providing you with the top 5 candidates for your role, without using resumes. 

3. Designies.co (Switzerland) 

https://www.designies.co/ 

Find and hire talented designers across creative fields-the perfect designer is waiting for you!  

Consumer goods 

1. Ikenna Design (Benin) 

https://www.ikennadesign.com/ 

Ikenna Design offers households and businesses furniture and linens in an Afro-trendy, functional and ecological style.  

Lifestyle & Fashion 

1. Skizo (Portugal) 

https://skizoshoes.com/ 

They transform plastic collected from the ocean by fishermen to textile, produced into handmade, customized Sneakers and accessories.  

 

Advertising, Content & Marketing 

1. Online Expo (Russian Federation) 

https://global.online-expo.com/ 

Online Expo is an innovative exhibition platform,  providing  a new powerful instrument to shift trade shows and expos to a 100% digital space.  

Entertainement and Media 

1.Watermarked (Ukraine) 

A deep-tech start-up, building an anti-paricy solution for video and music industries, an AI-based invisible and inaudible watermark, that is strong enough to survive compression and other severe content processing. The solution is a cloud-based SaaS that watermarks content in real-time and helps to prevent unauthorized spread, identify leaks and prove a copyright. The core of the solution is deep steganography combined with a few more advanced technologies for effective watermark embedding and invisibility. 

Watermarked is the AI-based invisible watermark, strong enough to survive compression and other severe content processing. We fight digital media piracy! 

email: dmitry_tolok@adoriasoft.com   

Fintech 

1. In4Capital (UK) 

https://in4capital.com 

You are interested to find the right startups to invest in or you are a startup that is looking for funding? Connect with entrepreneurs and investors, create synergies and close deals through in4capital social network. 

😎

You think we are done for this unforgettable year? Nope, we still have more to go! Stay tuned for our last post for 2020, right before the end of this month!  

Until then  

Stay Safe & Cheerful + Follow #WebSummit  

A4D-D4A 💚💙🙏 

OUT OF THIS WORLD: IN MUCH OUTER & WIDER SPACES ALONG WITH WEB SUMMIT 2020, (Part A).

The online version of Web Summit 2020 marks a pivotal moment of transformation. Everything changed this year, epitomized by the unprecedented Covid-19 circumstances and new theorems that will define the way we think, work, produce, create. It seems that the  previous life mode becomes a renegade, only to a hybrid model about to take place: a combination of advanced digital technologies (and everything that comes with) and of essential, deep human capital. It is a fact: a new era is starting now and everything becomes re-invented including the epicenter of this new chapter: ourselves. Web Summit 2020 was there to declare that, through many discussions and presentations of the usual intensity and wit-sdom. After all, the reputation of the conference is exceedingly growing and finds so many imitators and followers worldwide, that in a few years the “Web Summit  culture” will become a steady policy for any town or city around the world. The original version remains irresistibly ingenious though, like any other authentic product or service, (also planned to be hosted by Tokyo in 2021, a much anticipated landmark in Web Summit history, with beautiful Lisbon still keeping the core event on its ground). 

Here are the highlights of this year, as discussed and exchanged on our screens: 

#DesignYour Leadership 

In times that democracies around the world get poisoned by feudalism and irresponsible leadership, Paul Michelman, Dan Price (Gravity Payments, alias: Best Boss in America according to Inc. mag) and Ronny Chieng explore the mistrust origin in current unaccountable, greedy leadership either in politics but mainly in business. The narrative of the unapproachable Messiah boss who touches unconceivable amounts of cash while the bellow-him-executive earns the minimum wage is a scenario with catastrophic consequences for every aspiring business which is profit- driven today. Real socialism on the entrepreunerial  environment is not only possible but essential for growth. No big secret there, but amazing to hear that as an established principle for business instead of a utopian notion of some sort. 

#DesignYour BlockChain 

The global crisis of trust degradation in every sector - says Charles Hoskinson of IOHK and co-founder of Ethereum- institution or service demands an emergency reset in order to regulate credibly a whole area of public or private functions from academic credentials  to property management and from voting to medical records and copyright. The re-invention of the governance system through blockchain technology can and will lead to a fairer world, where the responsibility of Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) will be a proven asset and a means of protecting our own rights as consumers and individuals. Blockchain implementation will be the next step for every central administration, facilitating your local government or municipality . 

#DesignYourSocialMedia 

FCBK, IG, Twitter: are they helping or hurting our humanity today? Enablers of the creativity rush, self-expression and (graphic) identity/presence ramification, Social Media created a labyrinth of ideas but they also turned into huge conglomerates, enticing a loss of empathy nowadays due to their current hyper-administrative infrastructure. In the “Bonjour Tristesse” (engl: Good morning Sadness) current vibe, the experimentation on every medium tends to happen  through an advertising galore system that alienate us from our quest for humanity. We still need to think those companies as tools in our civilian mindset, more than ever. People is the Matter and the way to reach to them, therefore platforms are important only as a means to that end (says Yiying Lu and her co-speakers with Debbie Millman asking the questions, in photo bellow ). 

…”Empathy is cool, fashionable and palatable. Translate it to your own language with your  audience.”…  

Olivia Culpo, 4/12/2020, Web Summit 2020 

In video bellow, Misan Harriman on self-discovery and philanthropy 4 all, starting with the example of fashion publications like British Vogue:

#DesignYourHealth  #DesignYourEU_DigitalMode 

..“I am not lowering the bar regarding the Covid-19 vaccination procedure safety protocols.”… 

..”We need to be better prepared from now on for future crises of that type, coordination is key, giving a sense of predictability, consistency and transparency to the citizens is essential, otherwise there is no compliance.”… 

Stella Kyriakides, 2/12/2020, Web Summit 2020 in an interview with Karen Tso. 

When EU current administration appointed Cypriot politician Stella Kyriakides as the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, it sure did not encounter neither predict the possible Covid-19 outburst and its domino effect on multiple sectors, including local economies. Mrs Kyriakides proved to be the Goalkeeper of Brussels this last year, in a number of extra difficult tasks, showing proven sense and engaging sensibility in the current crisis making sure that the continent’s central administration will not compromise in hasty solutions to satisfy the account managers of a bunch of pharmaceutical companies. It seems that working hard enough to make-not-break the European territory is more than a Moto for Brussels at present time and the Health and Food safety team is staying focused on the importance of human lives instead of (well)-lobbyism.  

…“Customers should have access and manage their own data, no matter the size of the platform they use.”… 

…”We are not afraid in Brussels to break/split big companies, if needed, fault to to their unorthodox practices.  We can do it as a last resource but not as a universal policy/technique in every case.”… 

…”Online and offline are the 2 sides of the same world not 2 different worlds.”… 

Margrethe Vestager, 4/12/2020, Web Summit 2020 in a conversation with Nicholas Thompson.

 

Margrethe Vestager needs no introduction, especially to the digital world but also to all of us citizens of EU who happen to enjoy the fruits of her labour and constant effort to improve digital services and the digital legislation framework inside (and outside) the continent. A Web Summit cult figure but also a capable female politician inside the EU Central, MV deciphered  the challenges of this year including the need for restoration after a penalty and the recovery of the market post-damage, a new code of conduct (i.e. the Anti-Trust Law Enforcement) for any upcoming big company, the pros and cons of the new tools set for distant working/learning, the need to release the weights and move faster in a capitalistic environment of private property and initiative. With the opportunity of the investigation on Amazon recent retail practices, in a year that digital commerce seems to be a generalized solution more than ever before, MV has her schedule full, getting the “bad guys” but also resuming to work with dignity in an area of duty with so many unfolded issues and complications.  

  

 #DesignYourAI  #AI4Good  

Why we are hesitating to use ArtificiaI Intelligence to face Covid-19, (provided the pandemic acts as an accelerator mostly inside large companies, in order for them to reduce collateral costs)? Is there unfairness, fake news, violence, abuse in AI? We just need smarter systems for less biased AI, since AI is symbiotic with many jobs, amplifying people’s aptitudes and capabilities but also an adoptive model to replace routine jobs like assembly lines, telesales or waitressing in the future. AI is not to substitute whatsoever creative, compassionate, analytical and emotional skillsets.  Watch an extract of the discussion between Simon Segars (Arm) and Kai-Fu Lee: 

#DesignYourMoney 

...”Your child will tell you in the future: I ‘ve got my pension and it is Green, produced by ethical funds. Where is yours?”… 

Richard Curtis, Make My Money Matter, 3/12/2020, Web Summit 2020

 

If we chose an electricity provider based on renewable energy resources in order to help saving the planet how come we are not interested to invest our money in an ethical pension scheme, based on funds that are not toxic or speculative but producing benevolent revenues? Join the campaign here and check out Richard Curtis talking about it in the video bellow. 

#DesignYourPlanet   #BeANetZeroHero 

Trust, transparency and shared vision: that’s what it takes for environmental organizations like Fauna & Flora International and BP oil and gas company to team up for one cause: net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (in picture bellow Marc Rose of FFI with Bernard Looney of BP, coordinated by Amy Bernstein - exchanging views on their partnership to save the planet).   

Sustainability is not an expense but a cost-reduction factor and it needs to be implemented at the birth of every business, like an energy certificate for buildings, like water, electricity or consumables. Thus said Tony Milikin (Chief Sustainability Officer at AB InBev) & Friends (in pic bellow).  

#DesignYourClassroom   #EducatingAgainstRacism 

...”Black & White are tones, not colours. All human skin shades and hues are variations of the brown colour, depending of the level of melanin on each creature/human being.”… 

…”For the first time in history people saw live this year what African people are witnessing for centuries. That man put his knee on the neck of the victim and then looked at the camera. There is no denial, there it is, watch it. Now, what are you going to do About It?”… 

Jane Elliott, 4/12/2020, Web Summit 2020 

#DesignYourMentalWellness  #CognitiveFitness  #DigitalNutrition

 

Mental wellness is in decline around the world. How do we use technology to take care of our mind in a holistic way? An empowering voice for women around the world and a former high-rank executive and CEO in multinational companies in the likes of Cisco, legendary Padmasree Warrior (on the left in photo bellow) created Fable, an app promoting reading as a meditative and healing tool through a unique social experience. A fan of Headspace and Spotify,  PW introduces at Web Summit 2020 one of the most promising ideas of the year. Fable is a new approach to meditation, literacy and literature with a huge potential for further development.  

NEXT: OUT OF THIS WORLD: THE STARTUPs LIST IN WEB SUMMIT 2020 (Part B). 

#CleanPlanet  #CleanMedia 

A4D-D4A 💙💚🙆