VDS will bring together, on October 21 and 22 at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, some of the international profiles leading the development of new technologies, the growth of global companies, and the investment decisions and public policies shaping the years ahead. From artificial intelligence and venture capital to health, education, defense, space, neurotechnology, sport and the future of work will be represented by some of the standout voices of the ninth edition of this international tech event organized by Startup Valencia.
Among them are Chris Cunningham, Co-Founder, ClickUp; Carmen Köhler, Astronaut at Austrian Space, CEO & Founder P3R; David Shim, Co-Founder and CEO, Read AI; Dong-Su Kim, CEO, LG Technology Ventures; Ana Sandra Ruiz, Senior Director, Spotify; Yasmina Benkhoui, Agentic Strategist AI NVIDIA; Víctor Claver, former NBA player, member of Spain’s Golden Generation championship team, and startup investor; and Linda Hong, Founder & CEO, Lychee Labs.
The lineup also includes Giedrius Zakaitis, CEO, Hostinger; Saeed Amidi, CEO & Founder, Plug and Play; Szymon Kukulski, VP, Head of People Insights, Rolls-Royce; José Carmena, a neurotechnology pioneer advancing brain-computer interfaces and human augmentation, Senior Scientist; Patricia Tintori, Change & AI Transformation, AstraZeneca; Dmytro Voloshyn, Co-Founder and CTO, Preply; Jorge Bestard, VP EMEA, Harvey AI; Jaïr Halevi, Head of Culture, Pygma & Head of Startups, Miro; Teemu Seppälä, Technology and Innovation Director, DEFINE Finland; Taras Tarasenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; and Paul Jouffreau, racing driver and entrepreneur, Ascension Motorsport.
The ninth edition of VDS expects to bring together more than 12,000 professionals from over 120 countries, 3,000 startups and scaleups, more than 1,500 corporations, over 800 investors and more than 600 speakers. Participating investors together manage over €300 billion in assets.
Technology, investment, science and global transformation
Chris Cunningham is part of the team that has driven ClickUp to become one of the leading international productivity platforms. The company reached a $4 billion valuation in 2021 after closing a $400 million Series C round.
David Shim leads Read AI, a company applying artificial intelligence to the way we work and communicate. The platform now exceeds five million monthly active users and expanded its capabilities in 2026 with tools able to act on the user’s behalf based on context generated in meetings and professional communications.
Yasmina Benkhoui works at NVIDIA in one of the areas shaping the current evolution of artificial intelligence: taking agentic AI from prototype to real-world applications. Her participation comes at a time of strong growth for NVIDIA, which closed fiscal year 2026 with record revenue of $215.9 billion, up 65% year-on-year.
Jorge Bestard leads Harvey AI’s activity in EMEA amid the international expansion of one of the fastest-growing companies in AI applied to the legal sector. Harvey reached an $11 billion valuation in 2026, cementing its position as one of the leading names in the new generation of legal AI.
Linda Hong works on bringing artificial intelligence to some of the most complex industrial processes. At Lychee Labs she develops physics-based industrial AI with applications across four critical industries, from batteries and advanced chemicals to precision devices and semiconductors.
Dong-Su Kim runs LG Technology Ventures from Silicon Valley, a firm managing close to $1 billion to invest in early-stage and growth companies linked to artificial intelligence, biotech, cleantech and other strategic technologies. Its portfolio includes companies such as Anthropic, Figure AI, ElevenLabs, May Mobility and Airalo.
Saeed Amidi has built Plug and Play into one of the largest global open-innovation platforms. Its ecosystem connects more than 100,000 startups and has contributed to the growth of over 30 companies that have reached unicorn status.
Ana Sandra Ruiz will bring the growth perspective of one of the world’s largest digital platforms. Spotify currently reaches 777 million monthly active users and 300 million Premium subscribers across 184 markets, according to its latest available corporate figures.
Giedrius Zakaitis took over as CEO of Hostinger in 2026 to lead the company’s new stage and its AI-focused strategy. The tech company currently serves more than five million users in over 150 countries and closed 2025 with €275.4 million in revenue, up 51% year-on-year.
Dmytro Voloshyn is co-founder and CTO of Preply, a language-learning platform that reached a $1.2 billion valuation in 2026. The company connects more than 100,000 tutors with students from 180 countries and combines personalized teaching with AI-based tools.
Jaïr Halevi will bring his experience in culture, team-building and startup development through his dual role at Pygma and Miro. The latter has become one of the leading global collaboration platforms, used by more than 100 million people and 250,000 companies.
Szymon Kukulski will offer a perspective on how data can transform people management and large-scale talent decisions. As Head of People Insights at Rolls-Royce, he works on this within a company with a global workforce of 42,600 employees.
Patricia Tintori will bring the AstraZeneca perspective on organizational transformation and large-scale AI adoption. The pharmaceutical company closed 2025 with $58.7 billion in revenue, a scale that shifts the AI conversation from technological development to implementation across large global organizations.
Teemu Seppälä will bring Finland’s perspective on technological innovation applied to defense and dual-use technologies. As Technology and Innovation Director at DEFINE Finland, he works on building an ecosystem aimed at strengthening Finland’s and NATO’s capabilities and advancing European strategic autonomy.
Taras Tarasenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, will bring a perspective directly tied to some of the major challenges the country will face in the coming years. His parliamentary work covers policies for a community of more than 1.5 million veterans, as well as his role in Ukraine’s economic and social recovery.
Carmen Köhler will bring the perspective of space exploration to VDS. A PhD in Physics with a background in Mathematics, she combines her business activity in data science with her work as an analog astronaut, taking part in missions that replicate on Earth some of the conditions of future space exploration.
José Carmena is one of the international pioneers in developing brain-computer interfaces and technologies aimed at expanding human capabilities. He co-founded the neurotech company iota Biosciences, acquired by Astellas in a deal worth up to $304 million, combining a leading scientific track record with experience in technology creation and transfer.
Paul Jouffreau combines competitive motorsport and entrepreneurship. At just 22, he became the youngest race winner in NASCAR Euro Series history and holds three titles, including the 2023 EuroNASCAR 2 championship and two consecutive Junior titles, as well as finishing runner-up in the PRO category in 2024.
Víctor Claver connects elite sport and entrepreneurship. After three NBA seasons, two Olympic medals and the 2019 World Championship with Spain, he has also built a track record as a startup investor.
These profiles are joined by other already-confirmed names such as Vykintas Maknickas, CEO of Saily; Uljan Sharka, CEO of Domyn; Laura Urquizu, CEO and Chair of Red Points; Iñaki Berenguer, co-founder of CoverWallet and Managing Partner at LifeX Ventures; Jacky Abitbol, Managing Partner at Cathay Innovation; Lena Hackelöer, founder and CEO of Brite Payments; Sergio Furio, founder and CEO of Creditas; Carolina Aguilar, CEO and co-founder of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics; Ángel Alberich, founder and CEO of Quibim; Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics; Bianca Dragomir, director of Cleantech for Iberia; and Aina Cabrero, investor at Planet A Ventures, among others. The list will keep growing in the coming weeks as new international profiles are added.
Eight major areas to understand what’s coming
The lineup of featured voices reflects the international, cross-sector character of VDS 2026, with profiles from companies, funds, scientific institutions and public bodies working on some of the most relevant technological, business and geopolitical shifts of the moment.
Under the theme “GENESIS. Origin of What’s Next.”, the ninth edition will be structured around eight major areas: Artificial Intelligence and Deep Tech, Climate and Energy, Defense and Aerospace, Talent and the Future of Work, Health, Mobility and Logistics, Digital Finance, and Innovation Policy.
The official VDS 2026 agenda will be unveiled on September 15, when the full two-day program will be presented.
As Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia and VDS, puts it: “with this lineup of international voices, VDS strengthens its position as a global platform from Valencia connecting those who are defining the origin of the next great technological and business transformations.”
Discover the speakers confirmed so far for VDS 2026 and meet the voices shaping the conversations at this year’s edition.
