The Vice-President of the Government expressed “great satisfaction” for the Region's participation in the Web Summit, through 30 technology-based regional companies, whose presence is supported by the Government, including 15 startups. They are featured in a stand dedicated exclusively to the Azores.
At the end of another edition of this event, Sérgio Avila stressed that the Azorean presence at Web Summit 2019 “was one of the best ways to showcase the Azores' competitive strengths to the technological and entrepreneurial world. We did this to more than 70 thousand people, 1,400 investors from 140 countries and about 2,000 international media specialising in economics, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability.”
“Our physical presence, through a stand, enabled the 30 technology-based companies accompanying us to close deals and meet with key partners for the development of their activity,” stated the government official.
“We are committed to help our companies growing by reinforcing their global ambition and supporting them on their way to external markets in order to create more jobs,” added the Vice-President.
Among the 30 companies present, 15 are startups created by a new generation of entrepreneurs who strive for values such as “the constant search for innovation, the commitment to value their employees, creativity and design, the respect for the environment and, above all, a greater global vision and ambition.”
"We are in the face of a new generation of entrepreneurs who are aware that they live in an increasingly global and competitive economy and are eager to participate in the global economy," stressed the government official.
“It is also at the Web Summit that companies from traditional sectors are inspired to innovate for the future and anticipate the biggest threats or opportunities, whether they be from trade, industry or tourism sectors," said Sérgio Ávila.
After mechanisation, electrification and automation, today's world faces a new revolution: Industry 4.0. It is characterised by the introduction of a set of digital technologies in production processes, the relation between various players in value chain, the relation with customers or even in the business model.
For the Vice-President, the “Industry 4.0, widely discussed during the Web Summit, enables our entrepreneurs to perceive what comes from digitisation and e-commerce, technologies such as the Internet of Things, Machine-to-Machine, 3D printing, augmented reality, and smart and environmentally responsible materials, among other things.”
In this regard, the Terceira Tech Island project plays a “relevant and key role” as far as it focuses on new professions and digitisation, while contributing to mitigating the downsizing effects of Lajes Base.
“In 2017, when we participated in the Web Summit for the first time, we made the first presentation of the project. Last year, there were five companies operating and this year there are 16 companies already installed and more than 140 qualified jobs created,” said Sérgio Ávila. In this context, he ensured that during the Web Summit “several CEOs and managers of technology companies visited the Azores stand, having conveyed their intention to settle on Terceira Tech Island.”