Panel Two of the Tech Seminar To Pull Out All the Stops

Sharing Expertise from A to Z in Tech

In advance of the IPBN's upcoming Tech Seminar on Thursday, September 22 in the Algarve, we would like to highlight the expertise of the second panel of speakers on the topic of "How Tech is Changing Business." From blockchain technology to Web3 and apps, the panel members, as well as the moderator, are well equipped to answer questions and set the stage for the future of the region. 

According to Startup Lisboa’s recent weekly ecosystem newsletter, blockchain has brought a breath of fresh air to Lisbon's entrepreneurial spirit. The newsletter states, “Following a record first half of the year among our portfolio startups, Europe has now seen record funding and deals in the blockchain sector during Q2, making it the only region in the world to grow in the quarter. Six of the top 10 biggest deals went to Web3 companies, and three went to institutional crypto & custody. Globally, excluding blockchain, there was a reduction in Q2 2022 of 23% in the number of deals, but still above the figures of 2020.”

When it comes to the Algarve region specifically, we are seeing record numbers of digital nomads and tech startups setting up shop. Director of Global Operations for IPBN member company MadeIn Web e Mobile, and moderator for the second panel Carlos Justino said, "The Algarve is one of the best places to be in the world, but unfortunately, everyone has been investing in tourism. Now we see that we can do much more than that. In my vision, Tech will be one of the main sources of revenue for the Algarve in the next few years. With digital nomads we see a lot of great startups coming to life, which attracts the attention of investors from all over the world. Many of them are already moving this way— I've been in meetings with a few of them recently. So, if we have tech people coming to work from here, and investors looking to establish their Venture Capitals here, for me that is a good indicator that we will not have several months of low occupancy like we have today. In the next 10 years, I'm sure we will start to see some local startups reaching world stages."

Additionally, according to Carlos, digital nomads are adding a lot to the Algarve economy. He said, "They are keeping airbnb places booked during winter months. The local restaurants and other commercial areas stay open because we have people here. So, yes, they are adding a lot. And we cannot forget that many of them end up creating jobs around here as well."

Jody Temple White, seminar panelist and Strategic Advisor and Citizen Developer, will take part in the second panel with Carlos to delve more deeply into "How Tech is Changing Business." As a Senior Operations executive and a Certified Project Manager who, as she puts it, "lives by the question 'What if?'" Jody brings her "drive and curiosity to equip businesses and high-performance teams with tools, systems, and strategies to achieve operational excellence. I’m a high-impact, low-drama leader known for seeing the big picture while understanding the required actions to insert solutions that exceed expectations." Her current passion revolves around no-code/low-code(NC/LC) app creation and offering tech solutions to business challenges.

Alongside Jody on the second panel is IPBN Board member and software engineer Mário Gago of Pink Room who is keen on exploring web3 on mobile platforms, among other passions. In a recent blog post, the Pink Room origins were explained as "A group of friends [who started] working in a tiny room with pink walls five years ago. Our primary focus since then has been creating mobile apps using mostly the native approach, namely Kotlin and Swift for Android and iOS...As we always like to be on the edge of technology, we started looking for Web3, specifically the development of decentralized mobile applications (dapps), some time ago. Firstly we studied the native way but quickly understood that the ecosystem is still in a very early stage." Aside from sharing the company's recent findings, Mário will certainly help attendees better understand the tech landscape and how it applies to the Algarve and beyond.

Lastly, Victor Levy, an expert in Blockchain Technology and Engineering Manager at Relo Metrics will join the panel to add his take on tech. This polyglot software engineer has been working in the field since 2014. In a recent "Let's Talk About Tech" podcast on how blockchain is impacting the web3 ecosystem with Carlos Justino, Victor shared some insights about the Multichain, a new trend word in the Tech world, and more. Have a listen here. 

Carlos, aside from offering his space at Xerem Fusion Cuisine as the host of the seminar, was indisposable to the network in his assistance and support in organizing the seminar. When asked what his motivations were for taking on the challenge alongside the IPBN, he said, "I believe that these events are the best way to get people involved. We see many members that don't actively participate in daily life in the network but hopefully, with an interesting topic and great speakers, we will get them all active and making business with other network members. And the most important part is, I really like the IPBN, it has been really good for me, and want to share that with others."

Please register to join the event here, as we look forward to sharing the expertise from within the network with you.