Need to Know

Portugal – Lisbon, the European Capital of Innovation since 2023, is once again hosting Web Summit, a four-day event that draws over 70,000 attendees and the companies reshaping the tech industry. LS:N Global is reporting live from the summit, providing daily takeaways on the most innovative and thought-provoking ideas showcased at the event.

Pharrell Williams’ vision for culture and commerce: The headliner on opening night, musician, entrepreneur and Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams joined Visa’s chief marketing officer Frank Cooper to explore how commerce and culture influence each other.

When asked why hip-hop artists are now seen as cultural trend-setters, Pharrell explained that this is hardly new: ‘If you look at the influence of African Americans since we arrived as captives, we have influenced the market. We all know why Wall Street is called Wall Street. The first commodity traded in America had to stand against it. Our ancestors have always had an influence. We’re used to this as a culture; we look at what’s left, and that becomes the soup… You are the culture. When you look in the mirror, you are the culture, the change, the inspiration. The fire is in you.’

Transforming CO2 into jet fuel: Etosha Cave, co-founder and chief science officer at Twelve – a carbon transformation company creating everyday products from air rather than oil – shared her vision of a future when her technology could revolutionise travel. Her start-up, which raised £504m ($645m, €607.5m) in September 2024, produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from liquid ethanol and hydropower, compatible with current aircraft engines to reduce aviation pollution.

Inspired by natural processes, Twelve mimics photosynthesis to create fuel efficiently, using significantly less land and water than traditional biofuels. The company’s first commercial plant, known as an ‘industrial forest’, in Washington, aims to produce enough fuel for 100 cross-country flights annually, with plans to scale up to more than 10,000 flights per year. Looking ahead, Cave suggested Twelve’s technology could support Mars colonisation by using CO2 and water on the planet to autonomously create materials and rocket fuel.

Ride or die: engaging a community of 32m: In a captivating demonstration, Infinite Reality CEO John Acunto and digital content beauty creator Mariale Marrero showcased an immersive digital world that Marrero designed for her 32m followers. Similar to Roblox, users can interact with each other and Marrero while virtually exploring her home – from her living room to her kitchen, where they can view her recipe videos, to her dressing room, where they can try on clothes. The aim is for creators to own all data collected in these immersive worlds and provide direct one-to-one access to advertisers, ensuring transparency and control over their data.

For more insights on Roblox, e-commerce and immersive experience, head to our analysis of X-tended Retail.