Beta-i was at the Web Summit 2025 – how could we miss it? – talking to startups, corporates, and investors, capturing the pulse of what’s next. Across the ecosystem, from large organizations to early-stage founders to active VCs, one message came through clearly: the near future will be anything but slow. Innovation is accelerating, business models are shifting, and new solutions are emerging with the potential to reshape our lives and industries.
Here are some of the insights from conversations with corporate leaders, ecosystem players, and investors focusing on how they see innovation for now on:
The Biggest Innovation Trends Shaping 2026
If there is one trend no one could ignore, it was AI. Every corporate leader we spoke to, across telecom, consulting, and global hr services, named AI as the dominant force shaping 2026. But the vision wasn’t limited to AI alone.
AI Everywhere
AI is no longer an innovation layer. It is a foundational requirement for competitiveness. From health to customer experience to workforce expansion, organizations see AI as the engine powering their next phase of transformation.
Satellites and New Infrastructure
Satellites were also pointed as major disruptors. As connectivity becomes more essential (and more strained), satellite-based infrastructure will reshape how global networks operate.
Health and Well-Being Technologies
The health and well-being space continues to accelerate. Corporate leaders see massive shifts coming in digital therapies, assistive technologies, and proactive health solutions.
Global Talent and Distributed Workforces
Talent is now borderless. Companies expect global hiring to keep expanding, supported by AI-powered tools that make cross-country workforce growth seamless for both employees and employers.
The Startups that will Change the World
Some corporate leaders avoided naming favorites, emphasizing the strength of Europe’s (and particularly Portugal’s) innovation ecosystem. But several transformative ideas still stood out.
- Sword Health: a Portuguese scale-up innovating in digital physical therapy – was highlighted as a standout with major global potential.
- Assistive Tech for Blind Readers: one leader spoke with a founder building technology that helps blind individuals read – a life-changing innovation with enormous societal impact.
- Portugal’s Ecosystem as the real game-changer: several executives insisted the real world-changing force is the Portuguese innovation environment itself. This is a space where opportunities, talent, and ambition converge.
Great news: we published the video recordings of these conversations in our Linkedin and Instagram profiles, if you’d like to take a look!