This November, the AIBC Europe Summit is returning to shake Malta awake from its Autumn-blues stupor. Prioritising quality over quantity, special care has been taken to ensure delegates get the biggest bang for their buck; from premier networking opportunities to KOL-led panels and keynotes and maximised visibility for all startups. Read on for the top highlights you don’t want to miss at Malta Week 2022’s AIBC Summit.
The agenda
A lot of effort went into crafting the event’s agenda. It has been calibrated to be as strategic yet smooth as possible.
Day 1 will be kicked-off by the VNTR Capital Breakfast, where delegates will get the opportunity to connect and discuss the latest tech trends with active Venture Capital investors, business angels, and HNWI. The conference of the day is set to start early and is packed with key insights on the recent 2022/2023 bear and bull market trends. Top VCs will then take over from 10:40 onwards to cover the best market and investment strategies. The AIBC Startup Pitch will immediately follow, ensuring maximum visibility from VCs for the up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Conferences will be taking place across two stages on both days and have been structured to cover a wide variety of topics at any given time. From Crypto and Blockchain technologies to GameFi and Web3 education, delegates stand to benefit from keynotes and panels featuring the brightest minds of the industry.
VCs and major organisations to look out for
AIBC Europe has set the stage to get together over 30 leading investors in the startup field under one roof. This is a unique opportunity for startups to pitch their ideas and network with experienced emerging tech investors.
Some of the most prominent technology investors attending the summit include, Fidelity Ventures, Cypher Capital, Cointelligence, Sky9 Capital, Brotherhood Ventures and Scrum Ventures.
These highly established investors have raised funds numbering in the billions to finance and shape the future of the emerging tech industries. They are opening the doors to major global disruption across the board and will be dedicating some time to discuss opportunities and how they might partner with the more than 100 startups attending.
Ikigai Ventures
SiGMA Group’s own venture fund, Ikigai Ventures, will be at the forefront hosting and helping to nurture connections. A seed-stage venture fund, Ikigai is made up of industry insiders with hands in both gaming and emerging technologies.
Among its most recent initiatives is a partnership with Dubai-based 3air, a startup aiming to connect billions of users to Web3, by combining high-speed broadband internet with a blockchain-based platform.
The AIBC Europe Pitch
More than just keynotes and panels, the AIBC Summit is about visualising and building an exciting future for innovative tech. SiGMA Group is all about honouring the vision, grit and determination required to level up any company from a localised idea to a worldwide phenomenon. It does this by providing startups with the stage to showcase their exciting ideas, ensuring maximum visibility from high priority investors.
We sent out the call and over a 100 startups answered, now set to benefit from a highly coveted spot at the AIBC Summit grounds! The top startups will also get to compete on the stage in front of a panel of judges, handpicked to ensure top quality and a diversity of backgrounds and expertise.
The judges panel comprises Scott Stornetta, Marianna Tavella, Efrem Borg, Johan Zammit, David Orban and Saeed Aldarmaki, converging decades of expertise in Crypto, Blockchain, BizDev, and regulation. Our best pitch competitors include Arena Games, Farcana, Encore Fans and Nanit Robot, covering innovation in SocialFi, GameFi, EdTech, robotics, Crypto, Blockchain and Web3 infrastructure.
Scott Stornetta – the development of Blockchain in different countries
A name as big as Scott Stornetta’s is hard to miss, and we’re not yet done sharing our excitement at having such a prolific industry leader joining us once again!
Widely referred to as the ‘father of Blockchain’, Scott Stornetta is a physicist, researcher and pioneer best known for providing the foundational work for the technology that came to be known as Blockchain. Currently a Partner and Chief Scientist at Yugen Partners, Scott will be discussing the development of Blockchain technologies across different countries. Furthermore, he’s set on bringing his expertise to the judges’ panel for the AIBC Pitch Competition.
Rick Ellis – Game Development suited to a Web3 environment
Rick Ellis is a veteran developer with a lot of experience when it comes to leading major projects, like the development of Valve Software’s gaming and marketplace platform Steam. Rick also founded Sharkbite Games with his wife Susan Mackey-Ellis in 2016, focusing on mobile games.
Rick Ellis is also the CPO of Ryu Games, where they are developing a Web3 game launcher called Flame, also known as the “Steam of Web3”. He will be bringing over 25 years of dev experience to the AIBC Summit, where he will be discussing GameFi and the future of game development with other industry leaders.
Awards – Celebrating the industry’s brightest and most promising
The gala event delegates have come to know and love, the AIBC Europe Awards Night brings together luminaries in the industry for an evening of recognition and celebration of achievement, attracting a guest list of over 300 esteemed individuals. Returning to the gala is a charitable Art Auction, with proceeds donated to the SiGMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SiGMA Group.
The following are some notable mentions, including a look at the most deserving nominees.
Crypto Influencer of the Year
Cryptocurrency industry influencers are at the forefront of welcoming newcomers to this emerging industry, as well as the filtering and proliferation of trustworthy information. This award gives us the opportunity to celebrate content creators who are using their platforms to continue realising the full potential of Crypto technologies.
Some of the most promising influencers for this year’s award are James Crypto Guru, Carl the Moon, Bitboy Crypto, Ivan on Tech and Andres Meneses.
Rising Star of the Year
The blockchain and crypto industries can’t revolutionise the globe without attracting the genius of venturing entrepreneurs. This award will highlight those companies whose business sense and professionalism have made waves, accelerating the industry’s growth and innovation.
Some notable startups that have attracted our attraction include Atra Protocol, Fireblocks and Inery, who have each raised a $50 million fund, Halborn having raised $90 million, and Yuga Labs with an astonishing $300 million raised.
Blockchain Game of the Year
From an enjoyable player experience to strategic play-to-earn systems – we’re looking for blockchain games that enable a player-driven economy featuring all the right ingredients for quality entertainment, well-designed tokenomics, and easy trading of collectibles.
Games boasting an active player base and high potential to incorporate future innovations are definitely attractive nominees. To this end, Magic Craft, G4al, VOX Odyssey and Illuvium have certainly attracted our attention.
Upcoming Developments
Gala Games – the convergence of Blockchain, Web3 and traditional gaming
Gala Games are making “blockchain games you’ll actually want to play.” Firmly rooted in the belief the future holds no place for corporations with a slow and centralized mindset, Gala Games are developing their products around decentralization.
Catering to over 2.8 billion potential players, they are taking game development onto the next level. Blockchain, digital assets, Web3 supported infrastructure, Gala Games are offering a digital experience that will go far beyond a transactional, one-time exchange, promising full immersion within a player-owned ecosystem up to an unlimited scale. They have since
Gala Games will be visiting the AIBC Summit this November and are among the promising nominees to potentially claim the Rising Star of the Year Award during the Gala. Delegates can also catch COO Sarah Buxton, who is set to join leading game devs in a hot-topic debate on adapting game dev practices to Web3 infrastructure.
3air – Building infrastructure for Blockchain telecommunication in Africa
3air, a blockchain platform based in Dubai, is bringing high-speed, stable broadband internet, digital TV, and IP telephony to three billion, underserved Africans. Prioritising ease of access to digital services, identity management, payments and credit line, it is providing an air-based service, without the need to disturb African soil for the implementation of cables.
Last September, 3air, in collaboration with K3 Telecom, connected a school in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with free internet connectivity. This has set in motion a chain of events that stands to benefit students by providing them with greater access to educational resources and opportunities.
3air have recently announced a partnership with Ikigai Ventures, SiGMA Group’s own seed-stage venture fund. They share a common interest in constructing reliable infrastructure and ensuring easier access to the global economy, enabling more users to enter the blockchain and DeFi space. 3air are also promising nominees for the Social Impact Project of the Year award, whilst hosting the Crypto News Site of the Year award. They are also powering a number of keynotes and panels, with Founder Sandi Bitenc himself scheduled to share his insights on how emerging technologies stand to benefit Africa.
James Crypto Guru – Web3 esports, Crypto and NFTs
James Crypto Guru is a multi-industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience. With over 76K subscribers on YouTube, James is one of the most prolific influencers and advisors for emerging technologies.
He has had a massive impact on investment and innovation in the Game-Fi, play-to-earn (P2E) and Web3 sectors. Through the James Crypto Guru Academy, he has trained thousands of students, enabling them to trade profitably. His most recent venture is founding MagicCraft Ltd., a P2E game inspired by World of Warcraft and Mobile Legends which allows players to build, own and monetize their gaming experiences.
Throughout the event’s conferences, James Crypto Guru will be covering topics on the convergence of Web2 and Web3 Esports and project funding involving NFTs.
Davinci Jeremie – Influencer marketing
Davinci Jeremie is one of the massive influencers hopping onto the bandwagon this November. He is a software developer, Crypto trader, and Founder of Davinci Codes.
Making his fortune as an early Crypto investor, Davinci was originally sceptical of Bitcoin, calling it a scam. He analysed the currency using his expertise as a software developer, ultimately concluding it was a legitimate and worthy investment.
With over one million followers across YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, there is no doubting the sheer influence Davinci’s had on the rise and education of Cryptocurrencies. He will be sharing his insights on influencer marketing as relevant to 2022 and 2023 trends.
Ivan Liljeqvist – Levelling up the Metaverse through Web3 development
Ivan Liljeqvist is famous on YouTube as Ivan on Tech. A speaker, educator, developer and data scientist of international fame, he has gathered a mass following of over 491K subscribers on the video-sharing platform. His channel covers a plethora of Blockchain and Crypto topics, such as market projections and news analysis on the recent major crypto hacks. Ivan is also the CEO of Moralis Web3, an innovative development platform that helps users develop decentralized applications (dapps).
Ivan will be giving a keynote on development of the Metaverse using modern Web3 tools. He will also be sitting in on a panel covering user experience and engagement with the Metaverse.
Join us: 14 – 18 November for Malta Week
One of the first European countries to regulate the gaming sector, Malta is a hub of global business. The island is an obvious choice for AIBC’s presence in Europe and a strong foundation for the field’s future. With a plethora of prospects for both investors and entrepreneurs looking to shape the future of this multi-billion-dollar business, Malta Week will bring together industry giants among the affiliates, operators, and suppliers of the gaming sector.
