Conference News: Impact on Climate; 4YFN after 8YRS; SXSW on Deck
Techonomy’s Impact: Techonomy Impact, formerly known as Techonomy Climate, returns to NYC on 24 September under the new theme: Defending Climate, Making Progress. This event will convene leading voices in technology, business, and environmental advocacy to explore the critical role of innovation in tackling climate change and advancing sustainable development. The conference emphasizes bold action, collaboration, and the need to overcome obstacles to create lasting progress.
Four Years From Now, 8 Years Later: After an eight-year hiatus 4YFN will return to MWC Shanghai (18-20 June). This is the event co-located with MWC focused on startups and investors. 4YFN has its own conference track and exhibition in Hall N3, showcasing some of the most innovative companies and entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. In its 12th year, MWC Shanghai gathers 40,000 attendees from over 6,500 companies. Most sessions cover off on industry trends with several focusing on issues relevant to China and the APAC region.
Submission Opportunity: And speaking of MWC Shanghai, the conference is now seeking speakers across its various programs. If you are interested in making a speaker/topic suggestion, you must do so via the online form before the 11 April deadline. Before you begin to complete the submission, make sure you review this year’s tracks which Include 5G inside – How 5G is fueling economic growth while addressing both global challenges and local needs in China; AI+ – The next wave of AI technologies and explore how they will empower businesses, redefine human-computer interactions and unlock endless opportunities; Connected Industries – How convergence of AI, IoT, and 5G is powering autonomous logistics, real-time supply chains, and intelligent production—reshaping entire industries; and Connected Enablers – showcase the future of connectivity and mobile technologies.
Lunchtime Learning: Future Investment Initiative (FII) – the Saudi non-profit and investment organization that hosts “Davos in the Desert” in Riyadh each year – produced its third Miami edition of FII last month under the theme “Invest with Purpose.” Designed to explore the “current complexities that the world is facing, such as rising costs of living, systemic challenges in healthcare, security, and education,” FII Miami featured notable speakers and makes most plenary sessions available for to stream at FII TV. We especially recommend this conversation with Serena Williams and Lance Armstrong on what it means to invest with purpose; a session on the ability of AI infrastructure to keep up with next-gen demand with speakers from OpenAI and IBM; and interview with Oracle’s CEO weighing how leaders can navigate the technological revolution.
Coming Up Next Week: South by Southwest/SXSW takes over Austin, kicking off today and running through 15 March. From music & film to tech & business, SXSW is known for its global community of creatives coming together for cutting-edge ideas, discovering new interests, and networking. In addition to Conference programming, many media outfits host activations at SXSW, including Axios and Vox. From 9-13 March at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, HumanX hosts its inaugural event to “dispel the fog of indecision, to illuminate the path from potential to action, and to empower leaders, creators, innovators, and policymakers to navigate the AI revolution confidently.” Though 2025 marks the first edition of HumanX, a group of veteran producers behind events like Money2020, HLTH, ViVE, and Shoptalk is at the helm. North American Sustainability & Responsibility Summit – more succinctly known as NASRS – runs 12-14 March in Denver and explores strategies and emerging trends in the dynamic world of sustainable management. And at Future Food Tech (13-14 March; San Francisco), CPGs, retailers, ingredient and tech providers, entrepreneurs, and investors meet to navigate the R&D, strategy and partnerships necessary to ensure a healthy and sustainable future through food.