Russell represents Scotland at the Web Summit in Lisbon

The Web Summit in Lisbon is recognised as one of the premier gatherings of tech talent, where innovators and investors collide in a creative atmosphere of opportunity. This year, record numbers of attendees enjoyed the Lisbon showcase with over 71,000 visitors gathered in Lisbon’s Altice Arena for talks, masterclasses, networking, demos and more.

"If you've not had the opportunity to attend Web Summit it can appear polished and smooth online. The reality is very different. The words I would use to describe this unique gathering are chaotic, confusing and to some extent overwhelming. You are accosted by enthusiastic, vibrant pitchers sharing how they want to change the world and generate huge wealth along the way. Of course only a few will succeed and our role is to sift out the stars. I have to say I love the atmosphere and have been blown away by the quality of individuals I have met so far. Each now excited by what Scotland can offer the international entrepreneur." - Russell Dalgleish, Global Entrepreneur Programme Dealmaker

‍

Russell attended this year with the support of Department for International Trade (DIT) to promote the opportunities Scotland offers as a base for entrepreneurs globally.

"With world-leading universities, a sophisticated investment community and a welcoming entrepreneurial community Scotland is the perfect location for international founders to enter the UK market."

"It's humbling to hear from entrepreneurs based in Latin America, Africa and South East Asia about the challenges they face to scale their businesses and hence their desire to relocate to the UK. I already have several individuals to follow up with who are interested in Scotland as a potential location and I'm sure more will be identified today who recognise the advantage of what I call 'GB+'." - Russell Dalgleish

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Russell and fellow DIT Dealmaker Eamon Tuhami took to LinkedIn Live to discuss the UK's regional and cultural tech capabilities in a Wales v Scotland debate live from Web Summit Lisbon: DIT LinkedIn.

Please do share with any, startups/scaleups, international organisations, accelerators, innovation hubs, investors, universities and innovators who could benefit from a UK base: www.russelldalgleish.com/video/department-for-international-trade-linkedin-live

‍

Whilst visiting Portugal, Russell also took the opportunity to meet up with Scottish Business Network Ambassador Miguel Reynolds Brandão.

"With the sun high in the sky we took the time to chat through opportunities for Scottish companies in the region and the deep links between the two nations. We have identified a couple of new projects which we will look to launch next year to build on the opportunities here. Great fun to have the opportunity to personally thank Miguel for his tremendous support." - Russell Dalgleish, Chair & Co-Founder of SBN

‍

Congratulations to Web Summit for another incredible event! Be sure to follow Russell on LinkedIn to see where he'll be next and if you would like to meet with Russell to discuss opportunities in Scotland then please do get in touch.