The Next Web 2025: less attendees and more focus on breakthroughs
With half fewer visitors and a new location, TNW goes back to where it all began: discovering and driving the next big tech breakthroughs.
Published on June 20, 2025
As editor-in-chief, Aafke oversees all content and events but loves writing herself. She makes complex topics accessible and tells the stories behind technology.
The TNW Conference 2025 (The Next Web) got off to an extraordinary start. The black (hot!) tent on the NDSM wharf quickly fell silent as Amsterdam-based Chagall took the stage. This is not least because of her outfit: a skin-colored bodysuit with black stripes (“Tech can be sexy, too!”). Her dreamlike singing is accompanied by electronic music that she controls with her bodysuit.
Using sensor gloves (MiMU) and motion capture technology, among other tools, she controls both her voice and visual scenery in real-time during performances. With her knees, she plays the drums; the fingers of her left hand choose the chords. An army of virtual background dancers follows her movements.
Chagall came up with the idea because she wanted to “get rid of the classic DJ booth that creates distance between the musician and the audience.” In addition to being a singer and producer, she is also a programmer and founder of a tech startup. Her mission: to give electronic music a human soul. Through her LoveLace initiative, she also conducts workshops that invite female and gender-nonconforming creators to explore the intersection of art and technology in their unique ways.
A highly original opening act, followed by "an old, white dude" as the main stage host. These are his own words, which he repeats a few times. Honestly? Not very convincing for a festival that is so explicitly committed to inclusivity and diversity.
Far more important, however, are the questions at the center of this edition. What needs to happen to take advantage of ChatGPT and Google's Gemini and minimize the drawbacks? How can Europe win the quantum race? How do we deploy agritech to save our food system?
To answer those questions, more than 4,000 CEOs, investors, policymakers, and tech enthusiasts are gathering in Amsterdam this week for The Next Web (TNW). The event is regarded as one of the most influential tech conferences in Europe.
'Not climate, not population growth, but lack of data form the biggest threat to the food chain'
On stage 'Green', the audience shuffles in just after the opening. Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt (founder of Open Food Chain and World Agriculture Forum board member), Charles Miller (Solynta), and Marcus Holland Eikeland (LUMO Labs) join the panel ‘Disrupting the Food Chain’.
The central message is that the agrifood sector remains one of the least digitized, making it vulnerable. According to De Ruyter de Wildt, the biggest threat is not climate change or population growth, but the lack of traceability in the food chain. “During corona, we saw what happens when borders close and no one knows where food is,” he says.
Miller points out that technological innovations, such as hybrid seeds or AI-driven growing, are already far advanced, but are held back by outdated, non-digital systems. “We are way behind reality in the field,” he said.
Cumbersome regulations and insufficient political will thwart innovation in agriculture
Miller is the director of Strategic Alliances and Developments at Solynta. This potato production company developed a hybrid potato that requires fewer pesticides and is more resistant to disease. "In Canada and Australia, we already sell these seeds in abundance, but in Europe, our potato is not allowed to be grown because we don't meet regulations. I firmly believe that regulations significantly hinder the creative and innovative process in Europe. There is a gap between what society expects - sustainable, fair products - and what regulations allow."
Miller emphasizes that many solutions - such as AI-driven growing and blockchain-based traceability - already exist, but are held back by cumbersome regulations and insufficient political will.
He calls for more alignment between breeders, farmers, and policymakers. “Big food producers have little interest in change, and that inhibits competition and progress,” adds De Ruyter de Wildt. “How many C-level people are in the audience here?” No hands go up. “That's exactly my point.”
The speakers called for radical innovation, including the faster introduction of innovations such as hybrid seeds, increased collaboration between technology innovators and policymakers, and the dismantling of outdated, slow systems. Without reliable data, De Ruyter de Wildt said, AI remains a gamble, and consumer confidence remains low. "Traceability must become a priority. Until we know where food comes from, we can't make sustainable choices."
IQM Computers: the European quantum answer to IBM and Google?
An honest answer to the question whether Europe can take a key role in quantum is not given during the panel “Quantum Race: Can Europe Secure Leadership in Quantum?”, but it does become clear how memorable IQM Computers is in its kind. CEO Jan Goetz is questioned by Tom Hendrikson (OpenOcean).
Seven years ago, IQM Computers was founded as a spin-off from Finland's strong research community. It has since raised millions and builds its quantum processors as well as complete systems—a rarity in this sector. “We are like a car manufacturer that develops the engine itself,” Goetz said. “The processor for our quantum computer we build ourselves, the rest we buy in.” His company has now sold 13 systems worldwide and also provides access to its computers through its cloud infrastructure in Munich.
What makes IQM unique is that the company is not only fundamentally scientifically strong, with half of its employees holding a PhD in quantum physics, but also capable of practically manufacturing, assembling, and delivering high-tech hardware. “We have a chip factory, an assembly line, and teams spread across Europe, from Warsaw to Madrid,” says Goetz. The strength of their machines lies in solving highly complex problems via so-called quantum algorithms, which reduce the time required for computation from millions of years to minutes. “Quantum computing is not a replacement of classical systems, but an extension of them - especially in fields such as AI and simulations in physics.” So yes, those listening to Goetz get a strong sense that IQM may be the European answer to IBM and Google.
A new coat
In 2025, TNW is relaunching its concept. This year, it explicitly chooses to focus on early-growth startups, investors, and policymakers. The number of participants has been deliberately reduced to 4,500 selected attendees. That's 5,000 fewer than last year.TNW aims to return to its roots: discovering and amplifying the next significant technological breakthroughs.
Still, the event resembles a festival: Dutch DJ Reinier Zonneveld will deliver a keynote, an afterparty will take place on the Veronicaboot, and the padel tournament is present too.
In terms of content, the organization is opting for greater depth, with three central themes—Growth & Venture, Next in Tech, and Enterprise Innovation—and six substantive “pillars,” such as quantum technology and sustainable systems. The city of Amsterdam is also playing a larger role; TNW 2025 has been named an official part of the city's 750th anniversary celebration this weekend.
At least on day one, the new - or should we say 'old' - approach and location seem to fit TNW like a glove. Numbers do not measure change and innovation, but rather daring to break boundaries.
