Web Summit has announced a new five-year agreement with the City of Rio de Janeiro. The agreement secures Web Summit’s presence in Rio until 2030, scaling Web Summit Rio to South America’s largest technology event and helping turbocharge Rio’s tech ecosystem.
Aligned with Rio’s long-term vision of becoming the region’s leading technology hub, the city has secured a new partnership with Web Summit. Under the initial three-year agreement signed in 2022, Rio hosted Web Summit annually since 2023: in that time, the event has grown from 21,000 attendees in Year 1 to more than 34,000 expected next week.
The new five-year deal with the City of Rio, through Invest.Rio, the city’s investment promotion and attraction agency, will see Web Summit Rio continue to take place in Riocentro from 2026 to 2030. Over this period, the event is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tech entrepreneurs, investors, trade delegations, global tech giants, and international media to the city, generating new business opportunities, building global partnerships, and fostering commercial agreements that will boost Rio’s burgeoning tech economy.
Mayor Eduardo Paes said the city of Rio has been making steady progress with a consistent agenda focused on innovation and technology.
“This new agreement is further proof that we are on the right path to becoming the innovation capital of Latin America,” said Paes. “The event connects us with global companies, top talent, and investors to discuss the future of the sector. In addition to several major projects related to this area, we have a natural vocation for hosting the world’s biggest events, and we’re proud to secure the Web Summit in Rio through 2030,” he added.
Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of Web Summit, noted that they were delighted to be partnering with Rio de Janeiro for another five years following the extraordinary success of our first three years.
“From our very first conversations, Rio has shown that it has the long-term vision needed to help ensure it continues to grow its technology ecosystem, supporting its aim to become the main technology hub of the entire region,” said Cosgrave. “We are delighted that our stakeholders in this extraordinary city recognize the lasting impact Web Summit can deliver in supporting long-term growth.”
Cosgrave further said, “Amid growing global political uncertainty and the dismantling of existing trade relationships, Rio is also determined to enhance its global trading partnerships.” Adding “Web Summit has an unrivaled track record here—not just bringing the world’s biggest firms and investors to the city, but helping make the meaningful connections which lead directly to trade agreements, inward investment, and internationalizing startup success.”
Cosgrave said the Web Summit is more than just an event—but a long-term partnership that aims to create a lasting impact in and around any of the host cities.
Sidney Levy, President of Invest.Rio, in his remarks, said securing the Web Summit in Rio until 2030 is a strategic milestone for the city of Rio and a clear statement of our long-term commitment to innovation, technology, and global partnerships.
“This agreement reinforces Rio’s position as Latin America’s leading tech hub and opens new doors to connect local talent with international investors and companies,” said Levy. “At Invest.Rio, we believe in the transformative power of initiatives like Web Summit to drive economic growth, foster entrepreneurship, and elevate Rio’s position on the global innovation map.”
The new agreement with Rio de Janeiro is the latest city partnership Web Summit has formed with forward-looking cities committed to transforming their tech ecosystems and expanding international trade partnerships. Each has won a competitive bidding process against neighboring cities and countries to host the Web Summit and harness its role as a catalyst to drive their tech economies forward.
The past three years have seen Web Summit launch and grow events in Doha, Qatar, and Vancouver, Canada, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of its global expansion and commitment to fostering tech communities in rapidly growing economies. These events have followed the success of Web Summit in Lisbon, which has helped support the Portuguese capital’s extraordinary decade of growth as a global tech hub.
