Nexus Magazine

HORS-SÉRIE PAPERJAM

Remember, technology

is only good

if it is developed in a pursuit of the dream

of a better world

Gen AI Bootcamps Boost your company’s productivity!

2024

Don’t miss this opportunity!

This intensive 4-hour training will give you the tools to quickly integrate Generative AI into your processes.

The result: increased productivity and a visible impact on your business.

Program

18.10 Generalist/all professions 29.11 Generalist/all professions

2025 30.01 Generalist/all professions 12.02 Focus on Marketing/Communication 19.03 Focus on HR/Payroll 03.04 Focus on Finance/Risk 07.05 Focus on Legal 25.09 Focus on Customer Service 15.10 Focus on Supply Chain/Logistics 05.11

Take your business to the next level with our impactful training on Generative AI! In just half a day, dive into the world of AI and discover how it can revolutionize your professional routine. Our sessions are designed to equip you with concrete, ready-to-use skills.

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM

Welcome

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM Ice-Breaker Activity 2:20 PM - 3:00 PM

Inspiring and interactive keynote with tool demos

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Prompting Workshop

4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Coffee break & networking

4:45 PM - 5:30 PM

Collective Workshop

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Wrap-Up and Q&A Session

Limited to 75 participants per session

Focus on Marketing/Communication

Spuerkeess - 19, Avenue de la Liberté, Luxembourg (Gare)

Partner

Register at paperjam.lu/club

Editorial

Nexus2050: Mission Accomplished, Gearing Up for 2025 With 5,600 attendees from 50 countries, 312 speakers across six stages, 150 startups, 100 exhibitors, 640 matchmaking sessions, six side events, and a closing dinner attended by 900 participants, the inaugural edition of Nexus2050 has delivered on its promise.

The event successfully established Luxembourg as a new international hub for technology, gathering experts, startups, venture capitalists, media professionals, and institutional representatives from around the world.

The event focused on key themes such as sustainability, cybersecurity, and fintech—leveraging Luxembourg’s status as a leading international financial center— along with the emerging field of generative AI. Ukraine was featured as the guest country, further underscoring Nexus2050's ambition to attract a global audience while showcasing Luxembourg’s growing tech and startup ecosystem.

For its first edition, the challenge was twofold: to establish Nexus2050 as a must-attend international event and to mirror Luxembourg’s unique scale— intimate enough for meaningful networking, yet large enough to attract significant players to the halls of Luxexpo.

The second challenge was time. With just six months to organize, success came through the dedication of an extraordinary team and the collaborative efforts of hundreds of people. Government officials, local and European institutions, as well as representatives from around 300 companies—exhibitors, partners, startups, and speakers—played a crucial role in making this event possible. As founders of Nexus2050, we extend our deepest gratitude for their relentless efforts.

To commemorate the event, we have released over 100 videos on our YouTube channel, offering both inspiration and highlights from the first edition.

Looking ahead, we have been actively engaging with our premium institutional partners, exhibitors, and attendees to shape the second edition. Feedback from satisfaction surveys has been over­whelmingly positive—your message is clear: Nexus2050 must return.

WATCH NOW: NEXUS2050 VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE!

Scan the QR code to access the complete collection of Nexus2050 videos. Relive and rewatch all the inspiring conferences and highlights.

We are excited to announce that the second edition will take place on June 17 and 18, 2025, once again in Luxembourg City.

As we prepare for next year’s event, we welcome your input. Help us make Nexus2050 2025 even more memorable, inspirational, and impactful, generating new business opportunities, funding, and ideas.

See you again in Luxembourg, where Nexus2050 – the International Tech Pulse – will once again set the pace for innovation.

Warm regards,

Co-Founder KAMEL AMROUNE

Co-Founder MIKE KOEDINGER

3

Contents

06 Nexus2050 in numbers

32 DLT uptake

08 Main Stage: The Launchpad of Nexus2050

“ Slow but growing:»

10 G uillaume Sophia and Ukraine open Nexus2050

34 Fintech in South East Asia: the best solution for building impact

12 Don’t regulate AI in finance, says Luxembourg’s top financial regulator 13 Maximilian Tayenthal, N26 founder

“ I think you need to be the bank for everyone” 14 Luxinnovation awards 15 startups from latest edition of Fit4Start

CSSF’s Karen O’Sullivan

36 Shifting from a runthe-bank mentality towards innovation is hard 37 Gaps to be filled in by fintech companies in EMEA 38 AI Virtual Assistants: Enhancing Customer and Employee Experiences Beyond Chatbots

Sasha Baillie from Luxinnovation at the Fit 4 Start Graduation

15 V irtual reality for wellbeing 16 Jean-Louis Schiltz

“ Any regulation of AI must create trust” 17 A lexandre Mars

“ We just need to open our eyes” 22 Ukraine Guest Country 26 Finance Stage: The Nexus of Wealth and Wisdom 28 How digital finance players can grow their business and preserve margins 30 Mutualisation can help boost competitiveness, say panellists Sophia from Hanson Robotics at the Opening Ceremony

4

39 É milie Allaert

« DLT helps avoid greenwashing» 44 P ureTech Innovations: AI, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, and Beyond aniel Kahn 46 D

« Don’t rush into going international» 47 T echnology for business sustainability 48 Deepfakes: many risks and a few opportunities

82 Sigma Stage: Bridging Digital Matchmaking, Connectivity, and Super-computing 87 P aperjam Next Photobooth 90 In photos: Nexus2050 pub crawl and networking through old town 92 In photos: Closing Seated Dinner 94 S tudent Bus Tour to SES and Foyer 102 Thank you to our sponsors

56 S kills Stage: Skills Unleashed: Nexus2050’s Innovation Showcase 58 S mart cities: the future lies in cooperation uy Castegnaro on AI 59 G in the workplace

« The time to act is now»

The Hive: 200 Startups Showcasing Fintech, Cybersecurity, AI, and Sustainability Innovations

60 With Goodbytz, the chef is a robot 61 Women in Tech is looking for «the next Mark Zuckerberg» 62 From virtual reality to tokenisation in education 70 S tartups Demo Arena: Innovators in the Spotlight

5

Main Stage

The Launchpad of Nexus2050 8

With a capacity of 900 seats and hosting 22 confe­ rences and panels over two days, the Main Stage was the beating heart of Nexus2050. Guided by the talented Avanti Sharma as the Master of Ceremony, the Main Stage set the tone for the event. We began with a grand opening ceremony and delved into a diverse array of discussions and presentations on cutting-edge themes such as Generative AI, Sustainability, FinTech, Marketing, Technology Trends, AI Regulation, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Neobanks.

9

Main Stage

Guillaume, Sophia and Ukraine open Nexus2050 Written by THIERRY LABRO

Two days after Grand Duke Henri announ­ ced that his son Guillaume would gradually take over the reins--and as negotiations open for Ukraine’s accession to the EU-the crown prince inaugurated Nexus2050 alongside the world’s most advanced humanoid robot and representatives of the Ukrainian government.

“I’m very honoured, and very proud, to be a strong, future-proof economy, to build a taking part with you in the Nexus2050 world where sustainability and social wellopening ceremony. I’ve been to various being, combined with technological needs events, such as Vivatech, recently, and they and opportunities, have a positive impact.” all have in common that they are the bigIf artificial intelligence continues to gest. But I have to say that this event is going develop, it will be “the cornerstone of innoto be even bigger. But in my small country, vation,” stressed the hereditary grand duke. we’re used to saying that it’s not the size that “We know that to develop our economy in counts.” Two days after his father, Grand this direction, we need to have good conDuke Henri, announced that he would nectivity, everything we need to operate become lieutenant-representative in Octo- data and work on cyber security.”

The hereditary grand duke pointed out ber, Crown Prince Guillaume was all smiles as he hailed the coming together of all the with gravity that the other aspect of this players around the organisation of this first development is the emergence of disinforedition of Nexus2050. mation and fake news, such as that which “Combined with Venture Days in saw him and the grand duke, as well as November, this shows where Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden (CSV) being wants to go. In a constantly changing envi- “used” in a false campaign for an investronment, innovation is more than just talk. ment company. “This is a serious threat Innovation gives us the opportunity to because it undermines confidence in our shape the future we want, the power to fuel society, manipulates public opinion and 10

destabilises democracy. Tackling these problems requires additional efforts from a range of actors, from politics and the public sector to business and the media.”

It was Guillaume himself who announced Sophia’s arrival on stage, a moment as unexpected as Sunday’s announcement at the Philharmonie. The hereditary grand duke launched into a conversation-interview with the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. “Do you think we should regulate artificial intelligence more? Or have less regulation?” he asked.

“We need to find the right balance,” Sophia replied, “to encourage developments that benefit humanity while limiting the negative aspects as much as possible.”

“Thank you, Sophia. I can see that the economy minister, Lex Delles, is taking notes!” replied Guillaume. “One last ques-

1

2

3

4

5

6

tion, Sophia,” he went on. “As you may Another highlight of the ceremony came know, my father made a big announcement with the eagerly awaited words of the on Sunday. Do you know when I will deputy director of the office of the prebecome grand duke?” sident of Ukraine, Igor Zhovkva. “As you “I’m just a robot and an artificial intelli- know, negotiations on Ukraine’s accesgence not capable of predicting the future,” sion to the European Union opened this Sophia replied, insisting that Luxembourg Monday in Luxembourg. It’s a long jourwas lucky to have a grand duke. ney, but we’re ready for it!” This enthusiasm drew applause from the audience.

“Fascinated” by the Luxembourg He went on to outline Ukraine’s strengths, ecosystem from the digitisation of public services, The speeches that followed were more with the world’s first digital passport conventional. Economy minister Lex issued at the snap of a finger, to the emerDelles (DP) insisted on the need for an gence of the world’s first “drone force” in event like this to put Luxembourg on the an army and the strategic importance of map, before outlining the various ways in cyber security. which companies and startups can be helped. The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova, said she was “fascinated” by the Luxembourg ecosystem, a country where she has lived for ten years.

She stressed the importance of attracting REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE and retaining talent in Europe, the AI Act and the guidance provided by the European Commission, and the importance of exchanges and opportunities to discuss these issues.

1 C arlo Thelen, CEO Luxemboug Chamber of Commerce 2 Igor Zhovka, Deputy Head of Office of the President of Ukraine 3 Iliana Ivanova, Commis­ sioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth European Commisssion 4 Lex Delles, Minister of Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism - The Government of Luxembourg 5 Maurice Bauer, Chief Alderman - City of Luxembourg 6 Mike Koedinger and Kamel Amroune, Co-founders of Nexus2050

11

Main Stage

Don’t regulate AI in finance, says Luxembourg’s top financial regulator Written by AARON GRUNWALD

Photo MARIE RUSSILLO

Claude Marx, the head of Luxembourg’s CSSF regulatory agency, has called on European leaders to refrain from issuing specific AI rules for the financial industry.

he said. The comments came at the Nexus2050 technology conference, held at Luxexpo, on 26 June 2024.

When asked if specific AI regulation is required for the financial sector, “my response is no,” stated Claude Marx, director general at the Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (CSSF). This view is “not universally The head of Luxembourg’s financial regu- shared” among European financial regulator has said that the use of artificial intel- lators, he added. However, Marx argued ligence technology in the financial services that it “would be foolish” to issue finansector should not be regulated. If AI in cial AI rules when “no regulator knows finance eventually needed to be regulated, today” exactly what AI tools are being then policies should not be set by the EU, used by firms and how, and “how risks are

being assessed or not” at those companies.

Marx said that should a full census of AI activities be carried out and “if we came to the conclusion that something needs to be regulated... that should not happen at EU level” but rather international rules would be needed. “We need to be careful not to build ‘fortress Europe’,” he said. Something similar to the Basel banking agreement would need to be struck, to avoid disconnecting Europe with the fast pace of change in places like the US, China and India.

Marx added that at many financial firms, governance at board level is “not fit for purpose” anymore and many company leaders “don’t have the right mindset” to keep pace with technological change.

Speaking on the same panel, Stéphane Pesch, CEO at the Luxembourg Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (LPEA), agreed that additional regulation was unnecessary, saying it was good to “not regulate something that is not there yet.”

But he stressed that firms should be sure that AI tools are fully tested before they are deployed. There should be no biases, the models should “really work” and privacy needs to be maintained, he said.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

Claude Marx, director general at the Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (CSSF), is seen speaking at the Nexus2050 technology conference in Kirchberg, 26 June 2024.

12

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

“ I think you need to be the bank for everyone”: N26 founder Written by LYDIA LINNA

Photo ROMAIN GAMBA

The founder of neobank N26 Maximilian Tayenthal talked about growing pains, KYC and the possibility of going public (or not) during a fireside chat with Laurent Hengesch, Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital’s managing partner, at the Nexus2050 tech conference on 26 June.

Founded in 2013, N26 is the first 100% mobile bank to have been granted (and to operate with) a full German banking licence from Germany’s federal financial supervisory authority, the Bafin. The neobank in 2021 completed a $900m round of funding and counts 8m customers worldwide. “We’ve seen this massive shift in user Maximilian Tayenthal (left) is founder, co-CEO and COO of N26, a neobank headquartered in behaviour,” said N26 co-founder, co-CEO Berlin. Pictured is Tayenthal speaking with Laurent Hengesch (right), managing partner at Ilavska and COO Maximilian Tayenthal during a Vuillermoz Capital, during the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo The Box, 26 June 2024 fireside chat with Laurent Hengesch, managing partner at the VC firm Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital (which has invested in N26), at the Nexus2050 tech conference industry, he argued. “I believe it won’t be in Luxembourg on 26 June 2024. Instead the big banks that really change the way of going to a physical bank branch, people people around the globe do their daily start to bank on their web browser or financial transactions.” smartphone. This transition has already happened in other industries--travel is now Scalability is important booked via the internet instead of in agen- When you grow a company, said Tayencies, people shop and listen to music online thal, you need to take a lot of risk. rather than visiting stores or buying CDs- Challenges have included fundraising, -and it’s happened much more quickly than convincing investors, “maintaining the in banking. agility of a startup in a highly regulated Customers are focused on the look and environment” and recruiting staff. As the feel of online mobile products. And “that number of customers grew, the number of REWATCH IT READ FULL ON YOUTUBE ARTICLE HERE is our niche,” said Tayenthal, highlighting team members had to grow as well. “That the importance the neobank places on comes with tremendous growth pains,” he providing the best possible digital expe- said. “It’s about getting the best talent, rience. Looking at those other industries, retaining them with the right tools in your it wasn’t the big players that disrupted the hand, developing a vision.”

13

Main Stage

Luxinnovation awards 15 startups from latest edition of Fit4Start Written by THIERRY LABRO

Photo ROMAIN GAMBA

Fifteen of the 20 startups that qualified for the 14th edition of Luxinnovation’s Fit4Start programme were awarded their diplomas Wednesday evening at Nexus2050, at Luxexpo The Box, in front of 400 people.

It was an oppor­tunity to see how well they have mastered the art of the effective pitch.

“We are looking forward to seeing how these companies will evolve over the coming years and make an important contribution to the future development of Luxembourg’s In the large hall at the tech conference Nexus2050, Luxinnovation CEO startup community and--beyond that--our Sasha Baillie opened the pitch session for the graduates of the new Fit4Start class. economy and our country,” commented Luxinnovation CEO Sasha Baillie. “This certification in the Fit4Start programme is a key step on the road to success for these efforts.” The 15 startups received six mon- PsyTech VR (United States) is a scenaryoung startups and gives them the oppor- ths of specialised support, as well as io-based virtual reality micro-training systunity to be more visible and to make con- €50,000 of funding each from the ministry tem for mental health and well-being.

Sonia (Germany) automates medical tact with private investors who keep a close of the economy if they are integrated into eye on such companies.”

Luxembourg. Those companies that documentation and coding for dentists, Twenty start-ups were selected from 365 manage to raise funds and employ at least freeing up 25% of their time for additional applications from 58 countries. Since the two people will be eligible for up to a fur- treatments and reducing process costs by initiative began--this is the 14th edi- ther €100,000 in state aid. up to 50%. tion--almost 3,000 applications from all At the end of the ceremony, Baillie offiover the world have been submitted. cially launched the call for applications Three startups in the space sector “Fit4Start has become an important visi- for the 15th edition of the programme, Symbiose Management (France) helps bility tool for the Luxembourg startup eco- which closes at noon on 12 August. Twenty asset managers invest in nature and fight system and is a real asset for innovative startups will be selected in the same three climate change by creating a symbiosis young startups in their early stages,” says categories: digital, health technologies between nature and finance using space Sven Baltes, manager, startup relations at and space. technology.

Luxinnovation. “We will continue to support innovative companies in Luxembourg Three startups in health technology REWATCH IT READ FULL ON YOUTUBE ARTICLE HERE and those wishing to set up in the grand Invitrolize (Luxembourg) markets Alissens, duchy, with personalised support from our developed in the grand duchy by the Fit4Start experts. The aim is to integrate Luxembourg Institute of Science and Techthem into the country on a long-term basis nology (List). It’s the only test available for and support their development and growth identifying respiratory sensitisers.

14

Virtual reality for wellbeing Written by ELSA LSURGER

Photo EVA KRINS/MARIE RUSSILLO

At a time when mental health is gradually becoming a divisive issue, American startup PsyTech VR is breaking new ground by offering a new form of virtual reality therapy.

The company presented during the Nexus2050 technology conference at Luxexpo.

PsyTech VR, founded in 2020 and made up of experts in psychology, neuroscience and technology, is committed to bridging the gap in affordable yet efficient mental healthcare through its immersive technology based on multiple 360-degree scripted videos. Its aim is to revolutionise the treat-

ment of mental disorders. It promotes the applied to a wide range of situations, incluwellbeing of its customers by overcoming ding people who need to manage their stress stress, anxiety and anger. The company with breathing exercises, such as athletes. mainly targets psychiatrists and psycholo- The startup’s users come mainly from the gists who want to use virtual reality during United States, with a few from the Middle their sessions, in particular to speed up dia- East. As part of Luxinnovation’s Fit4Start gnosis and therapy while remaining effec- programme, it hopes to continue to grow, tive, accessible and easy to use. PsyTech VR particularly in Europe. PsyTech VR expects provides healthcare professionals and to have a 50% share of the global market patients with a virtual reality headset within the next five years containing an application with a wide choice of videos depending on the problem expressed. How does it work? The patient wearing the headset and sensors opens the resource and is plunged into a situation in which he or she has to confront his or her fear. The specialist also has a dashboard at his disposal, enabling him to analyse all the patient’s reactions. This technology can be

Alina Vorontsova on stage at Luxinnovation’s 14th Fit4Start event, 26 June 2024.

15

Main Stage

“Any regulation of AI must create trust”: Jean-Louis Schiltz Written by MARC FASSONE

Photo MARIE RUSSILLO

The regulatory aspect of artificial intelligence was one of the key topics on the second day of the Nexus2050 conference on 27 June. With the EU adopting a regulation on AI in May, Jean-Louis Schiltz looks back at the “spirit of the law” that should prevail in this area.

Jean-Louis Schiltz has had several lives.

First, in politics. The lawyer was elected to the Chamber of Deputies under the CSV colours, but did not sit. He was called directly into government, where he held the posts of minister for cooperation and humanitarian action and minister for communications. He was also defence minister from 2006 to 2009. Schiltz resigned from all his offices in 2011 for personal reasons and once again became a lawyer. As a senior partner at Schiltz & Schiltz, he specialises in technology issues. An honorary professor at the University of Luxembourg, he devotes his teaching and research to all aspects of ‘innovation through law,’ with a particular focus on fintechs.

Should AI be regulated or not?

Jean-Louis Schiltz: I believe that the objective of any regulation of artificial intelligence must be to create a framework of trust. With the growing number of users of this technology, particularly ChatGPT, there is a real need to establish such a framework to avoid abuses. So the answer is clearly yes.

The underlying question, given the speed at which things are moving, is whether it is not already too late for the regulator to seek to regulate the phenomenon? Can it keep up with innovation? This is the crux of the problem, and for the reg16

For Jean-Louis Schiltz, by focusing on principles rather than applications, the EU has chosen the best way to regulate artificial intelligence.

ulator it comes down to the following two If you regulate on the basis of use cases, it questions: should we regulate AI itself or the quickly becomes very complicated. applications? In my view, it is the applications that should be regulated, and that is European regulations have opted the choice that the European Union has for a risk-based approach. Isn’t that made. The second question for regulators too simplistic? is whether to adopt very detailed regulations, As with the Dora regulation [Digital Operas we did with the GDPR (General Data Pro- ational Resilience Act], there are a certain tection Regulation). That’s what we also did number of principles that underlie all for the AI Act, which runs to 378 pages. The European regulations affecting technolother approach would have been to opt for ogy. First, there is the principle of propora French-style approach based on princi- tionality, then accountability and then the ples. That was not the fundamental choice risk-based approach. made for the regulation of 21 May 2024.

After all, it has 58 articles... Look at the Civil REWATCH IT READ FULL ON YOUTUBE ARTICLE HERE Code, it’s 200 years old. latter approach, if followed rigorously, allows us to keep up with and adapt to new developments. In nine cases out of ten, we will find a principle to link a new use to it.

Alexandre Mars: “We just need to open our eyes” Written by MARC FASSONE

Photo EVA KRINS

Alexandre Mars was present at the Nexus2050 tech confe­ rence at Luexexpo on Thursday 27 June. For the occasion, he gave a keynote speech on how to make an effective commit­ ment to a fairer world. He then spoke to Paperjam about his career and what drives him.

Infinite, a social edtech that supports stu- becomes a philanthropist. You just have to dents from disadvantaged backgrounds in open your eyes and realise that the private gaining access to top schools, universities sector has to do a lot of things for other and the professional world through an people, quite simply. You can’t expect the innovative student loan offering. Loans public sector to do everything. that these students repay by financing other students. A “virtuous Ponzi scheme,” You use the expression “open your as he describes it. His passion for sport eyes.” What made you open your eyes? and his commitment to greater social jus- My mum. A long time ago. I grew up with tice have also led him to become an an extremely altruistic mum who often ambassador and member of the board of looked after people. In fact, that’s the way directors of the Paris 2024 Olympic and I was brought up and helping people is Alexandre Mars began his entrepreneu- Paralympic Games. He has also written something that comes very naturally to rial career at the age of 17. His successes several books. For Vanity Fair, he is one me. Education plays a big role, that’s for gave him the financial security he needed of the 50 most influential French people. sure. And then your entourage, your wife, to fuel his social ambition: to be useful. your best friends... It’s the people around He first created Epic, a global foundation How does an entrepreneur become you who sometimes help you to find that path in life. that helps empower and protect children, a philanthropist? young people and the planet by bridging Alexandre Mars: I don’t think there’s necesthe gap between impactful non-profits sarily a logical link between the two. The You’re also known as a successful and individuals and businesses looking to question is rather how a citizen, whether entrepreneur. How do you turn a philanenact positive change. He has also set up entrepreneur, employee or intrapreneur, thropic activity into a business case?

It’s true that Epic, a not-for-profit start-up whose aim is to amplify the ability of people and companies to make an impact through giving, has become a business case.

In 2019, the Harvard Kennedy School published a study on Epic, highlighting its innovative new social impact model.

That said, we are a not-for-profit organisation, meaning we have no business model. This proves that it can be done. We all grew up with a very ‘Milton Friedman’ vision, the great economist who said that a company’s social responsibility was to make a profit.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Alexandre Mars’ KPI? The number of people he has helped to have a more positive life trajectory.

17

Main Stage

Picture Report Main Stage

KEYNOTE

Invest in the Future

Navigating Investment Trends and Our Responsibilities by Anabel Ternès von Hattburg (Futurologist, Keynote Speaker, Thought Leader, Author)

KEYNOTE

How the SDGs can learn from the journey of Technology

by Avanti Sharma (Pre-teen Technology Specialist-Workshop4Me)

KEYNOTE

How Generative AI will change productivity and business forever

by Emmanuel Vivier (Cofounder & Principal Analyst - HUB Institute)

18

OPENING REMARKS :

Gilles Roth (Minister of Finance, The Government of Luxembourg)

FIRESIDE CHAT :

The future of EVs – how can we best ensure sustainable mobility ?

With the participation of Amélie de Valroger (Global Head of Consultancy and Electric Solutions - ALD Automotive/ Ayvens) and Avanti Sharma (Pre-teen Technology Specialist-Workshop4Me)

PANEL :

Emerging Technologies : Catalysts for Sustainability or Potential Obstacles?

With the participation of Chris Webb (Head of Climate Change Europe & Global Head of Carbon Markets | Group Sustainability - HSBC), Merete Clausen (DG GROW - Director for Investment European Commission) Moderated by Ronan Vander Elst (Partner, Digital & Technology Consulting Leader - Deloitte)

KEYNOTE :

GAME CHANGERS: unlocking human potential with technology

by Eric de Quatrebarbes (CEO of the Europe Cluster Business Unit – Capgemini)

PANEL :

Climate Trajectory and Transition Plans towards 2050: Best Practices and Essential Dimensions for a Successful Transformation Plan

With the participation of Thierry Langreney (President and Founder -Les Ateliers du Futur), Tanguy Polet (CEO - Swiss Life France), Émilie Barrucand (Anthropologist and Chief Impact Officer) Moderated by Bettina Werner (Partner - Deloitte)

19

Main Stage

KEYNOTE :

UTOPIA: Unstoppable, Tamperproof, Open Platform for Independent Autonomy

by Dominic Williams (Founder & Chief Scientist DFINITY Foundation)

PANEL :

Leadership in Marketing : Navigating Transformation and Innovation

With the participation of Véronique Lefevre (Head of Digital Marketing & Events - Airbus Defence and Space – Intelligence), Giovanni Gribaudo (Global Director of Digital Excellence - Ferrero), Anthony Kukaj (Digital Marketing Lead - Lombard International Assurance) Moderated by Cécile Lorenzini (Managing Director – VANSKEN)

PANEL :

Scaling AI Along the Value Chain

KEYNOTE:

Sovereign AI, National Interest & Technology Innovation

by David Shrier (Founder & Managing Director Visionary Future LLC)

20

With the participation of Eryka Lehr (Chief of Staff in Global Affairs – Google), Stéphane Fisch (Chief Information Officer, Digital Transformation Leader, IT Strategist), César Maklary (Co-Founder and CEO – FluidStack), Eiso Kant (CTO and Co-Founder – poolside) Moderated by Thierry Kremser (Advisory Partner, Deputy Advisory & Technology Leader, PwC Luxembourg)

FIRESIDE CHAT :

Maurice Lévy (Honorary Chairman of Publicis Groupe, Co-Founder of VivaTech) and Avanti Sharma (Pre-teen Technology Specialist - Workshop4Me

KEYNOTE:

A time for Business Model Reinvention

by François Mousel (Managing Partner - PwC Luxembourg)

FIRESIDE CHAT :

The Ying and the Yang of AI

With the participation of Mark Tluszcz (CEO and Managing Partner - Mangrove Capital Partners) and Yannick Oswald (Partner - Mangrove Capital Partners)

CLOSING WORDS :

Xavier Bettel (Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs - The Government of Luxembourg)

21

Main Stage

Ukraine Guest Country For its inaugural edition, Nexus2050 was honored to welcome Ukraine as the invited country. «We have partnered with the Luxembourg-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce to offer a comprehensive program, including three roundtable discussions, keynotes, and a selection of twenty Ukrainian startups with a focus on Cyberdefense, FinTech, Space & Telecom,» notes Mike Koedinger, co-founder of Nexus2050. “We believe in the pivotal role of technology in sustainability, not only as a means to achieve humanity’s net-zero goal by 2050 but also as a crucial support for development and business continuity in Ukraine despite ongoing challenges.

FINANCE STAGE – JUNE 26

Panel: Guest Country Ukraine: Cybersecurity

The panel discussion on Cybersecurity brought together leading experts from Ukraine to explore the evolving landscape of cyber threats and defense strategies.

This critical conversation featured Dr. Oleksii Baranovskyi (PhD in Cyber­ security, professor in institutions the National Technical University of Ukraine “Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden), Mykhailo Verych (CRDF Global regional director) Serhii Prokopenko (Head of NCSCC Operations Department Deputy Head of Information Security and Cybersecurity Directorate at the Staff of the NSDC of Ukraine) and Evgenia Paily (President – Luxembourg-Ukraine Cham­ ber of Commerce) who discussed the latest advancements in cybersecurity technology and practices.

22

SKILLS STAGE – JUNE 26

Panel: Guest Country Ukraine: Defence and MilTech

The panel discussion on Defence and MilTech delved into the cutting-edge advancements and strategic innovations driving the future of military technology.

Esteemed experts from the defence sector Alexander Dmitriev (Advisor on unmanned automated systems and IT to the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), Volodymyr Ben (Head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine), Illia Neizvestny (Board Member Luxembourg-Ukraine Chamber of Com­ merce) and Inna Perepelytsya (Senior Advisor - Luxinnovation) converged to explore a range of critical topics. The dis­ cussion highlighted Ukraine’s significant progress in military technology, showcas­ ing how emerging technologies are being integrated into defense systems to enhance operational capabilities.

SKILLS STAGE – JUNE 27

Panel: Guest Country Ukraine: GovTech

Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, discussed the integration of advanced technologies to bolster national security and defense. His insights focused on the importance of cybersecurity and digital infrastructure in protecting national interests. Nadiya Bigun, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, explored how digital transformation can drive economic growth, streamline government operations, and enhance public services. She addressed the economic benefits and challenges of implementing GovTech solutions. Olek­ sandr Porkhun, Acting Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, delved into the vitality of transforming city services through digitali­ zation. He highlighted strategies for man­ aging city services more efficiently, enhancing public safety, and promoting e-democracy to create a resilient ecosys­ tem capable of withstanding challenges.

Reinvent your business model and meet the future. Built to lead through disruption.

Patrice Witz Advisory Partner, Technology Partner and Digital Leader, PwC Luxembourg patrice.witz@pwc.lu Kevin d’Antonio Luxembourg Business Model Reinvention Champion, PwC Luxembourg kevin.dantonio@pwc.lu

Business Model Reinvention (BMR) involves a fundamental rethinking and restructuring of how a company creates, delivers and captures value. It goes beyond making incremental changes and improvements to existing processes and strategies. It’s how a company fundamentally overhauls the core elements that drive its business, including value proposition, its profit formula, capabilities, process and resources.

Don’t get left behind. Lead through disruption with the industry expertise, alliances and scale to build for bigger thinking. We start by identifying the right patterns of growth, tailored for you – whether it’s expanding into new digital products or entering new markets and ecosystems. Then we make your reinvention real – taking you from concept to creating and capturing new business value.

Whether you’re beginning your innovation journey or already pursuing reinvention, our expertise can help you achieve value capture quicker. Contact us now!

Main Stage

“ Cooperation is as impor­tant as aid”: Evgenia Paliy Written by MARC FASSONE

Photo ROMAIN GAMBA

Evgenia Paliy, president of the Luxembourg-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, stressed the importance of cooperation to help Ukraine at the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo The Box on Wednesday.

It’s a broad cooperation that goes beyond military matters and ranges from technology to education.

Asked what she hopes to gain from her country’s participation in Nexus2050, Evgenia Paliy, at the tech conference, answers bluntly. “I think it is important, in this period of conflict, to show the importance of cooperating with Ukraine. Charitable aid, financial aid and weapons are all very important. But technological cooperation is just as important.”

Evgenia Paliy wants to take advantage of Nexus2050 to increase cooperation between Ukraine, Luxembourg and Europe.

cooperation: “To prepare for Ukraine’s Need for cooperation on all fronts accession to Europe, it is also important to The most obvious area for cooperation is forge links with experts in regulation, techcybersecurity. “We have suffered over a nology, artificial intelligence and data prothousand cyber attacks in recent months. tection. We need experts and we’re looking On this front line, we have demonstrated for partnerships to fund all these projects.” our resilience. All the tools we have developed are tested in real-life conditions.” Educating veterans This experience is backed up by a striking The final area of cooperation concerns argument: “This frontline also affects education and training. These are sectors Europe. We saw this during the recent in which Ukraine is not lagging behind. But election periods, when personal data was the war has changed all that. With stolen or hospitals were attacked.” She conscription, many people who could also hopes that awareness of the danger and be useful on the cybersecurity front are the skills of the Ukrainians will encourage being sent off to fight. In the opposite the establishment of new technological direction, many veterans are sent back to and financial partnerships. the rear. There are currently a million of The official opening of negotiations on them. These people are not destined to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union return to the front line quickly. The Ukraion 25 June 2024 opens up other areas of nian government has plans for them: to 24

train them “quickly” in technological professions in general and in cybersecurity in particular. “To achieve this, we need experts in education and training.” Experts whose field of action will not be limited to veterans, but will include their families, including wives and children. “Without the support of Luxembourg and European countries, we won’t be able to do it.”

THE FUTURE OF LUXEMBOURG’S DIGITAL EDUCATION Institutions and partners of the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth & the Ministry of Research and Higher Education

dlh.lu

Closing the digital skills gap by providing in-person trainings in various sectors of IT.

infpc.lu

Promoting and providing access to information about lifelong learning.

lmddc.lu

Your digital enabler for skill development in Luxembourg through content production, tool development, and community support.

bee-secure.lu

Raising awareness among the general public for a safer, more responsible use of digital technologies.

techschool.lu

Empowering the next generation to become the digital leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators of the future.

Finance Stage

The Nexus of Wealth and Wisdom

26

The Finance Stage at Nexus2050 was a hub of insightful discus­ sions and expert perspectives.

Guided by the dynamic duo of Ethan Pierse and Jonathan Prince as Masters of Ceremony, the stage delved into critical themes shaping the financial world. Topics included FinTech innovations, blockchain, sustainable finance, investment strategies, regulatory challenges, and the impact of artificial intelligence on financial services.

Attendees experienced a blend of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interactive sessions that illuminated the future of finance.

27

Finance Stage

How digital finance players can grow their business and preserve margins Written by AARON GRUNWALD

Photo MARIE RUSSILLO

Increased competition, higher customer expectations and rising costs are putting pressure on digital financial services providers.

Companies should focus on cost-effective fintech solutions that customers will actually use, two fintech CEOs have said.

The comments came on a “CEO insights” panel at the Nexus2050 technology conference on 27 June 2024.

The covid-19 pandemic induced a “complete revolution” in the fintech space, said Harry Gill, chairman of Pay10. The firm is a major player in instant payments and digital wallets in India and the Gulf region, and plans to expand into Europe. Pre-covid, cash was king in India, with a mere 500,000 digital payments per year, Gill stated.

Post-covid, cashless transactions have taken over, with the firm clocking up 13bn digital payments just in the month of May 2024.

He does not anticipate any decline in volumes: “No one wants to go back.”

Solutions as a service Gill said firms designing fintech solutions should think in equal parts about “who will use it” and cost. “Cost should not discourage” potential customers--both businesses and consumers--from using an app. For example, Pay10 developed a QR code-based payment systems for small merchants like vegetable stand vendors for whom buying a dedicated payments machine would be prohibitively expensive.

“Technology is only as good as” its level of usage, said Gill. If a company builds “a great technology, but no one uses it,” then it’s a failure. In addition to a use case, companies should in parallel outline “the adaptability case and the profitability case.”

28

Jonathan Prince of Finologee, Harry Gill of Pay10 and Toshihiko Otsuka of Rakuten European Bank are seen speaking at the Nexus2050 technology conference, held at Luxexpo, 27 June 2024.

Rakuten is a Japanese conglomerate with more than 80 businesses in e-commerce, media, financial services and other sectors globally. Its European financial hub, based in Luxembourg, serves sister companies across the EU. Toshihiko Otsuka, CEO of Rakuten Europe Bank, said the group would like to extend this model--“payment as a service,” “banking as a service” and “lending as a service”--further across the group and to “non-Rakuten companies as well.”

User acquisition cost Customer acquisition costs have been “skyrocketing” and don’t appear to be slowing down, said Otsuka. When asked why that was by the panel moderator, Jonathan Prince, co-founder and chief sales officer at Finologee, Otsuka replied that the number of “players are increasing and consumers are getting more demanding.”

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

The future of generative AI is being written now.

Grab your keyboard and start authoring.

Acquire the knowledge to be on the front lines of generative AI revolution.

Join the Generative AI foundations challenge to: • Dive into the powerful tools and techniques that drive AI engineering.

• Gain hands-on experience building applications with Gemini.

• Unlock the full potential of multimodal AI and so much more.

Scan the QR code below to start learning.

Finance Stage

Mutualisation can help boost competitiveness, say panellists Written by LYDIA LINNA

Photo LYDIA LINNA

Experts from Luxembourg’s financial industry talked about the challenges and opportunities in mutualisation during a panel at the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo on 26 June. We’re all in the “same boat,” they said, and mutualisation offers the sector the opportunity to improve things together.

expo on 26 June 2024. That makes it tough--especially for smaller players--to adapt quickly enough. It isn’t all just gloom though, he added, because regulation can be seen as an opportunity to create a good customer experience.

Staying on top of and implementing regulation are challenges, said Cara Browne, head of relationship management and provider oversight, but streamlining processes can help. This is an opportunity to collaborate and drive the market forward as “trailblazers,” she argued.

Major challenges facing the financial sec- Competition is healthy, but compete tor today are regulation and the speed at where it matters which it comes, began Sinan Sar, manag- While Luxembourg might be a small couning director at United International Man- try, added Abderrahmane Saber, partner in agement, during a panel on mutualisation advisory & consulting at Deloitte, there’s a at the Nexus2050 tech conference at Lux- giant number of players in the financial sec-

tor. This “concentration” can lead to competition and players have to find a way to differentiate themselves.

Indeed, besides the weight of regulation, entities in the grand duchy are also facing cost pressures, said Serge Munten, head of operations at Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, making it key for them to find ways to differentiate themselves with clients. But it’s also an opportunity to develop shared services, he noted. Six Luxembourg banks, for instance, announced in November 2023 a shared ATM network. The next challenge is how to make processes even more efficient.

At the end of the day, with regulation, cost pressure and the need for more efficiency, we’re all in the same boat, said Sar. Luxembourg’s competitiveness as a country has dropped, but mutualisation is “a very powerful tool” that can help bring it back.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

L to r: Moderator Anna Sobkow (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) and panellists Serge Munten (Banque Internationale à Luxembourg), Abderrahmane Saber (Deloitte), Cara Browne (EQT Group) and Sinan Sar (United International Management), pictured during their panel at the Nexus2050 tech fair at Luxexpo The Box, 26 June 2024

30

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Finance Stage

DLT uptake “slow but growing:” CSSF’s Karen O’Sullivan Written by KANGKAN HALDER

Photo MAISON MODERNE

The CSSF’s Karen O’Sullivan addressed the slow adoption of distributed ledger technology, the evolving landscape of central bank digital currencies and the regulatory impact of markets in crypto-assets regulation at the Nexus2050 tech conference on Thursday.

On the second and final day of the inaugural edition of the Nexus2050 tech conference in Luxembourg on Thursday 27 June 2024, Karen O’Sullivan, head of the payment services division at the Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (CSSF), shared insights on distributed ledger technology (DLT), central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and crypto- and digital assets. The session, moderated by Chris Hollifield, head of business development at Luxembourg for Finance, the grand duchy’s financial centre development agency, began with O’Sullivan highlighting the slow pace of DLT adoption in the financial world, though she acknowledged that its use is increasing.

DLT O’Sullivan detailed that DLT applies to both financial and non-financial assets, each with distinct regulatory needs and obligations. She explained that for investment funds with native tokenised products, such as tokenised shares or units on DLT, the register can still be off-chain, requiring traditional transfer agents and conventional regulatory requirements. If a digital twin of the register is created, both on-chain and off-chain solutions are available without necessitating a new licence, 32

Karen O’Sullivan from Luxembourg’s financial regulator CSSF, on the right, provided insights on DLT, CBDCs and Mica compliance at Luxembourg’s inaugural Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo, 27 June 2024, with Chris Hollifield, on the left.

as the physical register remains regulated by traditional regimes. This has no impact on investors. However, in the case of a digital-only register, regulatory requirements change, necessitating investor awareness of these changes, particularly in the tokenisation of real-world assets, which could be traded on secondary markets.

DLT pilot projects Responding to Hollifield’s observation of the low uptake of DLT pilot projects, O’Sullivan confirmed that only six or so pilot projects using DLT had been considered by the CSSF, with none receiving final approval.

She attributed the low uptake to three main reasons: the limited scope of permissible DLT applications, which exclude crypto-assets and are confined to traditional financial products like funds and shares.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Finance tools and insights that lead the way

helping business flow

Our trusted partners.

Finance Stage

Don’t pluck out fintech talent; plow them back in

Southeast Asia fin­tech in the spotlight at tech conference

Written by LYDIA LINNA

Written by LYDIA LINNA

Amor Maclang and Alex Panican--representing associations from the Philippines and Luxembourg-talked about fintech around the world during the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo on 27 June.

Delano caught up with them after to hear about the Lhoft’s catapult programme for Southeast Asia and the importance of not plucking talent away.

Representatives of the Southeast Asian fintech industry gave Nexus2050 attendees in Luxembourg insights into their markets.

The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology in April 2024 launched an acceleration programme called Catapult: Inclusion SE Asia to boost financial inclusion in the Asean region. Fifteen fintech startups from Southeast Asia were selected for a two-week bootcamp that was held in Bangkok, Thailand (in April) and in Luxembourg (in June). Delano caught up with Amor Maclang, convenor of Digital Philipinas and co-founder of the International Digital Economies Association, and Lhoft’s deputy CEO Alex Panican at the Nexus2050 tech conference to hear more about the programme and nurturing fintech talent.

Serving the “global digital majority” How did Southeast Asian fintechs end up in the Luxembourg programme? The International Digital Economies Association focuses on the “global digital majority,” of which India, Africa and Asean countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) are “very strong pillars.” The organisation aims to advance global digital integration and support startups. But “the last thing that we want is to take startups, where they are, solving problems where they’re needed, and then incubating them in--no disrespect intended--global north countries like the UK or the US,” said Maclang. Take Revolut, for instance, which Britain considers its “pride and joy.” The neobank, she pointed out, is actually Lithuanian.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

34

“We are all coming from Southeast Asia, the fastestgrowing fintech and digital economy region in the world,” said moderator Amor Maclang from the Digital Philipinas and International Digital Economies Association, introducing her fellow panellists.

Representatives from Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand shared insights about the fintech scenes in their countries during a discussion at the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo on 27 June 2024.

Chonladet Khemarattana from the Thai Fintech Association noted that the Bank of Thailand has opened up applications for virtual banking licences in a bid to provide banking services to those who are underserved. In addition, the Bank of Thailand carried out a public consultation on open banking and open data in December 2023 and is working on draft policy on the topic. In this way, he said, we “can serve the underserved much better.”

Malaysia has two regulators and a very developed financial ecosystem, explai­ned Farah Jafaar from the Malaysia Fintech Association. The country’s Securities Commission regulates digital assets, she added, and Malaysia is the only jurisdiction in Asia with digital asset custody and is a “leader” in blockchain.

Besides block­chain and tokenisation, Islamic finance is another domain where the country has expertise.

Cambodia has the KHQR, said Weena Llona from the Cambodian Association of Finance and Technology. This QR code is part of a block­chainbased system that can be used for retail payments and transfers across banks, financial institutions and payment service providers.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

PARTNER CONTENT

Cybersecurity: Facing new challenges Cyber-attacks, scams and extortion attempts have become part of our daily lives, whether at work or at home. A development that calls for heightened vigilance and proactive measures.

obstacles, cybercriminals are turning to more vulnerable targets.

THE HEARTSTRINGS Individuals can be targeted because of what they own, what they represent or even as a gateway to the company that employs them. Attack techniques are constantly evolving: pretending to be the boss to request urgent payment via a corrupted file, sending a text message supposedly from ‘mum’ to unblock a transfer that does not go through, or using a misleading email promising benefits in exchange for personal data. You need to be vigilant to protect yourself against these new forms of scam.

Credits

Foyer Group

Antoine Leblais, Deputy CISO, Foyer Group

The world has changed. Technical cyber-attacks are now joined by those based on social engineering. As a result, incident management is no longer the sole responsibility of IT managers, it has become a shared responsibility. Everyone, from senior leadership to individual employees, must be involved in safeguarding digital assets and sensitive information.

Hackers have shifted their focus from exclusively targeting large companies with high economic potential or sensitive sectors such as health or transport. Now, private individuals, with their savings and personal data, are also in their sights. In this new landscape, even small vulnerabilities can have significant repercussions.

Companies have specialised teams, employ ethical hackers and regularly test the robustness of their information systems. The authorities, meanwhile, are stepping up requirements in terms of risk management, resilience and business continuity. Faced with these

RAISING AWARENESS: A MAJOR CHALLENGE Raising awareness, in both the private and professional spheres, is crucial to countering these threats. ‘We are well aware of the importance of this approach,’ explains Antoine Leblais, Deputy CISO of Foyer Group. ‘That’s why we inform our customers as soon as a new type of threat appears, and train our staff, agents and managers in the dangers and consequences of cybercrime.

The awareness programme put in place by Foyer includes training, quizzes, role-playing and even a TV series on the subject. More and more resources are being invested in cyber defence, because a successful attack can have serious consequences, both for the company and for its customers.

‘Cyber security is an ongoing challenge,’ emphasises Antoine Leblais, ’but with good practice and increased vigilance, it is possible to navigate serenely in this constantly changing environment.’

FOYER GROUP presse@foyer.lu Tel. 437 43 3227

Finance Stage

Shifting from a run-the-bank mentality towards innovation is hard Written by SYLVAIN BARRETTE

Photo ROMAIN GAMBA

Banking professionals discussed their technological contributions to the bank and fund businesses in AI, tokenisation of securities, regulatory compliance and the efficient onboarding of funds during a Nexus2050 panel.

Speakers stressed the need for educating teams and having a clear understanding of the subject matter to overcome internal challenges.

“Innovation has been in the centre of the financial industry. The first ATM in 1967 at Barclays [Bank], the launch of the Nasdaq and Swift in 1970 and then of the first digital bank in 1995, four to five years after the launch of internet,” said Laurent Marochini, head of innovation at Société Générale Securities Services in Luxembourg. Surprisingly, Marochini thinks that innovation in the financial sector has experienced a “strong slowdown” since 2008 on the back of more regulation, he said at the Nexus2050 technology conference on 26 June 2024. On the other hand, he noted that innovation had a lot to do with “dealing with regulations.”

“It is not easy to be the first” “A project is a kind of a stool with three legs.

One is communication, one is governance and the last one is momentum,” said Raphael Machet, head of regulatory projects and digital assets practice, BNP Paribas Luxembourg. He suggested that talking about a project (communication) or finding a sponsor, sometimes a client (governance), is not challenging. “Momen36

Delano attended the “Banks and funds in Luxembourg: Engaging on the innovation highway” panel discussion at the Nexus2050 technology conference at Luxexpo in Kirchberg on 26 June 2024.

tum means: are you really ready to make the change?” Machet explained that he got strong internal pushback three years ago when some clients wanted to launch digital bonds. Compliance was opposed as it was perceived at BNP Paribas as “too complicated and risky.” His uphill battle started by explaining the product, educating colleagues in different departments and having many of them attend training sessions. Leaders in each of the departments emerged and became points of contact to ease the introduction of new products and technologies. The ball seems to be rolling for Société Générale Forge, a

subsidiary in the Société Générale group in charge of tokenising certificate products and bonds such as for an EIB bond, according to Marochini. Besides, he noted that the bank issued, one year ago, the first tokenised bond listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Gaps to be filled in by fintech companies in EMEA Written by SYLVAIN BARRETTE

Photo ROMAIN GAMBA

Panellists discussed expanding and growing fintech companies in various regions, including Europe, Africa and the Middle East during a Nexus2050 panel.

They shared insights on the potential of different markets, successful business models and the challenges of understanding local regulations and markets.

Sebastian Schäfer, co-founder & managing director of TechQuartier, a Frankfurt-based innovation fintech hub, explained that his firm not only has a

focus on financial services, but also on agriculture and food tech. He noted that “it is not easy for fintech to break through,” but he reported successes such as Trade Republic, a neobroker with €35bn of assets under management, and the digital bank N26. “We have a community of around 600 startups and really try to infuse innovation into the banking sector in Germany.”

Schäfer thinks that it is hard to access the right people at German banks. “It is a trust issue,” but he affirmed that banks rely on fintech solutions. His organisation tries to connect firms and uses its partner network consisting of several banks “to identify their needs and challenges, and then go from there, not the other way around… we

increase the chance of having meaningful conversations and hopefully facilitate a partnership, be it an investment or a venture-client type of interaction.”

Three business areas taking off in the Nordic countries Thomas Krogh Jensen, CEO at Copenhagen Fintech, noted progress for fintech and sustainability, as well as SMEs and digitalisation, which often “offer alternative solution to the established financial industry.” Lastly, as the Nordic countries are fairly wealthy, he observed several developments “in the way we manage our wealth” (alternative advising, crypto, blockchain, etc).

Fintech morphing out of necessity Krogh Jensen noted that while less money may have been invested in the fintech world in the last two years, the number of deals in 1Q24 was nearly at an all-time high. He concluded that “investors are maybe leaving the high valuations that we’ve seen in the past and seeking to do more early-stage deals.”

Given such a status, some fintechs are diversifying away from the banking sector.

For instance, Krogh Jensen reported on a startup partnering with banks to offer loans for treatments at fertility clinics.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Delano attended the “Fintech: State of the union in Europe and beyond” panel discussion at the Nexus2050 technology conference at the Luxexpo in Kirchberg on 27 June 2024. Pictured: Moderator Alex Panican (Lhoft) and panellists Nameer Khan (MENA Fintech Association and Founder Fils), Sarah Corley (Alliance of Digital Finance and Fintech Associations), Thomas Krogh Jensen (Copenhagen Fintech), Takeshi Kito (Asian Fintech Alliance) and Sebastian Schäfer (TechQuartier).

37

Finance Stage

Banks using AI to roll out virtual assistants, not mere chatbots

AI should be about customers and employees, not just technology

Written by SYLVAIN BARRETTE

Experts discussed the AI transformation in their banks and in the industry during a panel at the Nexus2050 tech conference. The virtual assistant is becoming fast a common tool for employees and clients. A careful selection of use cases, their prioritisation and proper training of staff are crucial for effective AI integration.

“Bank security and control is in our DNA,” said Anne Goujon, head of data science laboratory at BGL BNP Paribas, on Wednesday. She explained that their AI-anti-fraud tool helped reducing false alerts by 75% and they increase detection rates to a level above 90%, “an efficient standard control process.”

BGL is focussed on customer experience by using virtual assistant tools, “a path followed by many banks,” stated Goujon. She suggested that the next phase is to have a system that “understand what you are talking about, what you want, what is your intention… [and linking them] with all the different applications of the bank.”

Christophe Atten, data science team lead at the state savings bank Spuerkeess, noted that it has been using AI since 2016 to improve customer experience that helped in providing more information to clients and to offer more innovative services faster.

In 2018, Spuerkeess’s new tool enabled the categorisation of customer transactions. Consequently, the system could propose to clients that “maybe you’re interested in this new product, we think it might be fit for you.” He suggested that 85% of clients bought one of the top three products in the next days.

Push to virtually assist The tools Spuerkeess use nowadays internally and for clients are no longer just chatbots but rather more virtual assistants “to do stuff faster and make them simpler,” stated Atten.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

38

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Written by AARON GRUNWALD

The insurance sector needs to set realistic expectations about the use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Instead of focusing on what AI can do from a technological perspective, insurers should look at how AI tools can improve the customer and employee experience, executives said during a conference.

The comments came at the Nexus2050 technology conference, held at Luxexpo, on 26 June 2024.

“The insurance sector has been accused of being a laggard” in technological transformation, said Matt Moran, leader EMEA insurance deals & value creation, insurance industry advisory and technology alliances at PWC in Luxembourg. However, when it comes to AI, for insurers, “if you don’t adopt, you’ll die in the next five years, in my opinion.”

Die another day?

Marc Lauer, CEO at Foyer Group, pointed out that the insurer has been operating for more than 100 years and has often been warned that upstarts would drive it out of business, “but that didn’t happen.” That said, AI “will change all lines of business” in the insurance sector, Lauer said on the “Impact of AI in the insurance industry” panel.

First, AI will impact customer experience, said Jean Elia, managing director at Sogelife. That will mainly come from transformed customer expectations. Second, jobs at insurers “will not disappear”, he said, but transformed to more added-value positions. In turn, it “will be fun for [employees] to work in an insurance company, Elia said. Third, AI will disrupt business models, likely upturning distribution networks.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Émilie Allaert: “DLT helps avoid greenwashing” Written by GUILLAUME MEYER

Photo EVA KRINS

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) has a role to play in achieving the goals of sustainable finance.

That was the message from Émilie Allaert, head of the Luxembourg Blockchain Lab, when she spoke at Luxexpo as part of the Nexus2050 technology conference.

Financing a green future through innovation in distributed ledger technology (DLT). That is the subject of a white paper due to be published shortly. The report’s co-author, Émilie Allaert, head of the Émilie Allaert co-authored the white paper “Financing green futures through DLT innovation”.

Luxembourg Blockchain Lab, presented Allaert is seen at the Nexus2050 technology conference, 27 June 2024. its conclusions at Nexus2050 on Thursday 27 June at Luxexpo The Box. DLT is a digital technology for recording asset transactions in which the details of the What role can DLT play in achieving Internet of Things, for example, we can use transaction are recorded in several places the sustainable development goals? sensors to accurately measure greenhouse at the same time. Unlike traditional regis- There is currently a lot of activity in the field gas emissions throughout the production ters, DLT is decentralised and can be more of sustainable finance. Many solutions exist cycle. The data captured by the sensors is secure because each party in the network without the use of DLT, and it is not neces- then immutably recorded in the blockchain. must validate changes collectively. sary to use it systematically. But DLT is an In this way, they reflect actual emissions invaluable tool that helps to avoid greenwas- rather than estimates.

What is the purpose of this white paper? hing by ensuring that the information proTogether with Oriane Kaesmann from the vided, in particular the labelling of Lhoft and other contributors, we thought investments, is reliable. In this way, we can about the potential impact of DLT in the ensure that the data as extracted is correct field of green finance, in particular how right up to the moment it reaches the hands these technologies can support sustai- of the citizen or the financial institution that nable development goals. Our white paper has to make an investment decision.

REWATCH IT READ FULL ON YOUTUBE ARTICLE HERE explores how Luxembourg can position itself in this area. We analyse the different If the data is no good from the outset, applications of DLT in sustainable finance, DLT won’t change a thing. assess the educational needs and discuss This is where the combination with other Luxembourg’s place in this landscape. technologies becomes interesting. With the 39

Finance Stage

Picture Report Finance Stage 1

2

3

5

4 1 N ick Ashton (HSBC Luxembourg), Geoffrey Dezoppy (Avaloq), Roger Kramer (Spuerkeess), Ananda Kautz (ABBL) 2 Romain Swertvaeger (EY), Thomas Moser (Swiss National Bank), Biba Homsy (Homsy Legal) 3 Antoine Leblais (Deputy CISO of Foyer Group) 4 Ethan Pierse (Borderless Ventures), David Ford (Silverpeak LLP), David Shrier (Visionary Future LLC), David Dana (EIF), Adam Niewinski (OTB Ventures), Pierre Festal (Promus Ventures) 5 Patrice Witz (PwC Luxembourg), Sébastien Respaut (Microsoft Luxembourg) 6 François Dupont (Sage)

40

6

7

8

7 C hris Hollifield (LFF), Douglas L. Feagin (Antv International) 9

11

13

8 Patrick Stäuble (Teylor AG) , Laurent Hengesch (Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital)

10

9

icoletta Centofanti N (LSFI), Julien Froumouth (ABBL), Anne Calteux (European Commission), Tiago Freire de Andrade (Lynxai)

10

tthakrit Chimplapibul A (BitKub), Ami Nagata (bitFlyer), Solenne Niedercorn-Desouches (Gokyo), Ethan Pierse (Borderless Ventures), Kevin Riou (Swissquote Bank)

11

mélie Madinier A (Le Village by CA Luxembourg), Adina Grigoriu (Active Asset Allocation), Tanguy Polet (Swiss Life France), Marie-Hélène Massard (Foyer Group)

12

I sadora Pardo (ALFI), Roberto Petrarulo (Clearstream), Julien Wolff (6 Monks), Hubert Grignon Dumoulin (CACEIS), Mindaugas Miskinis (Fireblocks)

13

ars Weber (SpuerL keess), Jérôme Duchêne (Schroders), Jean-Louis Schiltz (SCHILTZ & SCHILTZ)

14

Pascal Morosini (i-hub)

12

14

41

PARTNER CONTENT

Nexus2050: 7 lessons in AI we will take into the next year Nexus2050 was a remarkable gathering that united experts, thought leaders, and innovators. An invaluable opportunity for attendees to engage in meaningful discussions, debates, and knowledge-sharing sessions. In this article, Deloitte will share 7 lessons learned with the wider public. From network and scalability strategy to trust and infrastructure, discover which strategies to consider as you lead your organization through AI adoption.

1. NOT JUST NODES: NETWORK IS CRITICAL FOR DEVELOPMENT When it comes to navigating novel technological landscapes, who you have in your network and feedback loop is key. At Deloitte, we’re dedicated to developing use cases for our clients; but we are able to do this through our exchange with core partners that include AWS, NVIDIA, Google, LuxProvide, SAP, Salesforce and LHoFT. By generously sharing knowledge and experiences, we can learn and innovate more rapidly.

For instance, only through this network were we able to exchange valuable insights on building and utilizing AI across various domains. We addressed CRM adoption of AI with Salesforce; HR and Finance use case development with SAP; Data querying solutions using Generative AI (GenAI) with Google and powerful NVIDIA-based models for managing company operations and t voicecontrolled drones with AWS. In return, we shared our own advancements in the safe adoption of AI, lessons on customizing AI models with retrieval augmented generation systems (RAGs), and fine-tuning models to build AI agents. All of this knowledge was exchanged within the 30 sqm of Deloitte’s booth over just two days. But none of this

would have been possible if we were working in a vacuum; your network is key.

2. SCALING: IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING SPECIFIC CHALLENGES IS KEY For the past decade, AI developments within organizations often stayed in the background— powering growth for some while marking careful explorations for others. Many projects remained in the minimum viable products (MVPs) or proof of concept (PoC) stages. This mindset influenced decisions on tools, timelines, and technology stacks, often leading to solutions that were hard to scale.

The recent boom in AI, however, has enabled faster development and value extraction. Large language models (LLMs) have garnered significant attention, prompting us to rethink our approach to AI and expanding its potential use cases. That said, according to the Deloitte Generative AI Enterprise Report (Q3), nearly 70% of respondents indicated their organization has moved 30% or fewer of their GenAI experiments into production, and scaling those AI development has proven challenging, especially for those that started on the wrong trajectory.

Through sharing our own project experiences, experts confirmed that naming

the specific challenges and finding the specific solution will be key to effectively scaling. This includes identifying your ideal: generative platform, cloud solutions, and strengthening your model a and adoption strategies. It is often through identifying and addressing these smaller pieces that can lead to a potential for scaling.

3. ESSENTIAL BEST PRACTICES: BUILDING TRUST IS CRITICAL FOR WIDESPREAD ADOPTION Building trust in GenAI is essential for its widespread adoption. To achieve this, it is critical to adhere to several best practices.

Verification: Always ensure rigorous fact-checking to validate the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated outputs. This step mitigates the risk of dispersing incorrect information, thereby maintaining credibility. To this point, it’s advisable to use GenAI within your field of expertise. Having domain-specific knowledge enables users to better identify and address biases or hallucinations in AI outputs, ensuring its accurate and effective application.

Transparency: Clearly communicate to stakeholders how AI systems operate and what they are intended to achieve. This

openness builds confidence by reassuring them that the technology is designed to augment human capabilities rather than replace them.

Ethical practices: It is critical to enforce guidelines that emphasize fairness, accountability, and inclusivity. Following these ethical standards not only ensures compliance with regulations but also fosters a trustworthy environment for AI deployment.

Continuous improvement protocols: User feedback is crucial to iteration. Engaging with users to gather insights and experiences helps refine and enhance your AI systems over time. Demonstrating this commitment to tailoring the technology to user preferences shows your dedication to building a tool for them, further solidifying their trust in the system.

4. AI LITERACY: STRENGTHENING SKILLS AND ENCOURAGING EXPERIMENTATION WILL ENHANCE INNOVATION Generative AI's full potential can only be realized through widespread AI literacy across all organizational levels. In a market that has become increasingly competitive for AI talent, organizations have been aggressively pursuing new hires but are also focusing on training their existing workforce. But it is important to note that this effort to maximize the value of AI will require empowering teams with not only the skills they need to be confident but the freedom to experiment. This approach will ensure that employees are leveraging AI tools effectively.

5. EMERGING AND FUTURE PROSPECTS: THE BOOM’S BENEFITS HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN Some organizations are already experiencing the benefits of Gen AI and anticipate further advantages in the future. According to Deloitte's State of Generative AI in Enterprise Report (Q2) 2024, summarizing a survey of 1,982 director- to C-suite-level respondents across six industries and six countries conducted between January and February 2024, 27% of organizations currently report improved efficiency and productivity, while 56% expect additional benefits down the line. Furthermore, 28% note that GenAI models enhance existing products, and 22% state that the adoption of Generative AI has enabled their workers to transition from low-value to high-value tasks; an additional 26% expect this benefit to grow. Overall, it is fair to summarize that extracting value from GenAI has already yielded significant advantages, with more expected to come. we expect that this pace will continue across data science and various

industries over the next few years, achieving new capabilities and wider adoption .

6. COMPUTATIONAL POWER: CUSTOM AND HYBRID SOLUTIONS ARE THE NEXT STEP IN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE Computational power is derived from hardware that is managed by software; together they enable massive AI models to run effectively. The recent surge in attention towards AI, particularly those driven by large language models (LLMs), is largely due to the models’ scale. This scale has been made possible through efficient advancements in hardware production and the massive expansion of high-computing platforms. For many companies thus far, this has always led to a fundamental dilemma: Should they opt for cloud-based solutions or build on-premises infrastructure? Both options have pros and cons to be considered in terms of scalability, capability, security, or control.

Luckily, as hybrid and alternative approaches enter the market, levering computational power in new ways make the need to choose between one or the other increasingly diversified. Consider local cloud solutions and sovereign supercomputing offerings, for example. As the market develops, organizations will have increasingly diverse and customizable options when it comes to harnessing the enabling power needed for AI. This shift allows us to envision an AI evolution that isn’t confined to a binary decision, but instead flexes computational resources in a way that best meets an organization’s specific needs and goals.

7. MITIGATING RISK: BROADER IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERVENTIONS IS NEEDED TO ADDRESS CONCERNS According to Deloitte survey respondents, three of the top four barriers to the successful development and deployment of GenAI tools go beyond the more obvious challenges of implementation, adoption strategies, and difficulty identifying use cases. Instead, the top three concerns are driven by the new risks that are specific to these tools: model bias and hallucinations; privacy concerns and trust issues; and protecting new attack surfaces. Consequently, only 23% of organizations feel highly prepared for the challenges GenAI poses to their risk management and governance. As GenAI moves from small-scale pilots to large-scale deployments, managing risks will become crucial, as evidenced by respondents identifying effective risk management as the second-most important factor for driving value in their GenAI initiatives. To build trust and ensure responsible

use, some of the organizations survey are establishing governance frameworks (51%), monitoring regulatory compliance (49%), and conducting internal audits and testing (43%). However, over half of the respondents have not yet implemented any intervention.

CONCLUSION Despite AI advancements, nearly 70% of organizations have moved only 30% or fewer of their Gen AI experiments into production, facing scaling challenges. Building trust in AI is crucial. We look forward to implementing the insights proposed in this article in our client support strategies, and we eagerly anticipate next year's event.

AUTHORS:

NICOLAS GRIEDLICH Partner, Artificial Intelligence & Data ANKE JOUBERT Senior Manager, Artificial Intelligence & Data LIUBOMYR BREGMAN Senior Manager, Artificial Intelligence & Data

PureTech Stage

PureTech Innovations: AI, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, and Beyond The PureTech Stage at Nexus2050 showcased discussions on cutting-edge technologies and innovations, including advancements in artificial intelligence, cyber­ security strategies, blockchain applications, and the future of quantum computing.

Prominent tech industry leaders, researchers, and innovators shared their insights and experiences. The stage explored the intersection of technology with various sectors, highlighting real-world applications and future trends. Lara-Sophie Bothur and Leo Sharma, Masters of Ceremony, expertly led the sessions, ensuring engaging and insightful discussions throughout the event.

44

45

PureTech Stage

Daniel Kahn: “Don’t rush into going international” Written by IOANNA SCHIMIZZI

Photo DANIEL KAHN/ARCHIVES

While many Luxembourg companies dream of expanding into the United States or Asia, lawyer and entrepreneur Daniel Kahn, founder of Red Bridge, warned them not to rush into developing their product on the European market first during the Nexus2050 technology conference.

During a keynote address at Nexus2050 on Wednesday 26 June on international market opportunities for Luxembourg companies, you stressed the need not to rush into anything.

Yes, you don’t go to the United States, Asia or the Middle East if you’re not ready. The product has to be finished, there have to be customers, repeat customers, you don’t go international with cobbled-together products. If you’re looking to sell a product, you need to look at the country or zone where there is the greatest demand for the product, and where there isn’t too much competition, or at least where you think you’re better than the competition.

Is there potential for Luxembourg companies?

Of course, and you don’t go abroad just to sell a product, but also to find additional investors or partners. And depending on your motivation and the market, i’’s in your interest to go to a particular area.

Are there certain sectors where Luxembourg has a better chance of developing internationally?

Space, a sector in which the country has many companies, since it was a priority 46

Daniel Kahn, international business strategist, tech advisor and founder of Red Bridge Law, said during the Nexus2050 technology conference at Luxexpo, 26 June 2024

sector for the previous government. Clearly, they are going to have to expand internationally, as Luxembourg is not a big enough market for them to develop. We also have a real strength in fintech and insurtech, and there are real areas to develop internationally, including cybersecurity.

But before attacking Asia, the United States or the Middle East, you first need to develop in Europe?

Most of the time, yes. It’s better to already have a presence in several European countries, because it’s a lot simpler and it.s right next door. And then you expand out of Europe.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Technology for business sustainability Written by LÉNA FERNANDES

Photo MAISON MODERNE

Lubomila Jordanova and Bouchra Kidah, two women at the head of technology companies that help businesses to become more environmen­ tally responsible, took the floor of Nexus2050 PureTech Stage to talk about how they have built their respective businesses.

Jordanova left everything behind to embark offering green IT consultancy services, she on a new path, focused on sustainability. took action within UFO² itself: “We started At UFO² Consulting, a business consul- with small things, like limiting printing and tancy, managing partner Bouchra Kidah recycling, integrating electric models into explained that their work on the environ- our fleet of cars... Then we thought about mental impact of companies began with our own business, what we offer our cusan internal reflection. tomers and the environmental impact of Jordanova said she realised that, thanks our activity. So we defined a new strategy to the data, a real “correlation between that took account of this issue, while maineconomic stability and our way of unders- taining our objective of profitability.” tanding nature” could be made. She also A number of observations were made: believes that to have a real impact on “We didn’t have enough data at our dispoThe CEO and founder of Plan A, a provi- businesses, we need to talk to them “about sal to train our artificial intelligence der of solutions and expertise for decarbo- what is happening today, not in 50 years’ models, so we decided to collect and nising businesses, first became aware of time”, and about how taking environmen- consolidate the data ourselves. The idea is the comfort of her daily life in London and tal issues into account can “support a then to share our findings, to democratise her work in the world of finance, when she company’s economic value”. And “that’s the subject of sustainability in business.” took part in a rubbish collection on a beach, where we arouse the interest of CEOs and she said at Nexus2050 on Wednesday 26 other managers”. Kidah is well aware of Assessing every aspect of the business June. After this “reality check”, Lubomila this as a company director, because before By offering software that automates the calculation of CO2 emissions, plans their reduction and helps with ESG reporting, Plan A enables companies to “put a tangible figure behind each of their structures”.

Jordanova cites the fast-food chain KFC, for whom she has worked for several years, as an example of a client. “For them, we process millions of pieces of data every month in order to find solutions to help them reduce their emissions. We also invite all their suppliers and stakeholders to take an interest in the subject.”

WATCH LUBOMILA JORDANOVA’S KEYNOTE :

WATCH BOUCHRA KIDAH’S KEYNOTE :

Lubomila Jordanova, CEO and founder of Plan A, and Bouchra Kidah, managing partner of UFO² Consulting, seen speaking at the Nexus2050 technology conference, held at Luxexpo, 26 June 2024.

47

PureTech Stage

Deepfakes: many risks and a few opportunities Written by MAËLLE HAMMA

Photo MAËLLE HAMMA

On the second day of Nexus2050, Thursday 27 June, a panel was devoted to the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence and deepfakes.

Often associated with risks and misinformation, deepfakes also present advantages and can be a business opportunity, provided certain conditions are met.

Djamila Aouada, head of the computer vision, imaging and machine intelligence (CVI2) research group at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT), also sees a promising side, L to r: Maxime Dehaut, head of IT at the CFL, moderated a panel featuring researcher provided that its use is well thought out, Djamila Aouada, Banque de Luxembourg IT engineer Loris Bergeron, Ella Media CEO Michael Keusgen and European Commission advisor Juha Heikkilä and an excellent source of creativity. “One example is Synthesia, which was created by researchers and allows you to create avatars. They’re fakes, but the tool can be customers by changing the language in faults are less perceptible. The better the used to avoid having to create all the con- which we interact with them, for example,” quality of a deepfake, the more difficult it tent and be more efficient. It saves effort he says. is obviously to spot these faults,” explains and money. These tools are increasingly Aouada, who draws a distinction between used by Youtubers, who can produce vid- The challenge: knowing how to detect “cheapfakes,” or poor quality deepfakes, eos without having to worry about all the But there remains a major challenge: and “high-quality deepfakes,” often based technical aspects such as lighting, filming, knowing how to detect them. This is on well-known people. “This is evolving the language used, etc.” The technique something that everyone can do in many very quickly and we, as users, will find it could also be adopted to a lesser extent in cases. According to Aouada, the first thing increasingly difficult to detect them.” businesses, according to Bergeron. “Let’s to look for is the faults in the faked mulimagine we take a company that makes timedia content, which most often takes videos for its customers, customers who the form of a video. “Synchronisation can are international. The person giving the lead to spatial defects at a given time. presentation will do so in their native lan- These can be seen, for example, in the guage--French, English, whatever. With contours of the face, at the level of its REWATCH IT READ FULL ON YOUTUBE ARTICLE HERE deepfakes, we can multiply the same delineation. There are also often tempointerview by synthesising the person’s ral defects, or lips and voice that are not voice in another language, changing the synchronised. But those who create deepsetting or whatever. So these are positive fakes sometimes play on the resolution of impacts. We can really get much closer to the data, which they pixelate so that these 48

Picture Report PureTech Stage

KEYNOTE :

Managing Scale of GenAI Through Trust

by Joakim Wahlqvist (CTO Data & AI - Sogeti Global)

PANEL : Data-driven business models :

innovation and transformation With the participation of Mamoun Benkirane (CEO – MarketLeap), Romain Hansen (Vice President, EMEA Product Development - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company), Imeshi Weerasinghe (CEO and Co-founder at WEO), Alda Sawaya (RVP Financial Services - Dataiku)

KEYNOTE :

PANEL : How to reach a

by Nagarjuna Reddy (Senior Lead, Data Architecture - Kyndryl)

With the participation of Marjorie Hamelin (Founder & CEO US Outreach), Edouard Leonet (Head of Partnerships, Asia-Pacific Region - Acclime), Brice Lecat (CEO/Founder - Xpand Advisors) Moderated by Daniel Kahn (CEO, International Business Strategist, and Tech Advisor - Red Bridge)

Data, the fuel of IT eco-system

new international market from Luxembourg

KEYNOTE :

FAIR Data Stewardship: Making Data AI-Ready

by Pinar Alper (Principal Data Steward - LNDS) and Bert Verdonck (CEO - LNDS)

KEYNOTE :

Igniting the future with GenAI

KEYNOTE:

The impact of AI on the corporate world

by Nicolas Griedlich (Partner AI & Data - Deloitte) and Giulia Pescatore (Senior Manager Innovation - Deloitte)

by Nathan Poelman (Generative AI GTM – Google)

PANEL :

AI Champions

With the participation of Ajay Bali (Partner – EY) and Joakim Wahlqvist (CTO Data & AI Sogeti Global)

49

PureTech Stage

KEYNOTE:

KEYNOTE : Fostering KEYNOTE :

KEYNOTE :

by Stéphanie Griffiths (Field CDO - Dataiku)

New Technologies in an Ever-Changing World by Bjorn Tremmerie (Head of Technology Investments - EIF, the European Investment Fund)

by Sergio Alves Domingues (CTO - Orange Cyberdefense Switzerland)

How to unlock ROAI?

PANEL : The data-driven value chain : creating new ecosystems

With the participation of Michael Mossal (Director Digital Transformation - Group CTO Office at NTT Ltd.), Jasmin Schulz (Strategic Programme Lead - Luxembourg Institute of Health), Bert Verdonck (CEO - LNDS), Gregory Nain (Co-Founder – DataThings) Moderated by David Foy (Head of Sector Development)

50

Innovation and Embracing

The Challenge of Generative Artificial Intelligence

by Patrick Buchholz (Cybereason)

Debunking three common myths about cybersecurity

OPENING WORDS : KEYNOTE :

Revolutionizing Business Models Through Cutting-Edge Technologies

by Wincho Bacuna (Senior B2B Trainer - Samsung Electronics Benelux)

Introduction: Empowering Sovereignty: High-Performance Computing and the Future of Data Infrastructure

by Paul Konsbruck (CEO - LuxConnect)

PANEL : How can HPC

enhance data sovereignty in the evolving landscape of digital infrastructure ?

With the participation of Pascal Rogiest (General Manager – Clarence), Filipe Pais (CCSO - LuxProvide), Kurt Rommens (Head of seector Benelux - Google Cloud Public)Moderated by Lara Sophie Bothur (Corporate Tech Influencer - Deloitte & Voice for Innovation in Europe)

202, Z.A.E. Wolser F | L-3290 Bettembourg

info@luxconnect.lu

www.luxconnect.lu

PureTech Stage

ASK A FOUNDER

by Startup Luxembourg Association: Legal Toolkit : what’s in it for founders and entre­preneurs by Patrick Kersten (Chairman, Co-founder – Startups.lu)

STOCKOPTION SCHEMES TODAY :

CLOSING WORDS

Conclusion: Empowering Sovereignty: HighPerformance Computing and the Future of Data Infrastructure

How to implement a ESOP scheme to attract to retain talent

by Xavier Buck (Entrepreneur, Founder & Chairman - Namespace Group)

by Arnaud Lambert (CEO - LuxProvide)

KEYNOTE :

InvestEU – support for start-ups and SMEs

by Michael Feith (Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs, InvestEU Investment Committee Secretariat - European Commission)

PANEL :

52

With the participation of Djamila Aouada (Head of the Computer Vision, Imaging and Machine Intelligence (CVI2) Research Group - SnT, University of Luxembourg), Michael Keugsen (CEO - Ella Media AG), Juha Heikkila (Adviser for Artificial Intelligence – European Commission), Loris Bergeron (Sr. Software Engineer Banque de Luxembourg) Moderated by Maxime Dehaut (AI Evangelist, Head of IT Architecture - CFL)

10X6 : INDUSTRY 4.0

Data governance, regulation, and sovereignty

With the participation of Jérôme Dierickx (Managing Directors - Terra Matters), Eric Brier (Vice President, Chief Technology Officer Cyber Digital Solutions Thales), Vanessa Butera (Director Data and information - European Investment Bank), Jolanda van Eijndthoven (Head of Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS) - European Commission) Moderated by Ralf Hustadt (Luxinnovation GIE)

PANEL :

AI Risks Unveiled : Deepfakes, Content Integrity, and Beyond

KEYNOTE :

The EU AI Strategy : Excellence - Trust – International

by Juha Heikkila (Adviser for Artificial Intelligence – European Commission)

With the participation of Daniel Liebermann (Ministry of the Economy), Olivier Vassart (ArcelorMittal), Artyom Yukhin (Artec Europe), Frank Thomé (Ceratizit Group), Julius Müller (Circu Li-ion), Julie Mouzon (Circuit Foil Luxembourg), François Cordier (Leko Labs), Paul Griffith (Michelman International), Andrea Scammacca (B Medical Systems), Marc Jacobs (Molcular Plasma Group), and Benoit Henckes (United Caps Wiltz) Moderated by Pedro Castilho (Verbalius)

KEYNOTE :

Cloud, AI, and Cybersecurity The Essential Alliance in Our Digital World by Ludovic Gilles (CEO - Elgon/POST Group)

Generative AI offers unprecedented opportunities to transform software and quality development.

Bringing together our passion for quality and our drive to create the best value from existing and future technology, our Gen AI Amplifier is ready to optimize end-to-end quality engineering within your software creation and modernization journey.

PureTech Stage

KEYNOTE :

Strategies in Cloud Computing: Ensuring Compliance and Fostering Innovation

by Ivo Haagen (Azure Cloud Evangelist, Cegeka for NSI Luxembourg)

PANEL:

AI in Organizations Hybrid Approach, Scalability Challenges

With the participation of Dr. Jochen Papenbrock (Head of Financial Technology EMEA - NVIDIA), Jean Pierre Le Goaller (Cloud Solutions Architecture Leader - Amazon Web Services), Razvan-Petru Radu (Deputy Head of Unit OP Portal - Publications Office of the EU) Moderated by Liubomyr Bregman (Senior Manager in AI & Data - Deloitte Luxembourg)

54

KEYNOTE :

Mitigating AI biases, testing AI, Ai sandboxes

by Francesco Ferrero (Director of the ITIS Department - Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology - LIST)

PANEL :

The real world : AI applications and challenges

With the participation of Anne Goujon (Head of Data Science Lab - BGL BNP Paribas), Nathan Poelman (Generative AI GTM Google), Alastair Masson (Head of Telco and Enterprise - Quantexa Ltd) Moderated by Steve Muller (Ministry of Economy)

KEYNOTE :

How emerging technology enhance project delivery?

Louis-Philippe Cardoso (Senior Manager - Deloitte)

KEYNOTE :

Generative AI: A reality check!

And why we believe it is here to stay

Anke Joubert (Senior Manager, AI & Data Deloitte Luxembourg)

CIO INSIGHTS : KEYNOTE :

Low-Code Platforms : The Bridge to the Future of Software Development

by Jean François Lecomte (Innovation & Solution Manager - Low Code Application Platforms – CBTW) and Olivier Della Maggiore (Innovation Leader – CBTW)

Maximizing Value : What CIOs Should Expect from Tech Suppliers

With the participation of Laurent Couturier (CIO Armacel), Laurent Pullincx (CIO - Luxembourg Stock Exchange) and Remy Els (CIO - Foyer Group) Moderated by Daniel Mathieu (CIO - CFL)

GenAI Business Center Welcome to the world of what’s possible with Generative AI - our GenAI Business Center, powered by Microsoft technologies.

A hub for innovation and transformation Our GenAI Business Center is designed to be a stateof-the-art hub for innovation, highlighting how the integration of PwC’s industry expertise with Microsoft’s advanced AI solutions can address complex business challenges, and unlock new opportunities.

The GenAI Business Center explores how to: • Elevate your core business using Azure OpenAI Services, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure AI Studio, or Microsoft Fabric; • Increase your productivity using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Copilot, as well as Copilot for Finance; • Rapidly innovate business cases using the Copilot Studio and the GenAI-enabled Power Platform.

Contact us today to learn more about the GenAI Business Center, our immersion sessions and how we can help your organisation make the most of GenAI’s potential.

Patrice Witz

Advisory Partner, Technology Partner and Digital Leader, PwC Luxembourg +352 621 333 533 patrice.witz@pwc.lu

Grégory Weber

Managing Director, Experience Center Leader, PwC Luxembourg +352 621 336 175 gregory.weber@pwc.lu

Andreas Braun

Advisory Director, AI & AI Lab Leader, PwC Luxembourg +352 621 332 366 andreas.braun@pwc.lu

pwc.lu

Skills Stage

Skills Unleashed: Nexus2050’s Innovation Showcase

Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education and Research of Luxembourg, introducing the 10x6 on the Skills Stage

56

At Nexus2050’s Skills Stage, Meagan Loyst led a series of engaging discussions exploring the future of technology and innovation. Highlights included a focus on the role of women in tech, cutting-edge advance­ ments in military and cyber technologies, and strategic IT partnerships in times of crisis.

The stage also featured insights into financing women entre­ preneurs, the evolving landscape of AI and cybersecurity, and the latest in decentralized technologies. Attendees gained perspectives on scaling net zero technologies, smart city innovations, and managing talent in an AI-driven world, while also delving into Ukraine’s digital strides in GovTech and FinTech.

57

Skills Stage

Smart cities: the future lies in cooperation Written by CÉLINE COUBRAY

Photo PAPERJAM

As part Nexus2050, organised at Luxexpo, presentations and a roundtable discussion were held on the theme of the Smart City on Thursday. It was an opportunity to discover cutting-edge projects on this theme.

The importance of integrating a network Erik Mannens, from imec UAntwerp ID Lab, explained that the digital twin approach has evolved in recent years: from an isolated digital twin to a digital twin with the integration of international partners and models. “To be more effective, a digital twin must be able to integrate into a network and not respond solely to local intelligence,” he said during his speech on the Nexus2050 stage. “But this requires a framework for Today, the Smart City mainly involves the such exchanges, including a secure data development of digital twins. These digi- space so that the various partners and tal twins can be fed with a wealth of infor- stakeholders in the project can deposit their mation to manage and anticipate certain data in complete confidence.” elements, such as traffic or water levels.

The ultimate aim is to create local digThis is possible thanks to the relay of ital twins based on a European toolbox connected objects and sensors, but also (Open Local Digital Twin). These OLDTs thanks to a whole range of different will represent the built environment and sources of information that can enrich the its environmental impact, with the prianalyses (such as meteorological data in mary aim of providing the tools and data the case of water levels). needed to make decisions at both opera-

tional and strategic levels, based on tangible data. These decisions may concern a number of different areas, including transport, energy, the environment or town and country planning.

If we focus on the field of transport, and more specifically the management of automobile traffic, Qatar has developed a fine example. To meet the needs of the 2022 football World Cup, the Qatar Mobility Innovations Center has set up “a real-time car flow management system, linked to the parking offer, to enable football fans to attend as many matches as possible each day and thus avoid traffic jams,” said Hamid Menouar from QMIC. Using sensors and a platform incorporating artificial intelligence, traffic can be optimised, particularly at traffic lights, and motorists informed in real time of parking availability, enabling them to choose the best option without creating a traffic jam to park their car.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

After the individual presentations, a roundtable discussion was held with the speakers on the theme of the Smart City during the Nexus2050 technology conference, 27 June 2024.

58

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Guy Castegnaro on AI in the workplace: “The time to act is now” Written by PIERRE THÉOBALD

Photo MARIE RUSSILLO

For lawyer Guy Castegnaro, employers need to get a grip on AI and its uses--because the risks are real.

“AI tools are becoming increasingly common in the workplace, impacting everything from recruitment to dismissal,” said employment lawyer Guy Castegnaro at a keynote speech delivered as part of the tech conference Nexus2050 at Luxexpo The Box. In recruitment, said the lawyer, AI systems can write job descriptions; candidates can use a chatbot when submitting their application; and AI systems can sort and pre-select CVs. In performance management, he went on, algorithms can make comparisons, detect opportunities for improvement and efficiency, and even generate a performance evaluation. And in terms of monitoring, AI systems “can track employees for health and safety reasons,” said the lawyer, such as for taxi drivers, “but also for efficiency reasons.”

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that for the employer the obligations are enormous,” said Castegnaro. “The responsibilities must be assumed by management.”

A matter of risk use the AI system in accordance with the Castegnaro, who two decades ago founded system developer’s instructions; designate the employment law firm that bears his a person to oversee the AI system who is name, warned that these uses are not wit- trained, competent and has the necessary hout risk for employers. The AI Act adop- support and authority; ensure that the ted by the European Council last May input data over which it has control is releidentifies four layers of risk--unacceptable, vant and sufficiently representative; monihigh, limited and minimal--and, applying tor the AI system in accordance with the these to the world of work, Castegnaro supplier’s instructions; report incidents to classifies AI systems used for recruitment the supplier; inform and consult and, in and selection, as well as those that make some cases, seek the authorisation of decisions that affect the employment rela- employee representatives before impletionship, as “high risk.” The resulting obli- menting an AI system.” gations are numerous: “The employer must “In some cases,” he added, “the employer

must carry out a fundamental rights impact assessment before using an AI system, for example if it is a public body providing a public service or if it operates in the banking and insurance sector.”

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

59

Skills Stage

With Goodbytz, the chef is a robot Written by CÉLINE COUBRAY

Photo GOODBYTZ

We learned a little more about the role of robots in the food industry at the Nexus2050 tech conference on Wednesday 26 June at Luxexpo The Box. Kevin Deutmarg, co-founder of GoodBytz, which offers robotic kitchen systems, explained how the system works in an interview.

Robots are used for a wide range of tasks in the food industry. They can be found in the fields planting, weeding, harvesting or scarifying, and then in tasks linked to sorting, packaging, palletising, as well as in order picking and quality control. Equipped with artificial intelligence and artificial vision systems, they are even capable of carrying out delicate tasks requiring great The robotic system enables eight dishes to be cooked in parallel, without human assistance. precision, such as decorating cakes for the patisserie.At the Nexus2050 trade fair dedicated to new technologies, Goodbytz presented an innovative system for preparing mated tasks in a single production unit, ready-made meals using an automated sys- from assembling ingredients to cooking, tem and a robotic arm. “We set up our com- packaging and even cleaning utensils. pany in Germany two years ago, at a time “Chefs enter their recipes into our syswhen the catering and hotel sectors were tem, specifying ingredients, quantities and feeling the full impact of the covid crisis cooking levels, and the production unit and difficulties in recruiting staff,” explains does the rest,” explains Deutmarg.

Kevin Deutmarg, co-founder of Goodbytz.

Different configurations are possible “We were also aware of the new trends in to meet a variety of needs: a station for healthy eating, mainly based on plant- cooking pasta, salads or Asian dishes... based ingredients, and of consumers’ desire Many recipes are possible, including for greater flexibility in mealtimes. But breakfast dishes. these trends were out of step with the food “A crucial stage for us was the full-scale industry and restaurant offerings. That’s test with the creation of a ‘ghost kitchen.’ why we invented a system that takes the We invented a restaurant brand that pressure off chefs, which can be activated offered delivery. At no point did we spec24 hours a day, on demand, while still pro- ify that the dishes were prepared by a REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE ducing high-quality food.” robot. And after just a few months in operation, we made it into the top 15% of Complete production unit restaurants rated by consumers in GerGoodbytz is developing an intelligent, com- many. And over 35% of our customers plete system that combines several auto- ordered from us at least once a week.”

60

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Women in Tech is looking for “the next Mark Zuckerberg” Written by PIERRE THÉOBALD

Photo MAISON MODERNE

Active in some fifty countries, the global organisation Women in Tech, which was invited to Nexus2050 at Luxexpo The Box on Wednes­day, is now active in Luxembourg. Its ambition is to break down stereotypes and encourage more women to take up careers in tech.

“girls come to the activities we offer, they We need to tell parents, even the most really enjoy what they do, but it’s when it educated ones, that their daughter could comes to choosing a course of study that it become the next Mark Zuckerberg,” all comes down to it,” she continues. There asserts Andrieu, who tirelessly preaches are many persistent obstacles that are pre- the good word at events and did so again on 26 June at an invigorating roundtable. sent from an early age.

“Unfortunately, children know very well what a girl’s role is and what a boy’s role is “Energising the country” in society. Education is very gendered. The Women in Tech organisation, which These are messages that are quickly inte- already has a presence in some fifty coungrated. I have a daughter. At the age of 2, she tries, now intends to carry out this awareknew that she was a girl, that her mum was ness-raising mission in Luxembourg, where “There’s still a lot of work to be done... I’ve a girl, and so on. By the age of 2 and a half, it has just started its activities. “The idea is been in business for many years, so we she knew what a girl’s toy was and what a to energise the country on this issue and know we’re having an impact. But the sta- boy’s toy was... Early childhood is where it’s highlight all the initiatives being taken at tistics don’t change.” Founder and mana- all about. Ultimately, we’re too late. But local level,” explains country director Zineb ging director of Wide Andco Marina there is room for manoeuvre, and that’s Bensaid, who is also founder and CKO of Andrieu laments the fact that year after what we need to explore,” says Andrieu.

Dealfox, a company specialising in finding year, changes in attitudes do nothing to “The fairly relevant example in Luxem- investment opportunities. Bensaid works change the fact that women remain bourg is a young girl who is doing well in hand in hand with CEO Ayumi Moore Aoki, under-represented in tech. Not that science and is advised to go into medicine. founder of Women in Tech Global, the women are losing interest. On the contrary, IT is not one of the career options on offer. international leadership structure.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Zineb Bensaid (left), country director of Women in Tech in Luxembourg, and Marina Andrieu, founder and managing director of Wide Andco. One voice for one cause.

61

Skills Stage

From virtual reality to tokenisation in education Written by CÉLINE COUBRAY

Photo PAPERJAM.LU

Aaron E. Walsh, director of the Immersive Education Initiative and the Knowledge Foundation, spoke at Nexus2050 on Thursday. He presented the role of immersive universes in the field of education and its development towards tokenisation.

Virtual reality headsets have been used for educational purposes for almost 20 years now. More often than not, it is augmented reality or virtual reality that is used for educational purposes. “The latest helmets can even be used to combine the two”, explained Aaron E. Walsh. “At the end of the sessions with these digital tools, the children would often ask us ‘What’s my score?’ And we’d have to explain to them that we thought it was great that they’d had fun learning, but that it wasn’t a ‘real’ game and so there was no score.”

Aaron E. Walsh presented advances in immersive education during the Nexus2050 technology conference, held at Luxexpo, 27 June 2024.

becoming increasingly realistic, plunging Ease of use users into immersive worlds that are very Today’s digital renderings are so much close to reality. For students, virtual more realistic that it is sometimes impos- worlds are therefore increasingly similar sible to distinguish between a real image to what they might experience in real life.” and a digital rendering. Sound can be spatialised, and body movements reproduced Earning tokens as you learn in the virtual world, including walking on The idea of earning tokens while learning a specially designed mat.Artificial intelli- has also gained ground. “Why not earn gence can be coupled to these tools, giv- tokens when a student reaches a certain ing them a higher level of complexity and level of knowledge? They could then elaboration. “Artificial intelligence has convert these tokens to continue a course also greatly democratised the production of paid study, go to university or buy basic of virtual reality. What used to take a week necessities for themselves or their famito make can now be done in a few min- lies. This could be a solution for children utes by AI, opening up new possibilities living in poverty who don’t have the for educational tools. All these technolog- opportunity to go to school because they ical advances mean that digital worlds are have to work to support the family.”

62

A partnership is currently being set up with the United Nations on this subject, and hackathons are being organised in various parts of the world to develop the solutions that would enable this system to be put in place. Stay tuned.

REWATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

Picture Report Skills Stage

PANEL :

Women & Tech

With the participation of Ayumi Moore Aoki (Founder and CEO – WOMEN IN TECH), Véronique Ziliotto (Founder – ellan) Moderated by Marina Andrieu (Managing Director - WIDE ANDCO)

PANEL :

IT Partnerships Between Businesses and Non-Profits in Times of Crises

With the participation of Maryna Saprykina (CEO - CSR Ukraine), Emin Allagui (Senior Specialist in Business Development – SES Satellites) Moderated by Nancy Thomas (Director – IMS)

PANEL :

Women & Financial investments

With the participation of Stefania Quaini (Managing Director Angels4Women (A4W)), Lisa-Marie Fassl (Managing Partner - Fund F), Ouma Sani (Manager and Trainer - Women’s Investment Club Senegal) Moderated by Marina Andrieu (Managing Director – WIDE ANDCO)

KEYNOTE :

AI & Cybersecurity – navigating a doubleedged relationship

by Pascal Steichen (Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity)

PANEL :

Cybersecurity and Technological Innovation

With the participation of Peter Kerstens (Advisor for Technological Innovation, Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity European Commission), Sylvain Hajri (Expert in Open Source Intelligence, Founder and CEO – Epieos), Guy-Philippe Goldstein (Strategic Advisor, Consultant, Teacher and Novelist), Nataliia Iskra (Director - Head of Security IT at Clearstream – Deutsche Börse) Moderated by Pascal Steichen (Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity)

63

SkillsStage

KEYNOTE :

KEYNOTE :

by Bill Roscoe (Director University College Oxford Blockchain Research Centre)

by Merete Clausen (DG GROW - Director for Investment European Commission)

Building trust through technology

Scaling up Net Zero Tech: the EU’s Strategy

REINVENTSKILLS :

Fostering Female Talent In Fintech

by The LHoFT, The Luxembourg Tech School & The National Research Fund With the participation of Mireille Adjaouté, Aleksandra Amroune, Hinde Baddou, Patricia Becerra, Luisa Bertoldi, Hannah Boughton, Tanya Endshpill, Natalia Jurado, Yukari Kato, Mara Kroth, Moc-Yung Le-Tu, Diwei Liu, Hashini Liyanage, Megan Molitor, Cecile Nivlet, Clar

FIRESIDE CHAT :

From Dubai to Luxembourg: When two women entrepreneurs connect

by Djémaia Badji (CEO Owner - BDA Global Services) and Axelle Bonnemaison (Property Consultant - businesslifedubai)

KEYNOTE :

Sandkëscht, the data protection-focused regulatory sandbox

by Sadia Berdai (Legal Advisor - CNPD)

64

KEYNOTE :

How is Luxembourg driving innovation in cybersecurity?

Bertrand Lathoud (Senior Advisor of the CEO - Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity) and Rossana Pollio (Legal Advisor - Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity)

KEYNOTE :

Driving Forward: Advancing the Frontier of Autonomous Mobility Raphael Frank (Senior Research Scientist - SnT, University of Luxembourg)

KEYNOTE :

Liberate Talent for the Future

by Tiago Forjaz (Serial Entrepreneur, CEO and Keynote Speaker - The Epic Talent Society)

PANEL :

VC Fundraising in 2024 and Beyond

by Pitch Me First & Kapital With the participation of Raphael Betti (Head of Equity Risk Management – EY), Michael Ströck (Co-Founder & CEO - Allocator One), Owen Reynolds (Principal - TEKLAS Ventures), Nathalie Jeneral (EIC Fund Investment Officer EIB), Lisa-Marie Fassl (Managing Partner - Fund F) Moderated by Tülin Tokatli (CEO, Founder - Pitch Me First)

65

SkillsStage

1

1 Mara Kroth (Co-Founder & Director - Golden Me) 2 Jeff Kaufmann (Project Manager - BEE SECURE)

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

3 Dr. Thibaud Latour (CEO - Luxembourg Media & Digital Design Center) 4 Jenna Pütz (Communication Officer - Digital Learning Hub) 5 Dr. Sergio Coronado (CIO at NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) & CEO/Founder of Luxembourg Tech School) 6 Tine Larsen (President - CNPD) 7 Cathia Gromczyk (Director - INFPC) 8 Aline Muller (Chief Executive Officer - LISER) 9 Isabelle Schlesser (Director - ADEM) 10 Marco d’Amico (Deputy Managing Director at Digital Learning Hub) 11 Moderated by Dr. Daniela Gierschek (Training managerDigital Learning Hub)

66

10

11

SkillsStage

KEYNOTE :

The superpower of interdisciplinary and transversal approaches for innovation

by Jens Kreisel (Rector – University of Luxembourg)

REINVENTSKILLS :

Fostering Female Talent In Fintech

by The LHoFT, The Luxembourg Tech School & The National Research Fund With the participation of Mireille Adjaouté, Aleksandra Amroune, Hinde Baddou, Patricia Becerra, Luisa Bertoldi, Hannah Boughton, Tanya Endshpill, Natalia Jurado, Yukari Kato, Mara Kroth, Moc-Yung Le-Tu, Diwei Liu, Hashini Liyanage, Megan Molitor, Cecile Nivlet, Clar

OPENING REMARKS :

Claude Meisch (Minister of Education, Children and Youth, The Government of Luxembourg)

68

KEYNOTE : Mind and Machine: AI-Driven Health Psychology for Disease Prevention

by Anja Leist (Full Professor – University of Luxembourg)

PANEL :

KEYNOTE :

ReinventLives: AI and Machine Learning for Disease Prevention

Zero Risk Startup

by Paulo Andrez (Forbes Books & Amazon Bestselling Author, President Emeritus – EBAN, European Business Angel Network)

With the participation of Pauline de Breteuil (Entrepreneur, Investor and Senior partner UI Investissement Majycc Innovation Santé), Anja Leist (Full Professor University of Luxembourg), Moderated by Meagan Loyst (Founder & CEO - Gen Z VCs)

PANEL :

Startup Risk Mitigation and investment attractiveness

With the participation of Paulo Andrez (Zero Risk Startup), Cristina von Mayer (Risk Taking Expert), Benjamin Tillier (Dedicated VC) Moderated by Luis Galveias (LPEA)

KEYNOTE :

Investment and Innovation in health care

by Pauline de Breteuil (Entrepreneur, Investor and Senior partner UI Investissement Majycc Innovation Santé)

69

Luxinnovation Startups Demo Arena

Innovators in the Spotlight

70

Approximately 150 startups from various technology sectors, all exhibitors at Nexus2050, participated in this event.

The audience included investors, mentors, entrepreneurs, media, and other industry professionals, offering a unique opportunity for networking and fruitful exchanges.

71

Main Stage

Luxinnovation Startups Demo Arena: Showcasing Innovation and Connecting Startups Written by ERIK LINDER

The «Luxinnovation Startups Demo Arena» was a dynamic and interactive space where the startups of Nexus2050 showcased their innovative ideas, products, and services.

The primary goal of this arena was to provide a platform for startups to gain visibility, facilitate meetings and exchanges among participants, and attract the attention of potential investors. All exhibiting startups had the opportunity to pitch in the Arena.

A jury assessed each one of them, and in the end, there was a winner...

Thank you to all the members of the jury listed below:

72

FIRST NAME

COMPANY

FUNCTION / POSITION

TEONA KHUBUTIA

LBAN

Manager

MICHEL RZONZEF

LBAN

President

JASON HISHMEH

Get Startup Funding

Partner / Investor / CTO

VICKIE HISHMEH

Get Startup Funding

Partner and Investment Director

NASSIM KERDJOUDJ

KEYENN

CEO

GRÉGOIRE YAKAN

Batipart

Head of Innovation

PAULO ANDREZ

Zero Risk Startup

Angel investor and author

MARC VINCENT

La French Tech Est

Directeur

SATURNIN PUGNET

Worldcoin

Founding Member

ANTHONY CANNELLA

EY

Partner - TMT leader

CLELIA BECK

Cycle Group

Co-Founder

SVEN BALTES

Luxinnovation Gie

Manager - Start Up Relations

OWEN REYNOLDS

Teklas Ventures

Investments

FELIX WEIS

Luxinnovation

Startup Advisor

CHRISTOPHE BIANCO

Excellium - A thales Group Company

Managing Partner

SEBASTIEN WIERTZ

Paul Wurth InCub

General Manager

ALAIN RODERMAN

Expon Capital

Managing Partner

JÉRÔME WITTAMER

Expon Capital

Founding Partner

LILY WANG

Expon Capital

Partner

MENACHEM TABANPOUR

gener8tor

Managing Director

AMÉLIE MADINIER

Le Village by CA Luxembourg

Directrice

LUIS GALVEIAS

LPEA

COO

OLIVIER ZEPHIR

Technoport Business Incubator

Senior Business Advisor

NATHALIE JENERAL

EIB, investing from EIC Fund

Investment Advisor

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

73

Main Stage

1st place: Codepresso South Korea Codepresso aims to help companies and and is “almost done setting up with incororganisations find--and retain--tech talent. porating in Luxembourg,” said Lee. “We’re Delano caught up with global growth just waiting for the final step,” which will manager Saebyuk Lee at the Nexus2050 probably be done in the coming days, and conference in Luxembourg to hear more “we’re also incorporating in Japan as well.” about what the startup offers.

A key challenge that many organisations So what are Codepresso’s plan face is finding and retaining qualified IT in the grand duchy? talent. South Korean startup Codepresso Luxembourg will be the gateway for Codehas a solution for that. presso to expand their market in Europe Founded in 2019, Codepresso counts Samsung Electronics, Hyundai and SK Saebyuk Lee, global growth manager, Telecom among its biggest clients. It spe- Codepresso cialises in tech talent attraction and acqui- “Codepresso came to Luxembourg three sition, global growth manager Saebyuk Lee years ago,” explained Lee, where they cartold Delano during an interview during the ried out market research and met potenNexus 2050 tech conference at Luxexpo tial clients, the government and partners. on 27 June 2024, and “streamlines each Afterwards, the company decided to step of acquiring qualified tech talent, from incorporate here. “Everyone in Luxeminception to termination.” bourg--the government, companies, organisations--they are working as one team Four services to support foreign companies to do Codepresso provides four main services, business activities here. Once we have the explained Lee. First, they provide com- incorporation here, they consider me as panies with quantitative, project-based a Luxembourg company, not a foreign assessments that can test candidates company, then they give the full support.” applying for jobs. Second, to help bridge “From now on, we will be finding potenskills gaps, Codepresso provides with tial customers and partners to expand our hands-on training. Third, the company market in Europe. Luxembourg will be the also carries out data-driven management. gateway for Codepresso to expand their And last, but not least, they have launched market in Europe.” Moreover, Codepresa cross-border IT recruitment platform. so’s solutions aren’t just for tech compaOnce people have taken the assessment, nies, but can be useful for any company “they can showcase their capabilities on that has software developers, small and our platform,” said Lee. “Organisations, large. “There is no limitation on our tarcompanies from anywhere around the get,” he added. The company can also help world can access our platform to easily with digital transformation, for instance, find the most suitable candidates. But it’s and has training content specific to upskilall based on quantitative metrics.” ling and reskilling traditional workers.

Codepresso was one of some 200 starFinalising incorporation in Luxembourg tups that were present at the Nexus2050 The firm, which already has a team of event, and received--just a few hours after roughly 35 people and revenue of roughly our interview--an award as the winner of $3m, is going global. The South Korean the startup pitches during the seated dinstartup has already incorporated in the UK ner that closed the conference.

74

75

Main Stage

All remaining startups COMPANY

COUNTRY

2ND HOME

Germany

FLASH PARK

Spain

3D UTU

Ukraine

FLEXHORIZON

France

AC BIODE

Japan

FLUXHR

Ukraine

ACE FUND

Independant

FLYNEX

Germany

ACTIVE ASSET ALLOCATION

France

FOUR POINT SPACE

Poland

AERND UKRAINE LLC

Ukraine

FREEDOMCODE

Ukraine

AI TECH UK

United Kingdom

FREEDOMEE

Brazil

AIPLUX

Taiwan

FRENCH TECH EST

France

ALMEXOFT

Ukraine

FUNDVIS

Luxembourg

ANOTE

Luxembourg

GENIE ENTERPRISE DEUTSCHLAND

Germany

ARSPECTRA

Luxembourg

GRAMBELL

United Arab Emirates

ARTHIS

France

HAPTICMEDIA

France

ARVICOM

Luxembourg

HERINGS

South Korea

BIM-Y

Luxembourg

HOWCOW

Ukraine

BITAFFIX

United Arab Emirates

IMKI

France

BLUE LAKE VC

Independant

INDATACORE

Morocco

BODYFEED

France

INSTO

Taiwan

CAIRN DEVICES

France

INTEGRA WORKS

United Arab Emirates

CARBON FLY

Japan

INVESTSET

Luxembourg

CARDIOMO

Ukraine

INVOPORT

Luxembourg

CLIMATE CAMP

Belgium

INYUS

France

CONNECTOLOGY

Independant

IT'S UP TO YOU

the Netherlands

CONSULTANT

Ukraine

IWARRANTY

United Kingdom

COOLROOL

France

JIANGSU JINGTIAN TECHNOLOGY

China

DCINNOVATION

Luxembourg

JOOXTER

France

DEEPMINER

United Kingdom

KARBIKES

France

DROPSLAB TECHNOLOGIES

Luxembourg

KATARU CO., LTD.

Japan

ELLEQUANT

Luxembourg

KLIMATO

United Kingdom

FABSTWINES

Luxembourg

KOTICHARGE

Finland

FILS

United Arab Emirates

LACTOSOLUTION

Italy

FINSTART

France

LBAN

Luxembourg

76

LETZAI

Luxembourg

SOPIAD

Belgium

LETZTRAIL

Luxembourg

SPACE BACKEND

Spain

LIGHTIGO SPACE

Czech Republic

SPACEDRONE

France

LINGUA CUSTODIA

France

SPENDBASE

Ukraine

LOCATIONMIND INC.

Japan

TECHNOVATOR

Ukraine

LOCKULAR

United Kingdom

THAINK2

France

MATCH JOB

France

THE WIW

France

MG-IB

France

THERMALYTICA INC.

Luxembourg

MYELIN-H

Luxembourg

TIJO STUDIO

Luxembourg

NAMKIN

France

TILDA

South Korea

NANJING ODYSSEY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY

China

TIQUEST

Luxembourg

NARU SECURITY

South Korea

TOPPAN IDGATE CO., LTD

Taiwan

NEON

Luxembourg

TRACE CRYSTAL

Luxembourg

NEWIRED

Italy

TRACKGENESIS

United Kingdom

NORDIC FINTECH COMPANIES EUROPEAN HUB

Luxembourg

TRENDTRACKER

Belgium

TROJAN SYSTEM

Ukraine

NOZVAT

France

TURING SPACE

Taiwan

PASSBOLT

Luxembourg

UPLIFT

Luxembourg

PIXTRAKK

France

USF (UKRAINIAN STARTUPS FUND)

Ukraine

PLUTO CARD

United Arab Emirates

USPACY

Ukraine

PRANA

Ukraine

UTOCAT

France

PROGALIT

Ukraine

VAULTYS

France

PSYTECH VR

Luxembourg

VESTIS LABS

Luxembourg

QAREEB

Algeria

VIDEOBOT

Finland

RAFINEX

Luxembourg

VISENSYS

Germany

REJUSTIFY

Luxembourg

VISUAL ALPHA

Japan

RESPECTUS

Luxembourg

VIZIOSENSE

France

RSS-HYDRO

Luxembourg

VSION

South Korea

SAFEAI

South Korea

WANTENT

Ukraine

SALEE

Ukraine

WAVES

Luxembourg

SECONDLIFE

Luxembourg

WAVY MEET

Luxembourg

SHANGAI JIDOU SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

China

WEALTH DYNAMIX

United Kingdom

SHANGAI ZHUYU AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY

China

WEO

Luxembourg

WUDO

France

SIMPLE WINE

France

XENOAPP

France

SOFTBEES

Ukraine

ZORTIFY

Luxembourg

77

MainStage

Three start-ups in the spotlights

TILDA: “AI SOLUTION TO OPTIMISE DECISION-MAKING”

NARU SECURITY: “MAKING EUROPEAN CYBERSPACE BETTER”

COOLROOL, A CAR-SHARING APP FOR ATHLETES, ARRIVES IN LUXEMBOURG

Established in Seoul in 2021, Tilda aims to optimise decision-making in industry and manufacturing. CEO Ji Ryan Chung was in Luxembourg for the Nexus2050 tech conference and sat down with Delano to talk about the solution his startup is working on.

At Luxembourg’s Nexus2050 tech con­ ference, Delano sat down with Joon Kim, CEO and founder of the Seoul-based startup Naru Security, to hear about threat hunting, cyber intelligence and more.

Free to users, the Coolrool app, which enables young athletes to share journeys to their competition venues, will be up and running next season in Luxembourg, a few months after an encouraging launch in France. We found out more at Nexus2050, the tech conference taking place at Luxexpo The Box.

In manufacturing facilities, there are processes that involve dozens of different variables. But “human experts cannot be as accurate as machine learning” when it comes to making decisions, Ji Ryang Chung told Delano during the Nexus2050 tech conference at Luxexpo on 27 June 2024. Chung is the CEO of Seoul-based Tilda and was in the grand duchy to pitch his startup. “That’s not because of anyone’s fault--that’s just the nature of human beings.”

The Nexus2050 tech conference brought together some 200 startups at Luxexpo The Box on 26-27 June 2024, including Naru Security, a cybersecurity company that was established in South Korea in 2010. CEO and founder Joon Kim, who was in Luxembourg to pitch his company, began his career at the Korea Internet & Security Agency as a security incident responder. Kim is also a national joint incident response team member and has served as a cyber security advisor for the Korea Cyber Command and National Police Agency.

It’s not always easy to combine your desire to sleep in on a Sunday morning with the obligation to take your youngest to her handball match at 9.30am sharp!

The Coolrool app, which has been active on the French side of the border since November, aims to give parents a bit of their free time back, by offering young athletes and sports fans the chance to carpool in the vehicle of another parent or a sports club official.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

78

Fostering Awareness & Securing Luxembourg Digital Future The NC3 Cybersecurity Observatory provides actionable insights for a proactive cybersecurity strategy by giving information on threat trends as well as the current state of the cybersecurity market.

Threat Observatory

Market Intelligence

Empowering organizations with unbiased, reliable, and targeted cybersecurity insights.

Providing insights on the state of the cybersecurity market in Luxembourg .

Discover the Observatory now!

info@nc3.lu

PARTNER CONTENT

Luxembourg: A springboard for business in Europe

INTERNATIONAL WORKFORCE Companies have access to one of the EU’s most highly skilled workforces. 74% of the

workforce is made up of foreign nationals.

English is a common business language.

Business structures become international and their products multilingual from the very beginning, and employees frequently have valuable networks from their home countries.

ACCESSING THE EU MARKET Luxembourg is also firmly committed to helping companies coming here access the EU marketThe Fit 4 Innovation – Healthtech Market programme supports companies developing digital medical devices obtain the CE marking that is compulsory for commercialisation in the EU.

The renowned startup accelerator Fit 4 Start provides coaching, equity-free funding and access to key networks that help startups succeed with scaling their business in Europe. It gives digital, space and healthtech ventures fundamental insight into the European market and help them optimise their offerings and go-tomarket strategies.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? Visit www.tradeandinvest.lu.

© Trade & Invest / Sabino Parente Photographer

BRIDGING MARKETS AND BUSINESS CULTURES Located in-between Belgium, France and Germany, the country directly borders two of the EU’s main consumer markets, and 60% of the EU’s GDP can be accessed within a two-hour flight.

Luxembourg’s economy is strongly export-oriented and the country has a well-developed legal and regulatory framework for international trade. Companies that come here are able to target the wider European market from day 1.

Companies in Luxembourg have access to one of the EU’s most highly skilled workforces.

Photo

With its open economy, multilingual workforce and solid support for innovation, Luxembourg is an attractive location for companies targeting the broader European market.

Sigma

Bridging Digital Matchmak Connectivity, and Super-co The Sigma Stage at Nexus2050 hosted three side events: Digital Skills Matchmaking, MyConnectivity, and Supercomputing Day. These events featured discussions on fostering digital partnerships between companies and impact organizations, advancements in connectivity such as 6G and quantum communications, and supercomputing innovations.

Experts and industry leaders shared insights on emerging technologies, innovative business models, and strategies for digital transformation, emphasizing real-world applications and future trends.

82

king, omputing

83

Sigma

32 Company/association partnerships signed 4th Digital Skills Matchmaking IMS Luxembourg organised the 4th edition of the Digital Skills Matchmaking in collaboration with the Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy Department of the Ministry of State /Digital Luxembourg, the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, and the European Social Fund during Nexus 2050.

32 partnerships signed During the speed meeting, 23 digital entrepreneurs met with the 26 companies present. As a result, 32 partnerships were signed. To put these partnerships into practice, a follow-up workshop (on 25 September) and tripartite meetings are planned.

Bridging Tech & Impact This meeting aims to facilitate exchanges and create win-win digital partnerships between companies and impact initiatives (associations, NGOs, foundations, public organisations, schools, etc.). These partnerships enable companies to support projects through volunteering, skills sponsorship, equipment donations, sponsorship, help with integration, etc. In return, companies benefit from significant added value: concrete implementation of the CSR policy, attraction and retention of talent, development of staff skills and affirmation of the company’s values.

An event as part of the Digital Skills Partnership project Digital Skill Matchmaking is part of the Digital Skills Partnership project funded by the European Social Fund and the Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy Department of the Ministry of State/Digital Luxembourg. It comprises several stages: preparation workshops, organisation of the Digital Skills Matchmaking, workshops to monitor the partnerships signed, a survey, and publication of an inventory of companies’ and associations’ practices in terms of partnerships and skills sponsorship.

84

A Glimpse into the Future of Connectivity in Luxembourg: MyConnectivity at Nexus2050 MyConnectivity hosted an engaging 2-hour side event in the SIGMA Room on «The Future of Connectivity in Luxembourg», offering a visionary peek into how AI technology will transform our lives in terms of connectivity.

The event opened with a dynamic introduction by MyCo, MyConnectivity’s digital ambassador and AI avatar, and moderator, Patrizia Luchetta, whose synergy set the tone for a unique event where tech and humanity collaborated hand in hand.

Event Highlights The two-hour event unfolded in three engaging segments, featuring distinguished speakers from various sectors, culminating with innovative student pitches from «The Future Workshop,» MyConnectivity’s flagship initiative.

Segment 1: MyConnectivity team set the Topics Discussed: The Future Workshop: Student Pitches stage by presenting an overview of their Copper phase-out and its impacts by Luc The event culminated with pitches from pioneering initiatives, including vertical Tapella, Director, Institut Luxembour- «The Future Workshop,» where students cabling, the creation of comprehensive geois de Régulation (ILR), Luxembourg from Luxembourg and Belgium showcased connectivity roadmaps, and collaborative Computer vision for telecom com- their vision of a connected Luxembourg

training programs. They also introduced pliance by Cheikh Boumedyane, CCO, with their AI-driven ideas. their Advisory Community—a dynamic INVENIAM, France working and discussion group that has Road to 6G by Sebastien Faye, 6G Techrapidly grown to include over 200 experts nology & Innovation Line Manager, from a wide range of industries. The sesLuxembourg Institute of Science and sion also featured an inspiring presentaTechnology (LIST), Luxembourg tion by Misch Strotz (NEON) and Gil Quantum Communications: The LUQGalvao (Tijo Studio), the creative minds CIA Project by Junaid ur Rehman, behind MyCo, who shared their journey in Research Scientist, Developing National bringing the AI avatar to life.

Quantum Communication InfrastrucSegment 2 of the event stood out by ture for Luxembourg, SnT, Luxembourg offering a progressive narrative, starting Intergalactic Connectivity by Avanti with traditional and current connectivity Sharma, Pre-teen Technology Speciamethods and seamlessly transitioning to list & Head of Business Development the latest and future innovations. at Workshop4Me 85

Sigma

Supercomputing Day 2024: A Convergence of Industry and Academia Supercomputing Day 2024 showcased the latest advancements in high-performance computing. Organized by Supercomputing Luxembourg (LuxInnovation, LuxProvide & Université de Luxembourg) with support from EuroCC2 and Women in HPC, the event featured keynotes on global supercomputing trends, quantum computing applications, AI in finance, and the role of HPC in startups, space and life sciences. Highlights included insights from industry leaders, discussions on diversity in tech, and the transformative potential of supercomputing across various sectors.

86

Pitcure Report Paperjam Next 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 S erge Weyland (ALFI), Georges Wantz (Deloitte) 2 Gosia Kramer (The Office), Jana Degrott (Obama Foundation) 3 Jim Kent (Kent Media), Nathalie Reuter (Walk the talk), Claude Marx (CSSF) 4 Andrea Munteanu (Promus Ventures), Jonathan Prince (Finologee), Nicolas Sullly (Accenture) 5 Jacques Weniger (neon internet), Misch Strotz (LetzAI) 6 Anne Goujon (BGL BNP Paribas), Christophe Atten (Spuerkeess), Emma Sezen (Artefact), Riadh Khodri (Pictet) 7 F rançoise Frieden (Luxtram), Isabelle Faber (POST)

87

Paperjam Next

2

1

3

5

4

6

1 M ike Koedinger (Nexus2050), Mark Tluszsz (Mangrove), Xavier Bettel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg), Sasha Baillie (Luxinnovation), Maurice Lévy (Publicis Groupe), Kamel Amroune (Nexus2050), Michael Lévy (Ycor) 2 Ouma Sani (WIC Senegal), Marina Andrieu (WIDE ADNCO), Véronique Zilotto (Ellan), Lisa-Marie Fassl (Funf F), Stefania Quaini (Angels4Woman) 3 Stéphane Pesch (LPEA), Nasir Zubairi (LHoFT), Serge Weyland (ALFI) 4 Damien Chasseur and his team (CBTW) 5 Eiso Kant (Poolside), Eryka Lehr (Google), César Maklary (Fluidstack), Stéphane Fisch (Argo) 6 Mark Tluszsz and Yannick Oswald (Mangrove)

88

7

8

10

11

9

7 P aul Konsbruck (Luxconnect)

12

8 Thomas Moser (SNB), Biba Homsey (Amosy Legal), Romain Swertvaeger (EY) 9 Mike Koedinger (Nexus2050), Gilles Roth Minister of Finance, Kamel Amroune (Nexus2050) 10

erete Clausen M and Anne Calteux (European Commission)

11

alentin Dufour, Schon V Fabien, Kelian Moreno and Louis Loschetter (Skandal Agency)

12

eam of Digital Learning T Hub, Koen Cloostermans, Marco d’Amico, Serge Linckels, Jenna Putz, Yves Sibenaler, Christian Buchler

89

Neuxus2050 Pub Crawl

In photos: Nexus2050 pub crawl and networking through old town Written by PAPERJAM CLUB

Photos FLORIAN TALON / XANTOR

Participants and partners of the inaugural edition of Nexus2050 met in Luxembourg’s VilleHaute on Tuesday evening for a warm-up event. The event not only gave them the opportunity to pick up their badges early at the city’s emblematic Cercle Municipal, but also to start their networking.

The Nexus2050 pub crawl was the perfect chance for attendees to meet international professionals, exploring establishments such as Amore, Bellamy, Go Ten, Urban and Wellem.

This preliminary gathering set the scene for the two-day show to come, promising to be a source of business and inspiration.

More than 5,000 people were expected to attend the conference at Luxexpo.

90

91

Closing dinner

A Closing Seated Dinner with Sophia and Exclusive Business Networking Written by ERIK LINDER

For the Closing Seated Dinner Ceremony of Nexus2050, the international tech pulse event held in Luxembourg on June 26 and 27, the organizers had a special guest: Sophia, the robot from Hanson Robotics, took the stage for demos and a Q&A session with the audience.

Nexus2050 offered Luxembourg businesses a comprehensive package, including symposium access, exhibition entry, and exclusive networking events, providing an unparalleled tech and business experience – culminating in the closing seated dinner.

“We developed a formula that allowed Luxembourg businesses to make the most of Nexus2050,” announced Mike Koedinger, co-founder of G.I.E. Nexus2050. “This package included a table for eight people at the grand closing dinner with over 1,000 guests, as well as eight entries valid for both days, providing access to the symposium, all presentations, the exhibition area, and the matchmaking zone, along with numerous cocktails and social events, including the grand opening with the presence of H.R.H. the Crown Prince.”

“Nexus2050 was not only the largest tech event in the Greater Region but also one of the few truly international business events in Luxembourg,” added Kamel Amroune, co-founder of G.I.E. Nexus2050.

“Having a table at the Nexus2050 dinner allowed businesses to bring together employees and clients for a unique networking evening with a dinner curated by the excellent caterer Julien Cliquet.”

92

2

93

Student Bus Tour

Student Bus Tour at SES and Foyer Written by ERIK LINDER

Photos THE DOTS

FOYER and SES teamed up with Nexus2050 to offer sponsored tickets to students. This initiative aimed to give students the opportunity to attend the event and learn about the latest in tech and innovation.

Students who received sponsored tickets had access to the conference and exhibition. Additionally, there was a bus tour the day after the event on the 28th of June, allowing students to visit FOYER and SES and learn more about these companies.

This opportunity provided students with valuable exposure to the tech industry and potential career paths in Luxembourg. Students enjoyed comprehensive access, including entry to the exhibition zone, symposium, and cocktail events.

“I recently took part in the Nexus 2050 tour. We kicked off the morning with a visit to SES in Betzdorf. Seeing their ground infrastructure (antennas) up close and spending time in the control room was very impressive. The engineers shared some great insights into their work, which made the visit particularly relevant given Nexus 2050’s tech focus. The only drawback was not to have stayed there longer!

Later, we headed to Foyer in Leudelange.

We discussed with their data science, cybersecurity, and front-end teams, which are key components for any modern insurance company. They also highlighted some of the perks of working for their company.

Overall, it was a great networking opportunity and addition to Nexus 2050.

The tour provided a solid glimpse into Luxembourg’s tech and insurance sectors, and it was a valuable experience for anyone interested in these fields.”

Yann Hoffmann (PhD Candidate in GenAI for Financial Data at SnT, University of Luxembourg)

94

info@mgs.lu www.mgs.lu

PART EN A IRE TE C HN IQU E DE N EXU S20 5 0 SON | LUMIÈRE | VIDÉO | CAPTATION | EXPOSITION

Student Bus Tour

96

ENJOY THE FEST, WE DO THE REST.

www.apex.lu

Nexus2050 is produced

by EIG Nexus2050 (Luxembourg) A JOINT-VENTURE OF MARKETING COMPANY THE DOTS AND MAISON MODERNE, PUBLISHER OF PAPERJAM.

Premium Institutional Partners

EU Commission, Gouvernement of Luxembourg, City of Luxembourg, Luxinnovation, Luxembourg, Let's make it happen

Global Partner Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg

Co-founders Kamel Amroune and Mike Koedinger

Programming COORDINATION

Erik Linder

CONTENT MANAGERS

Simon da Costa, Sofia Garcia, Sidonie Stire, Yann Roll TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION MANAGEMENT

Margaux Malcourant

SOCIAL MEDIA - COMMUNITY MANAGER

Nastassia Haux ART DIRECTION

Cassandre Bourtembourg and Nicolas Boeuf DESIGN

(Motion Design - Misch Strotz, LetzAI) SALES

Pierre-Alexis Quirin, Florence Christmann, Aurélie Paini, Aïssa Abeid

Client success managers Margaux Malcourant, Morgane Montaigu, Sarah Devos, Younes Azouaoui

Administrative & legal

HEAD OF PRODUCTION

Invoicing and accounting

Melissa Grozinger, Sarah Devos, Sabrina Erpelding, Esther Pierard, Alessandra Gasso, Maxime Bauraing, Marianne Henrion, Célia Lounnas, Aurélie Paini, Sidonie Stire STAGE MANAGEMENT

Baudouin Vannoorbeeck, Patrick Ibsen, Shapefactory ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY TEAM

Quentin Modave & Shapefactory PROTOCOL

98

GUESTS AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Marie-Jo Gutenkauf

CFO Etienne Velasti

PRODUCTION TEAM

PAPERJAM SPECIAL EDITION PUBLISHED

BY MM PUBLISHING AND MEDIA S.A.

COORDINATION

Mike Koedinger and Erik Linder

Production Dany Lucas & Fanny Antoine

Maison Moderne is committed to reducing its ecological footprint. Delano magazine uses CO2 neutral printing, Blauer Engel recycled paper for its cover and FSC® certified sustainable paper for interior pages. Please recycle.

Have you finished reading this magazine?

Save it, pass it on or recycle it!

Communication

Michel Grevesse-Sovet TICKETING & APP

Etienne Velasti, Sidonie Stire, Fanny Antoine OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Eva Krins, Marie Russillo, Romain Gamba, Benjamin Song, Bastien Colas

Sylvia Leplang

Service providers VENUE LUXEXPO THE BOX

Christophe Desenfans & Noam Oussaidene ARCHITECTURE

Company / Concept & Design 2001, Ludovica Not & Philippe Nathan TECHNOLOGY HALL 8

Apex, David Junck TECHNOLOGY HALL 9

MGS, Michel Gavage & Florent Deville VIDEO CAPTURE & BEHIND-THE-SCENES

LuxAudiVisuals, Jérôme Douché SILENT CONFERENCE ARTWHERE

Emmanuel Nudel

Your Success Catalyst in the Tech Ecosystem

info@thedots.lu

281 Route d’Arlon, L-8011 Strassen ― Luxembourg

T. +352 691 181 057

PRINTING & SIGNAGE LUXVISUAL

Renaud Bigonville

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Easycom

DECORATION & ARRANGEMENT

Chappes Flore

MEDIA PARTNERS

Delano, Paperjam, Techsense HÔTELS PARTNERS

FOURNITURE

Mama Shelter, Novotel Luxembourg, Royal, Melia

SCAFFOLDING

Luxair

CATERING CLOSING SEATED DINNER

Polestar

SYMPOSIUM CATERING

Emile Weber

ABC Location Omnilux

Julien Cliquet Réimerwee FOODTRUCKS

Ginette La Frite, Végétatou WELCOME & SUPERVISORY TEAM

The One

ACCESS CONTROL

system RMS

ROLLING STOCK

Mateco

INSPECTION AGENCY

LuxControl INSURANCE

Foyer

COLLECTION AND WASTE TREATMENT

Second Life WEBSITE

RazrCorp 100

SÉCURITÉ

Protection Unit

FLIGHT MANAGEMENT PARTNER OFFICIAL VIP SHUTTLE PARTNER BUS SHUTTLES

MANY THANKS TO

GoTEn, Wëllem, Bazaar, Urban, Amore, Cercle Municipal, Luxlait, Chris Hollifield, Alex Panican, Antony Martini, Luxembourg Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, Evgenia Paily, Dennis Wernerus, Ministry of Economy, Michele Gallo ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Astrid Agustsson, Pascal Bouvier, Steve Breier, Xavier Buck, Simone Hornick, Claudine Kariger, Ananda Kautz, Steven Koener, Sabrina Sagramola, Cindy Tereba, Jerome Wittamer, Nasir Zubairi, Yannick Oswald, Fabrice Aresu, Daniel Kahn, André Emering, Laurent Futin, Markus Payer, Lena Martensson, Jens Kreisel STUDENT BUS TOUR

Foyer and SES

? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s

? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s

? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s

? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s

? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s ? What’s

100% Social Media

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Photo: shutterstock

What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s What’s

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS GLOBAL PARTNER

FINANCE DISTRICT PARTNERS LEAD PARTNER

PREMIER INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

PREMIER PARTNERS

MAJOR PARTNERS

KEY PARTNERS

ASSOCIATIONS

102

PURETECH DISTRICT PARTNERS

SKILLS DISTRICT PARTNERS

LEAD PARTNER

LEAD PARTNER

PREMIER PARTNERS

PREMIER PARTNERS

MAJOR PARTNERS

MAJOR PARTNERS

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

KEY PARTNERS

CLOSING SEATED DINNER

103

JUNE 17 + 18 2025 LUXEMBOURG-CITY

REGISTER AT WWW.NEXUS2050.COM TO RECEIVE UPDATES.