DLD invites influential and prominent personalities to Davos for the crowning finale of DLD Munich 25.
…you’ll make it anywhere. The conference on the American east coast has become a fixed date in the DLD calendar. For the fourth time, DLD founder Steffi Czerny and chairmen Paul-Bernhard Kallen and Yossi Vardi invited digital pioneers, innovative entrepreneurs and critical, unconventional thinkers to DLD in New York City.
Around 80 speakers took to the stage in Manhattan’s IAC Building to shed light on different aspects of digitalisation. The “international DLD circus”, as Czerny calls it, thrives on the collaboration of all its guests. As she said to the over 700 participants in her welcome address: “DLD does not want to be a relaxing conference. Each of you should make new connections and speak to people you don’t yet know.”
Munich – New York – Tel Aviv
One of the ideas behind DLD New York is to strengthen links between the points of the USA-Europe-Israel triangle. Discussions are continued here that began at the January conference in Munich. In turn, they provide food for discussion in Tel Aviv in September and in Berlin in October.
For example, dealing with “fake news”, which was discussed by high-calibre representatives from the US media landscape such as Rebecca Blumenstein (New York Times) and Jeff Jarvis (City University New York). They are interested in understanding the mechanisms behind the phenomenon. Although the topic remains relevant, they advocate optimism: “The age of journalism and facts is by no means over.”
How to invest? And where?
DLD welcomed an international start-up star to the stage in the form of Dominik Richter from Hello Fresh. His supply service has crossed the Atlantic successfully and is now one of the fastest-growing companies in the USA. The secret of his success? Combining German excellence and American speed.
The panel featuring Martin Weiss, managing director of BurdaPrincipal Investments, also tackled the question of geography and the role of national characteristics. His view is that: “We are watching venture capital become ever more global, which is why we are active in various locations. We especially like investing in the USA because it has a sophisticated investment landscape and particularly experienced teams.”
New format
DLD wouldn’t be DLD if its creators didn’t come up with something new each year. Alongside their own “break-out conference” on the future of cities, the DLD audience will go on their first-ever “tour” today – the second day of the conference – and visit young companies such as video service Vimeo, Giphy, the platform for animated graphics, and journalistic start-up Quartz in their Manhattan offices.
