Web Summit Rio concludes with record-high attendence

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web Summit Rio, Latin American franchise of global tech and innovation, wrapped up Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, breaking attendance records for the third consecutive year.

The event brought together thousands of attendees looking to connect, learn and stay ahead with the latest digital technology advances and innovations since its launch in 2023.

This year's four-day edition brought a record of nearly 35,000 attendees from over 100 countries and regions, along with about 1,400 startups and over 600 investors.

Artur Pereira, the summit's manager, credits the jump in attendance to the 106 million U.S. dollars in investment for the top 40 startups raised in 2024, about 2.3 million dollars each.

“Startups know that [if] they want to get funded, [if] they want to do business, [if] they want to meet the biggest tech companies in the world, they [need to] come to Web Summit,” Pereira said.

Embraer, a global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil and one of the summit's main exhibitors and investors, held what it called a "startup marathon" in its search for partnerships. With a strong global market presence in commercial, executive, and defense aviation, the company also used the event to highlight how innovation remains central to its growth strategy.

"If we don't apply Artificial Intelligence, if we don't apply new technology to our products, if we don't offer these things to clients who are seeking certain profit margins, we lose our competitivity. So, innovation is not a choice. It is a necessity, and it has always been that way with Embraer,” said Leonardo Garnica, head of corporate innovation of Embraer.

While serious networking and deal-making were the main focus of the summit, there were also lighter sides to the event, for example, a digital rainforest experience, or stepping on the gas in a virtual 3D formula-one driver experience offered by racing giant McLaren.

The event has been extended in the same venue for another five years, until 2030.

Web Summit Rio concludes with record-high attendence

China's auto industry exceeded 10 million units in both production and sales during the first four months of this year, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Monday.

Data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that, from January to April this year, the country's auto production and sales reached 10.175 million units and 10.06 million units respectively, up 12.9 percent and 10.8 percent year on year.

Among them, the production and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) reached 4.429 million units and 4.3 million units respectively, up 48.3 percent and 46.2 percent from the same period last year, according to the data.

The sales of new NEVs accounted for 42.7 percent of the total new auto sales, the data showed.

The data also showed that China exported 1.937 million units of cars in the first four months of this year, marking a 6-percent year-on-year growth. Among them, NEV exports reached 642,000 units, surging 52.6 percent year on year.

China's auto market growth was fueled by strong economic policies, according to an official of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

New regulations, tech upgrades, and stable prices are helping boost industry growth, according to the official.

China's auto output, sales both hit 10 million units in first four months of 2025: data