Tech4democracy Venture Day Madrid

On June 28, 2022 (4:00 pm), the first Tech4Democracy Venture Day will be held at the IE Tower in Madrid. Tech4Democracy is a global initiative by IE University, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, that aims to support entrepreneurs who develop democracy-affirming technologies.

The Madrid Venture Day will feature a competition for European startups that are pioneering the development of usable democracy-affirming technologies, as well as discussions on how technology can contribute to the promotion of democratic values worldwide.

AGENDA

4:00 – 4:10 PM: Institutional welcome

• Diego del Alcázar Benjumea, CEO, IE University
• Rob Berschinski, Special Assistant to the U.S. President and National Security Council Senior Director for Democracy and Human Rights (online)

4:10 – 4:35 PM: Keynote address

• Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand

4:35 – 5:00 PM: Keynote conversation:

• Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; CEO, New America (online)
• Manuel Muñiz, Provost, IE University

5:00 – 5:25 PM: Competition for democracy-affirming tech startups

Competitors will be presented by Alex Roche, Associate Director, IE Center for the Governance of Change. Jury:

• Juan José Güemes (President of the jury), Vice President, Economic Affairs, IE University
• Annick Janssens, Director, IE Venture Lab and IE Venture Network
• Carlos Luca de Tena, Executive Director, IE Center for the Governance of Change
• Rocío Suanzes, Startup Ecosystem Specialist, IE PublicTech Lab
• Sofía Silva, Govtech Project Lead, IE PublicTech Lab

5:25 – 5:55 PM: Panel – Advancing Democracy through Innovation

• Jeremy Cliffe, Writer at Large, The New Statesman
• Daniel Innerarity, Chair, Artificial Intelligence and Democracy, European University Institute
• Amy Larsen, Director, Democracy Forward, Microsoft.
• Moderator: Irene Blázquez, Director, IE Center for the Governance of Change

5:55 – 6:30 PM: Startup competition (continued)

• Winner announced by Pilar López, COO, Western Europe, Microsoft

The event will be followed by a networking cocktail.

Tech4Democracy is part of President Biden’s Summit for Democracy and its purpose is to mobilize democratic governments, the private sector, and civil society to defend democracy today and safeguard it for future generations.