What’s UpNext: From SAAS NORTH to Web Summit
From SAAS NORTH to Web Summit Lisbon to Slush Helsinki: discover the founder stories, global stages, and future perspectives shaping what’s UpNext in 2026.
Welcome to the first edition of What’s UpNext. This is our weekly recap from the road, sharing stories and insights from founders and innovators shaping what’s next.
We’re midway through an incredible week at Web Summit in Lisbon, with founders from around the world pitching, connecting, and setting the pace for what’s ahead.
Thanks for following along as we continue the journey toward our final stop of the year in Helsinki.
Let’s dive in.
Spotlight: SAAS NORTH 2025
Last week in Ottawa, SAAS NORTH celebrated its 10th anniversary, bringing together the country’s top founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders driving the next wave of software innovation.
The energy this year was all about scale, from AI-driven growth to global expansion. Xena Intelligence took home the top PitchFest prize, demonstrating how quickly Canadian SaaS companies are evolving to compete globally.
We were on-site capturing founder stories, quick interviews, and behind-the-scenes moments with some of the most promising SaaS teams.
Check out our full recap and startup spotlights below.
Edwin Frondozo
This Week: Web Summit
This week, we’re covering Web Summit 2025 from Lisbon, where more than 71,000 attendees from 157 countries are coming together to explore what’s next in tech and innovation.
The spotlight event is PITCH, Web Summit’s flagship startup competition featuring 105 startups from around the world competing for global recognition. These founders represent the frontier of AI, sustainability, fintech, and frontier tech — a true snapshot of the next generation of innovation.
It’s a record year for the summit overall:
- 1,857 investors from 86 countries — a 74% jump from last year.
- Nearly 200 startups from Web Summit 2024 went on to raise $715 million USD in post-event funding.
We’ll be following the PITCH finalists, spotlighting standout founders, and sharing insights from this global stage as they unfold, all part of discovering what’s truly UpNext.
Stay tuned for our full coverage and founder spotlights in the days ahead.
Founder POV
Through our collaboration with Flashpoint Global, we’re diving deeper into the human side of innovation — the beliefs, tensions, and turning points that shape how founders see the world they’re creating.
Every spotlight explores a founder’s point of view — not just what they’re building, but why it matters, and how their story might redefine what comes next.
Latest Features
Dr. Paul Newton
Dr. Paul Newton
Dr. Paul Newton
What’s UpNext: Slush Helsinki
Next stop: Slush Helsinki 2025 — the startup world’s winter gathering, where 13,000 founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders converge to redefine what’s possible.
We’ll be on-site in Helsinki, capturing founder stories, investor insights, and ecosystem perspectives from one of the most influential startup events in the world.
Expect UpNext PopUp interviews, Flashpoint POV spotlights, and behind-the-scenes reflections from the people shaping what’s next — live from the floor.
Follow our journey across LinkedIn and Instagram for daily coverage, highlights, and upcoming features.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 UpNext World Tour
As we wrap 2025 at Slush Helsinki, we’re already mapping out our 2026 world tour, expanding into new cities, ecosystems, and collaborations that spotlight founders shaping the future.
If you’re part of an accelerator, innovation hub, or city looking to bring the UpNext experience to your region, now’s the time to connect.
Get in touch: hello at upnext dot world. Let’s design what’s UpNext, together.
UpNext Global Partners
We’re proud to collaborate with Flashpoint Global, Siift.ai, LCube Studios, Allium IP, Slingshot Telecom, Empact Ventures, and Gowling WLG — organizations helping founders and ecosystems shape what’s UpNext.
Want to reach over 150,000 founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders driving global innovation?
Let's chat about partnering with UpNext →
Before You Scale in 2026, Get This Right
The founders who win next year won’t outspend; they’ll out-clarify.
These past six months building Flashpoint Global with Paul have been an intentional experiment. We created early revenue. We worked with clients. But we didn’t pay ourselves. Every dollar went right back into the system, into refining the funnel, testing the offer, and learning who we were really serving.
We weren’t buying growth. We were building proof. And now, after countless iterations, it clicks. The funnel works because it’s built on belief, not budget.
But as I connect with founders across the UpNext World Tour, one thing stands out: too many are spending like they already have product-market fit. They’re hiring teams before there’s something to scale, building tech stacks before validating demand, and investing in structure before substance.
The truth is, clarity scales faster than capital. When you stay close to your early adopters, you discover the message that moves them. When you lead with your POV, you attract the believers before the market does.
That’s the real funnel, a POV-driven ecosystem, not a spending plan.
Gratefully,
Edwin
Read more reflections like this on Future POV, my personal Substack on clarity, conviction, and building movements that last.
