Madrid Hosts Europe’s Largest International AI Forum

Madrid will host, from 3 to 5 June, the largest AI and entrepreneurship forum in Europe, thus becoming the great international meeting point for Artificial Intelligence thanks to South Summit Madrid 2026, coorganized by IE University, which this year celebrates its fifteenth edition under the slogan AI Convergence.

Artificial Intelligence has ceased to be a technological trend to become one of the main forces for transformation of the global economy. In just three years, it has gone from attracting 30% of global venture capital investment in 2022 to 61% in 2025, reflecting an accelerated shift in the priorities of investors, startups, corporations and institutions.

This shift also comes at a particularly important time for Europe. AI is no longer just a matter of business innovation, but also of competitiveness, strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty. In a geopolitical context marked by the need to reduce dependencies, strengthen its own capabilities and compete with major technological powers, Europe faces the challenge of transforming talent, capital and research into companies capable of scaling globally.

In this scenario, South Summit Madrid 2026 will bring together the main players in the international ecosystem to analyze the real impact of AI on investment, startups, corporations, defense, talent, productivity, and new business models.

The new edition of South Summit is based on a central idea: the next stage of innovation will not be marked by isolated technological advances, but by the convergence between Artificial Intelligence, industries, technologies, capital and global ecosystems. Under the slogan AI Convergence, the meeting will address how AI is accelerating the transformation of strategic sectors and defining new opportunities for growth.

"Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a technology: it is a force that is redefining how we invest, how we build companies, how we compete and how we think about the future of Europe. That is why South Summit Madrid 2026 places AI at the center of its 15th edition. We want Madrid to be the place where the international ecosystem meets to understand what is happening, what opportunities are opening up and how we can build companies capable of competing globally from Europe," said María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit, at the presentation of the fifteenth edition of the meeting.

For his part, Juan José Güemes, Vice President of IE University, added that "South Summit is a unique platform that, this coming June, will once again position Madrid as the world capital of entrepreneurship and innovation. For our institution, as co-organizers, it is a pride to promote a meeting that reflects our strategic commitment to Artificial Intelligence as a driver of transformation, and our entrepreneurial DNA".

While Jesús Herrero, CEO of Red.es, stated that "Artificial Intelligence has redefined the competitiveness of countries and the ability of our companies to innovate. To lead this transformation, we must train, attract and retain talent, but also bet on entrepreneurship as a key lever to promote a more ambitious ecosystem, capable of turning ideas into solutions and generating new opportunities for growth".

Alberto Tornero and Jordi Esteve, partners at PwC Spain, stressed at the presentation of the report that "the next edition of South Summit will show better than any other forum how startups, investors and large companies are jointly promoting this technology".

30 unicorns and 600 international speakers at South Summit Madrid 2026

The forum will bring together more than 600 international speakers, including entrepreneurs, investors, founders, venture builders, corporate leaders, institutional representatives and technology experts. In addition, it will be attended by nearly 30 unicorns, representing some of the fastest-growing and highest-impact companies in the global innovation ecosystem.

Among the confirmed names are: Sebastian Thrun, one of the great international references in Artificial Intelligence, robotics, autonomous vehicles and online education and founder of GoogleX; Kim Perell, an absolute Silicon Valley benchmark and billionaire before the age of 30, is a serial entrepreneur, founder and investor in more than 100 companies, whose company 100.co uses AI and data analysis to identify product opportunities and support strategic decisions, and Anna Hartvigsen, co-founder of Female Invest, one of the leading international platforms in financial education and investment.

Defence & AI: one of the main strategic axes of the edition

One of the great differentials of South Summit Madrid 2026 will be its vertical dedicated to Defence & AI, one of the areas that is gaining greater relevance in Europe due to its impact on security, technological sovereignty, cybersecurity, dual-use technologies and strategic innovation. 

This block will feature the participation of NATO innovation leaders through DIANA, its defence innovation accelerator, together with founders, venture builders, investors, startups and companies working at the intersection between Artificial Intelligence, security, defence and emerging technologies.

The incorporation of this vertical responds to the new European context. At a time when defence has become a priority at European level and AI has become a key tool to strengthen the continent's competitiveness and reduce technological dependencies in critical sectors. Both by the allocation of EU funds and by the reinforcement of the national strategies and budgets of the different countries, Artificial Intelligence emerges as a key lever in venture capital investment. In fact, within this trend, as stated in the report "The real impact of Artificial Intelligence on the entrepreneurial ecosystem", prepared by South Summit and PwC, defence is positioned, along with health, as one of the sectors with the greatest traction in AI investment, especially for its ability to transform critical areas such as cybersecurity.  autonomous systems, data analysis, infrastructure protection and dual-use technologies.

Madrid, an international hub for innovation and investment

Beyond the immediate economic impact, South Summit consolidates Madrid's role as  an international hub for innovation and investment. In 2025, the meeting once again attracted more than 2,000 investors, of which more than 600 were international, reinforcing its ability to connect the Spanish ecosystem with global capital.

This positioning is in addition to the journey of the Startup Competition, one of the main gateways for high-potential startups within the South Summit ecosystem. Throughout its editions, more than 1,518 startups have reached the final phase of the competition, with a survival rate of more than 85%, nine international unicorns and more than 20,500 million euros in funding raised after their time at South Summit.

These data reinforce South Summit's role as a platform for identifying, connecting and scaling innovative projects. The evolution of the finalist startups shows how the meeting not only acts as an international showcase, but also as a space for real connection between startups, investors, corporations and institutions, with a cumulative impact on fundraising and business growth.

This report has also analysed the forecasts that South Summit handles in terms of the socio-economic impact it will generate in the capital and in the region. According to these estimates, South Summit Madrid 2026 will generate an economic activity of 41.9 million euros in the city, 10% more than in the previous edition, with a multiplier effect of around €4 of economic activity in Madrid for every euro spent for the meeting. In addition, the fifteenth edition will strengthen its impact on employment and the international attraction of talent, with a forecast of 3,798 equivalent jobs in Madrid, 13% more than in 2025. The report also highlights the dynamic effect of the event on the Madrid labour market, since for each job hired directly by South Summit, more than ten additional jobs will be created in the city, and for every million euros of expenditure and investment, around 542 equivalent jobs of monthly duration will be generated.

AI Convergence: AI as a point of union of the ecosystem

Under the slogan AI Convergence, South Summit Madrid 2026 will address how Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way companies are built, capital is allocated, new business models are scaled and the competitiveness of entire industries is redefined.

The programme will analyse AI from an applied and transversal perspective, with a focus on investment, entrepreneurship, defence, sustainability, talent, productivity, corporations, regulation and new markets. The aim is to show how AI does not act in isolation, but in combination with other technologies, sectors and ecosystems, accelerating new opportunities for growth.

With this edition, South Summit reinforces its evolution from a major international entrepreneurship meeting to a global platform of reference for understanding, connecting and promoting the innovation ecosystem. In addition to bringing together startups, investors and corporations, South Summit seeks to provide analysis, context and conversation on the great transformations that are marking the future of business and technology.