In one of the most exciting bits of news ahead of Pioneers ’19, the Pioneers flagship event taking place in Vienna on May 9th and 10th, Wikipedia Co-Founder Larry Sanger will be speaking on the Arena Stage at the Vienna Hofburg Imperial Palace. Find out which other speakers will help lead the audience on a ‘technological walk through human life’ under the event motto 'Walk the Talks', as well as the names of some of the first confirmed startups...who knows, maybe the ultimate pitch contest winner is among them!

While Sanger is best-known for his work establishing what has become one of the world’s go-to reference sources, Sanger will also share insights from his current role as Chief Information Officer at Everipedia. This is a project to create a Blockchain-based encyclopedia with a new incentive structure, which aims to improve on all fundamental features of Wikipedia.

Sanger has also helped start many other educational and reference websites, including Nupedia, Encyclopedia of Earth, WatchKnowLearn, Reading Bear and Infobitt. He has also written and spoken about the philosophy of the Internet and of online communities.

Like Sanger, professional racing driver and entrepreneur Collete Davis knows a thing or two about the ambition and achievement. She’ll dive into some of the common ground that goes into both motorsport and entrepreneurship, highlighting in particular that burning ambition that fuels both of these seemingly unrelated disciplines. Davis also works as host of Girl Starter, a reality television show which documents eight women aged 18-24 as they compete for seed-round funding.

With Pioneers ’19 taking the form of a technological walk through human life, we’re also happy to reveal a number of speakers who’ll share insights on how technology can stay close to fundamental human values even as it develops.

• Appearing together for a fireside chat on the Arena Stage will be Center for Humane Technology Co-Founder Aza Raskin and Center for the Study of Existential Risk Co-Founder Jaan Tallinn. They’ll be delving into the critical topic of how to reduce risks associated with technological progress. They’ll look at how we ensure it remains safe and humane no matter what advances are made.
• Another whose daily work revolves around ensuring that the human isn’t forgotten in the design life cycle is Kerry McGuire, Space Human Factors Engineer at NASA. She’ll be able to share insights from leading a team which tackles the intriguing challenge of ‘developing tools that bridge communication and knowledge chasms.’
• Also visiting from NASA will be its Chief Information Officer for Engineering, Omar Hatmaleh. He’s also the Executive Director of the Space Studies Program at International Space University.
• For the latest developments in the world of genetics, therefore, Pioneers is pleased to be welcoming Markus Hengstschläger to the Arena Stage. Having formerly worked at Yale, he’s the Director of the Division of Molecular Genetics at the Medical University of Vienna.
• World Bank Lead Economist Wolfgang Fengler will also take to the Arena Stage.

The latest of those confirmed to share practical learnings for innovators on our new Launch Pad stage will be Kat Borlogan. Kat currently leads the French Tech Mission, a government-led taskforce built to bolster the French tech ecosystem. She is also Co-Founder of Five by Five, a boutique consultancy that builds innovation teams inside organizations of all stripes, ranging from the World Bank to Google.

We’re also pleased to give you a sneak preview of some of the startups we’ve already confirmed for the event. This is just a handful of the 500 seed and the additional 50 Series A startups we’ve invited to join us at the Hofburg, and their industries.

• Transportation: carplane, MOTIONTAG
• Fintech: Value3 Advisory
• Advertising Industry: Nexus Edge
• Augmented Reality: AR4 GmbH, Apla AR
• Health: CellmatiQ, D-EYE (Series A)
• 3D: 3D-SHARPER, TryMee
• Food: Microgreenbox, iFarm

Pioneers is currently finalizing the 50 seed startups who will be invited to take part in our pitching competition at Pioneers ’19. Soon they'll announce their names via their social channels - stay tuned!

Pioneers ’19 is supported by Mercedes Benz, Google and PwC Austria. Find out more and grab your tickets here!