OREANDA-NEWS. Web Summit is known as the place ’where the tech world meets’ and where everything from Fortune 500 companies to startups convene to network and learn. The event was launched in 2010 and is held annually in Dublin, Ireland. The success of the Web Summit Conference has spun off two sister events: Collision, which took place in early May and RISE, scheduled for late July in Hong Kong. The recent Collision conference in Las Vegas drew 7,500 attendees from more than 90 countries, a significant increase on the 1,500 attendees in 2014.

KPMG has committed to sponsoring Web Summit, Collision and RISE for the next 2 years which makes it the first professional services firm to sponsor all three events. KPMG’s sponsorship of all three global conferences underscores the strong commitment of the KPMG Enterprise’s Global Network for Innovative Startups to help and support founders around the world and it builds on the firm’s sponsorship of the inaugural Web Summit 5 years ago.

Anna Scally, tax partner with KPMG in Ireland and global lead for KPMG’s partnership with Web Summit and Founders, said: “When Paddy Cosgrave came to me 5 years ago and asked for our support for the first Web Summit event, I knew it was something we had to do. We have been prepared to invest in this partnership from a very early stage.”

Ms. Scally added: “Three founders and one small event have now evolved into a huge global summit, often referred to as ‘Davos for geeks’.”

CEO and Co-Founder of Web Summit Paddy Cosgrave said: “We believe in engineering serendipity at our gatherings and we’re excited to ensure that KPMG’s involvement as a sponsor-partner of Web Summit, Collision and RISE will deliver great experiences for all attendees.”

The new sponsor-partnership will also cover the f.ounders event usually held before Web Summit. f.ounders is a highly-curated gathering of top tech CEOs and founders. The event provides networking opportunities through its unique social and invite-only format.

Brian Hughes, Co-Lead for KPMG Enterprise’s Innovative Startups Global Network and Venture Capital practice in the US, said: “Recognizing the importance of continuing to support f.ounders and Web Summit with their growth plans, KPMG in the US was keen to join KPMG in Ireland as a supporter for Web Summit and its sister events and help expand the partnership to KPMG member firms globally. When Anna Scally came to us asking to join forces, we did not hesitate to say yes.”

Mr. Hughes added: “Entrepreneurs are driving the growth of our global economy. Their ideas stimulate the economy in new ways and the multiplier effect can be significant. Entrepreneurs advance our communities with new ideas and change lives around the globe.  Web Summit, Collision and Rise are important channels that enable startups to network, connect and engage with the innovation ecosystem. It is great to be joining forces with an organization whose mandate aligns with ours - to inspire confidence and enable entrepreneurs to transform new ideas into thriving businesses.”