The tech conference Web Summit returned to Lisbon, in-person, attracted more than 42,000 people from around the world for an experience like no other. I had a lot of fun, learned a lot about the future of technology, and get to know some really cool startups that will most probably help to shape our future. Here are four companies that really got my attention.

Owo

Owo is a wireless haptic gaming vest that allows players to feel over 30 different sensations in real-time while playing video games. Compatible with PC, mobile, console, and VR. Multiplayer, single-player, online or offline.

Owo started in 2019, when Jose Fuertes, founder, and CEO of the company, developed the idea. The haptic vest uses a new technology called “sensations technology”, which allows them to create infinite different sensations. This could help revolutionize the way we play video games with its innovative system. Through physical sensations, the player creates a symbiosis with their avatar in the game. A new and immersive experience that allows gamers to interact differently with the environment and make decisions that could completely change the course of the game.

To have this full experience you first need to download the Owo App and sign up, you are ready to try on the vest. Complete the “initial calibration” in less than 5 minutes. Adapt the sensations to your liking by modifying the intensity of each sensation in the “specific calibration”. With Owo, video game developers have the chance to add new and attractive functionality that allows their users to have a uniquely immersive experience.

VRpartments

The VRpartments mobile App makes it possible to see, walk through, furnish apartments, and enjoy the view from the window in photorealistic quality in VR with a cardboard headset from any phone.

Moreover, they've created the world's first technology that automatically converts PDF floor plans into optimized VR models for any phone. That means VRpartments software doesn't need any photoshoots or videos of the apartments. Converting is done automatically! Thanks to that technology, you will be able to walk through an apartment that will only be built in years and see the view when the development is still in the planning stages or another country.

The idea came from the co-founder of the project Liza Khlopkova when she was looking for an apartment. The process seems like a nightmare to her, especially after losing an investment opportunity for fear of buying in the early stages of development when there is no way to see the apartment. However, at that moment, she realized that most people just like her don't have spatial thinking. She was afraid to buy something that was not built yet, and she couldn't see it in a real-life. Then she spoke to an architect regarding the spatial thinking problem that most people have and confirmed the idea. The architect said that often he has to show clients with footsteps the size of their future home. At that point, the team realized that technology could solve that problem. Because the startup is fully scalable, they plan to expand. Their engine is capable of handling hundreds of apartments per hour regardless of location. Now is a time for VR technology to be incorporated into our daily lives, and VRpartments is one of the first to do so.

The company was founded by four co-founders originally coming from Ukraine, Dimitri Khlopkov (CEO), Liza Khlopkova (CPO), Taras Gopko (CTO), and Igor Yavorski (Lead Architect and 3D artist). The team is very experienced and covers all the startup's needs, and they are determined to put all their knowledge into the VRpartments.

Eventu

The Helsinki-based startup, Eventu, has launched an online platform that aims to make live events possible again. This new service enables people to set up events for the artists they love and invite them to perform in a specific city. This way, Eventual turns the public into the ultimate decision-maker and amplifies people's voices in their local cultural scene.

The users take responsibility for the event they want to bring to life by ensuring it gets all the support it needs. The new platform works as a complete solution for event planning; from campaigning for artists and spreading the word all over the media, to tickets management and selling, therefore keeping costs as low as possible for its users.

Eventu is currently exploring and expanding its services to other markets across Europe. "We now pilot the service across Finland, but we want to be an international player. This service has tremendous potential from the perspective of performers, event producers, gig sellers as well as consumers. In our view, consumers will be even less interested in physical products in the future, so more time and money are likely to be spent on events and culture", says Miia Khan, CEO, and Co-founder of Eventu.

Watchers App

Watchers App allows users to watch movies, shows, and sports together with friends and celebs, in sync, and communicate with each other by voice or text while watching. Watchers, an entertainment startup company, announces the public beta launch of its App for watching movies, shows, and sports together with friends and celebs. The App allows users to watch the content of the most popular video platforms in sync and to communicate with each other by voice or text.

Along with private rooms for watching video content with friends and relatives, Watchers App provides users an opportunity to join public rooms and enjoy watching films and series with professional critics, comedians, and other influencers. And there are not only people who can be added to the chat - Watchers App gives an opportunity to invite Cinephile, an AI virtual commenter.

Watchers App is available in the EU, supporting YouTube, Netflix in a couple of weeks, as well as some of the local video platforms. The App is free for users as they pay only for their subscription on Netflix, Disney+, HBO max, Curiosity, and other popular platforms that Watchers intends to support soon. In order to provide a multi-platform user experience, Watchers also proposes a b2b second screen solution, as the company developed an SDK that can be easily integrated into a VOD’s or IPTV’s Smart TV application. Thus, users will get an opportunity to watch videos on a big screen while managing synchronized videos and communicating via the Watchers App. This kind of partnership allows VOD-platforms to create an engaging social environment around their movies and series, therefore increasing the user’s time spent with the content.

Their announcement at the Web Summit addressed digital loneliness while watching the video content, as people now spend almost one-third of their waking hours being busy with this type of entertainment and simultaneously use mobile phones messaging and engaging in social media or looking up related content. “Our solution brings the opportunity for a social viewing close to what we used to experience in an offline world”, said Yana Bardintseva, Co-Founder & CEO at Watchers App. “We change the relationship between users and the content: the content now turns from something that is passively consumed into an environment for socialization, self-expression, and building a community.