ECOSYSTEM Summit Barcelona 2026
Agenda
September 16–18, 2026
Programme schedule
Three summit days. One continuous agenda.
Move through the programme by day, with main-stage sessions, breakouts, and short networking blocks clearly separated.
Day 1 · September 16, 2026
AI4Development
How can AI improve human and development outcomes?
AI creates new capability: what institutions can see, predict, coordinate, and deliver.
Registration and welcome coffee
Arrival, registration, and early coffee before the formal opening.
Opening Remarks
Speaker: Lindsey Moore, CEO & Founder of DevelopMetrics
Lindsey MooreDevelopMetricsA welcome address and overview of the conference objectives for AI4Development 2026.
Keynote | Ernest Mwebaze
Speaker: Ernest Mwebaze, Executive Director Sunbird AI
Ernest MwebazeSunbird AIAn opening keynote by Ernest Mwebaze.
Keynote | Zineb Bhaby
Speaker: Zineb Bhaby, AI Lead Norwegian Refugee Council
Zineb BhabyNorwegian Refugee CouncilA keynote session by Zineb Bhaby.
Gates Foundation panel on AI Readiness
Speakers: Caryl Feldacker, Gates Foundation; Linda Raftree, The MERL Tech Initiative; Varaidzo Matimba, Geneva Graduate Institute; and more.
Caryl FeldackerGates Foundation
Linda RaftreeThe MERL Tech Initiative
Varaidzo MatimbaGeneva Graduate InstituteGates Foundation panel on AI Readiness.
Return to Plenary
Participants return to plenary before the Advanced Solutions for Development Delivery panel.
Advanced Solutions for Development Delivery
Speakers: Kent Freeze, Gates Foundation; Linxi Wang, World Bank; David McNair, ONE Campaign; Yemesrach Workie, UNDP; Lindsey Moore, DevelopMetrics.
Kent FreezeGates Foundation
Linxi WangWorld Bank
David McNairONE Campaign
Yemesrach WorkieUNDP / IATILindsey MooreDevelopMetricsA panel on how advanced AI tools can improve development delivery, and what it takes to move from promising pilots into accountable institutional workflows.
Lunch
Lunch for the full group, with time for side conversations before the breakout tracks begin.
From Evidence to Investment: AI-Enabled Decision Workflows
Speaker: Attaullah Abbasi, J-PAL
Attaullah AbbasiJ-PALA session on translating evidence into funding and implementation decisions, and what AI-enabled workflows may change in the path from research to scaled action.
The Reality of AI: Adoption, Capacity, and Change Management
Moderator & speakers: Ruben Lozano Aguilera, Ai2 (Moderator); Emily Janouch, CARE; Mala Ram, Goal; Kristen Cordell, Grand Challenges Canada.
Emily JanouchCARE
Mala RamGoal
Ruben Lozano AguileraModerator · Ai2
Kristen CordellGrand Challenges CanadaA grounded breakout on how NGOs are actually adopting AI, where capacity gaps remain, and what organizational change is needed for tools to become useful rather than distracting.
GIZ Data Lab: Negotiation Intelligence and AI-Enabled Development Decision Support
Speakers: Robin Nowok, GIZ Data Lab; Catherine Vogel, GIZ Data Lab
Catherine VogelGIZ Data Lab
Robin NowokGIZ Data LabA case-based session on negotiation intelligence and decision-support tools for development contexts, focused on workflow design rather than abstract AI capability.
Networking break
A short break between breakout rounds.
Responsible AI, Ethics, and Governance in Practice
Speaker: Grace Lyn Higdon, BenevAI
Grace Lyn HigdonBenevAIA practical discussion of governance, guardrails, and ethical implementation challenges for organizations trying to move from principle to day-to-day operating practice.
Health/DIS
Speaker: Steffen Tengesdal, CEO, Bao Systems
Steffen TengesdalBAO SystemsHealth/DIS session with Steffen Tengesdal, CEO of Bao Systems.
The Agency Fund Presentation: From Pilot to Evidence
Speakers: Elia Gandolfi, The Agency Fund; Precision Development; Ruth Orbach, GSMA.
Elia GandolfiThe Agency FundPDPrecision DevelopmentOrganization
Ruth OrbachGSMAA founder- and operator-facing session on moving beyond pilot culture toward evidence strong enough to justify wider adoption and investment.
Networking break
A final short break before the last round of breakout sessions.
Capital for AI for Agriculture
Moderator & speakers: Nasim Motalebi, WFP; Tsito Raharison, Signature Ag (invited); Erik van Ingen, FAO; Tetyana Zelenska, Digital Green.
Tsito RaharisonSignature Ag
Erik van IngenFAO
Nasim MotalebiWFP
Tetyana ZelenskaDigital GreenA breakout on capital for AI in agriculture, including philanthropic, public-sector, and impact-investing perspectives on what deserves support and how proof should be assessed.
Whose Knowledge Leads? Local Leadership, Community Evidence, and Global Decisions
Speakers: Sasha Dichter, 60 Decibels; Sonja Betschart, WeRobotics.
Sasha Dichter60 Decibels
Sonja BetschartWeRoboticsAcross development and humanitarian systems, locally rooted leaders are defining priorities, designing solutions, and shaping how progress is measured. This session examines how local expertise, lived experience, and direct community feedback can influence investment, policy, product design, and institutional decision-making. The speakers bring perspectives on three connected forms of leadership: creating solutions grounded in local realities, generating evidence through direct engagement with communities, and building networks that strengthen local technical capacity and decision authority. Together, they will explore who defines the problem, whose knowledge establishes value, and how locally led approaches can shape practice across regions. The conversation centers leadership, accountability, ownership, and trust—connecting directly with the conference’s wider questions about who controls emerging capabilities, who benefits from them, and whose expertise becomes visible and influential.
Donor Strategies for Responsible AI in Development
Participants: Representatives from NORAD, SIDA, FCDO, GIZ, UNDP.
A closed-door roundtable on donor strategy, governance, and the institutional conditions for responsible AI adoption across development organizations.
Rooftop cocktails and networking
Rooftop cocktails, networking, and closing remarks to continue the day’s conversations and connect practitioners across sectors before the summit moves into Day 2.
Day 2 · September 17, 2026
Ownership Economy
How should value, rights, governance, and trust infrastructure be shared?
Ownership and voice determine agency: who controls capabilities, who benefits, and who governs.
Ownership as Human Agency: Learning from Policy Innovation in Europe
Scene-setting talk on why ownership design matters, where Europe is leading, and the questions guiding the day.
Market Power, AI, Development and Freedom - Paths Forward
Speakers: Hamid Rashid, PhD; Jan Eeckhout, PhD; Nuria Oliver, PhD.
Hamid Rashid, PhDUN DESA
Jan Eeckhout, PhDLondon School of Economics
Nuria Oliver, PhDELLIS Alicante FoundationOpening conversation on AI's effects on wages, bargaining power, productivity, job quality, market concentration, and European policy responses.
Ownership Innovation in and Beyond Europe: What Travels, What Does Not, and What Must Be Built First
Speakers: Sarah de Heusch, Director, Social Economy Europe; Rutger Marres, Lawyer, De Zaak van Advocaten.
Sarah de HeuschSocial Economy Europe
Rutger MarresDe Zaak van AdvocatenA comparative look at the institutional stack around ownership models in Europe — social-economy policy, cooperative law, steward ownership, employee ownership, data intermediaries, platform-work regulation, public procurement, and startup/scaleup legal harmonisation. The session asks which parts travel globally and which depend on enabling legal, fiscal, cultural, and enforcement conditions.
Platform Cooperatives Didn't Scale. Can AI Ecosystems Do Better?
Speaker: Damiano Avellino, Co-Founder, Fairbnb.coop.
Damiano AvellinoFairbnb.coopUses Fairbnb as a candid case study to explore the structural barriers facing democratic platforms: network effects, capital constraints, marketplace liquidity, user convenience, regulatory complexity, local governance, and competition with venture-backed incumbents. Building on these lessons, the session explores how we can design the next generation of mutualistic AI ecosystems.
Morning networking break
Hosted networking hub for the full group, with spillover into Norrsken common areas.
Fireside Chat: From Data Access to Data Agency
Speakers: Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, Founder & CEO, Patients Know Best.
Mohammad Al-UbaydliPatients Know BestSession on care commons, patient-held records, public-interest data infrastructure, and ways to share health data without platform capture.
The Capital Stack for Shared Upside
Speaker: Daniel Sorrosal, Secretary General, FEBEA.
Daniel SorrosalFEBEAExamines whether ownership innovation can be financed without becoming extractive. The discussion focuses on patient capital, mission-aligned finance, and governance structures that preserve shared upside while still enabling scale.
In Conversation - Ownership Across Real Infrastructure
Speaker: Nuri Palmada, Som Energia
Nuri PalmadaSom EnergiaDiscussion of how ownership principles apply to physical, digital, civic, and market infrastructure, with attention to control rights, stakeholder voice, financing, and long-term stewardship.
Lunch at Skapa Restaurant
Shared lunch for the full group with room for hosted introductions, table conversations, and follow-up meetings.
Live lab: Parley Association and Building an Environmental Data Commons
Speaker: Martin Smith, Co-Founder, Parley Association.
Martin SmithCommonShare / Parley AssociationWorking session on governance, access, contribution rules, and incentives for an environmental data commons that can be trusted without becoming extractive.
Live lab: Pro-Worker AI and the Ownership Economy Certification
Speakers: Jahed Momand, Co-Founder, the Ownership Economy.
Jahed MomandOwnership EconomyDesign lab on certification criteria for AI systems that improve job quality, worker agency, and shared value, including evidence requirements and governance.
Live lab: Designing for Stakeholder Incentive Alignment
Practical lab on aligning ownership, payment flows, voice rights, and accountability across workers, communities, producers, buyers, investors, and institutions.
Afternoon networking break
Full 30-minute networking block, with Red Room as the hosted lounge and common-area spillover available.
Ownership as a Primitive for Development: Transparency vs. Privacy and the Future of Trusted Value Chains
Speakers: Thom Thompson; Wendy Thomas, Data Manager, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Thom ThompsonSpeaker
Wendy ThomasExtractive Industries Transparency InitiativePanel discussion on beneficial ownership transparency as a tool for responsible trade, investment, procurement, governance, due diligence, and trust, connecting value chains with traceability, digital identity, ESG reporting, and compliance.
Manufacturing 4.0, Development and Sustainability
Panel on sustainable manufacturing as an ecosystem design challenge, covering incentives, federated systems, shared infrastructure, verification, traceability, financing, market access, and impact measurement.
Closing Plenary: Built to Last - How to build institutions with purpose in a consolidating world
Speakers: Christian Kroll, Founder & CEO, Ecosia; Juho Makkonen, Co-founder & CEO, Sharetribe; James de le Vingne, CEO, Employee Ownership Association; Lily Pokraka, Project Manager, Purpose Foundation.
James de le VingneEmployee Ownership AssociationCKChristian KrollEcosia
Juho MakkonenSharetribe
Lily PokrakaPurpose FoundationPanel on preserving mission, redesigning control, and separating economic upside from decision rights.
Reception on the rooftop
Rooftop reception to continue conversations, reconnect across sessions, and identify next steps.
Optional Group Dinners
Optional small-group dinners around Barcelona for attendees who want to continue ownership-economy conversations after the formal programme.
Day 3 · September 18, 2026
Trusted Commerce: Parley Infrastructure
From impact and institutional design to building the rails of trusted commerce.
Building trusted, interoperable infrastructure for value chains, circularity, sustainability, biodiversity, carbon, and trade.
HYBRD Workout on the Beach
An optional early beach workout before the formal Day 3 programme begins.
Opening Remarks: Turning Theory Into Practice
Day Three opens by framing trusted commerce as a practical system of standards, data rails, verification, and governance.
Building Shared Rails: What It Takes to Make Competitors Collaborate
Speaker: Cipriano Ferreiro Rachón, SPC Certification Scheme Manager, TIC Council.
Cipriano Ferreiro RachónTIC CouncilA fireside chat on how rivals can cooperate on shared trust infrastructure while continuing to compete in the market.
Interactive Session and Goal Alignment
A working alignment session to set shared goals and orient participants across the day’s tracks.
Cross-Industry Networking and Coffee Break
Participants from the individual sessions break out to meet each other during coffee, ensuring broad cross-sector networking.
Deep Dive 1: Multi-stakeholder AI Workflows
Speakers: Martin Smith, CommonShare; Anas Boudih, CommonShare; Borja Montesinos, CommonShare.
Martin SmithCommonShare / Parley Association
Anas BoudihCommonShare
Borja MontesinosCommonShareA deep dive on the protocols, audit trails, escalation rules, human review, and accountability needed around AI workflows.
Deep Dive 2: Digitizing the Old World
Speaker: Victoria Snelling, Director of Standards, Leather Working Group.
Victoria SnellingLeather Working GroupA case study on digitizing finished leather production while preserving the commercial trust on which the industry runs.
Deep Dive 3: Building Accountability at Institutional Scale
Speaker: Rob Shaw, Head of Standards and Integrity, PEFC International.
Rob ShawPEFC InternationalA session on turning scattered forest signals into accountability at scale through protocols, verification, and governance design.
Deep Dive 4: Designing an Interoperable Digital Standard for Circularity
Speaker: Chuck Rogers, Americas Director, Technical Consulting & Supply Chain Solutions, Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Services.
Chuck RogersBureau VeritasA deep dive on the digital-first chain-of-custody standards needed to make circular claims auditable and investable.
Lunch
Lunch for the full group, with space for side meetings and informal cross-sector conversations.
The Cleanest Ton: Critical Minerals, Trust, and the New Extractive Bargain
Speakers: Cyrille Jegu, Director of Finance, Operations, and Governance, Responsible Steel; Sonia Marsh, Head of Sustainability, The International Tin Association; Blanca Racionero Gomez, Senior Researcher, Just Energy Transition and Natural Resources, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Alec Popper, Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability Officer, The Cobalt Institute.
Cyrille JeguResponsible Steel
Sonia MarshThe International Tin Association
Blanca Racionero GomezBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre
Alec PopperThe Cobalt InstituteA panel on making the cleanest ton visible to the market by linking traceability, emissions, water, biodiversity, community benefit, and responsible processing.
Building Technical Support at the Base of the Value Chain
A breakout on the implementation layer that helps producers, suppliers, and communities meet new expectations credibly and benefit from them.
The Apparel Graph
A breakout on what changes when the bill of materials becomes a graph connecting verified data, suppliers, processes, and compliance signals.
Inspiration Showcase: Building the Global Ecosystem Intelligence Commons
Moderator: Romain Liot, Co-founder and Former COO, Adore Me. Speaker: Ahmed Elfouly, OpenAtlas.
Romain LiotModerator · Adore Me
Ahmed ElfoulyOpenAtlasA showcase on the incentives, governance, and shared protocols needed to turn nature-tech breakthroughs into a global intelligence commons.
Curated Networking and Coffee Break
A curated networking and coffee break following the showcase and breakout sessions.
Marketplace Proof: Circularity, Product Data and the New Trust Layer
As resale, repair, rental and recommerce move from niche behaviour into mainstream commerce, marketplaces need a stronger trust infrastructure: reliable product identity, authentication, condition data, materials information, ownership history, repair records, and circularity claims that can travel across platforms. This panel will explore what kind of shared data layer is needed for circular marketplaces to scale, how much standardisation is realistic, and where commercial incentives align or clash with transparency. The core question: what would make circular commerce trusted enough for consumers, brands, regulators and capital markets at the same time?
From Claims to Capital: What Institutional Investors Need from Ecosystem Data
Institutional investors increasingly need to understand climate, nature, supply-chain resilience, social risk and circularity, but much of the available sustainability data is still fragmented, inconsistent or hard to translate into investment decisions. This panel will focus on what turns ecosystem data into investable evidence: which signals matter for stewardship, valuation, risk modelling, portfolio construction and transition finance. The central question: what would institutional investors need to see before trusted-commerce infrastructure becomes financially material?
Synthesis and Building the Tribe
A closing synthesis to name what the emerging trusted-commerce tribe is building and what commitments could carry the work beyond Barcelona.
Walking Tour of Barcelona
An offsite walking tour of Barcelona after the formal programme.
Optional Dinners and Barcelona at Night
Optional dinners and an informal night out in Barcelona for attendees who want to continue conversations after the formal day closes.