Final speak announcement!
We' continue to fill the program with amazing speakers! Take a look:
Isabella Holmberg
↪ NVIDIA
Isabella Holmberg is driving strategic AI partnerships for NVIDIA across the Nordics and the UK. With a sharp focus on cutting-edge innovation, she is helping shape how industries adopt and scale AI to solve real-world challenges. Honored twice by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden for her outstanding contributions to innovation and value-based leadership, Isabella combines forward thinking expertise with a visionary outlook on the future of AI. She believes, “The technology is out there – it’s up to us how we use it to define our future.” For Isabella, the decisions we make today around AI will not only transform industries—they will shape the future of society for generations to come.
Jill Martin Wrenn
↪ Journalist
Jill Martin Wrenn is a British-American broadcast journalist and media coach based in London. She has produced and presented financial news content for the BBC, CNN, the Financial Times and others. On her podcast How to Build a Village, Jill interviews global entrepreneurs, business leaders and authors. Jill also enjoys helping early-stage founders and small business owners to amplify their messages with pitching and presenting workshops. As an adjunct professor at Richmond American University in London, Jill teaches aspiring media professionals how to master global communication strategies. She holds a BA from Cornell University, and an MA in Communications from Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Þorbjörg Sæmundsdóttir
↪ CCP Games
Þorbjörg Sæmundsdóttir is CCP Games’ Director of Finance, responsible for overseeing financial operations and strategic planning. She first joined CCP in 2012 as a Senior Financial Analyst, later becoming Director of FP&A. After a few years in the startup world as COO/CFO of tech company Activity Stream, she returned to CCP in 2022 to support operations at a strategic level. With an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, Þorbjörg has built a career in finance leadership, previously working at Vífilfell (Iceland’s Coca-Cola bottler) and geothermal company Enex. She’s also a dedicated mentor, Women in Games Ambassador, and finance lecturer at the University of Reykjavík. In 2023, she was nominated for Mentor of the Year at the Nordic Women in Tech Awards and continues to support entrepreneurs through her work with Klak, Iceland’s startup incubator. Outside of work, she enjoys knitting, hiking, and traveling— especially to unusual destinations. She helps organize Garnival, Iceland’s annual yarn festival, and co-runs Today I Feel, a creative yarn-dyeing project. A lifelong gamer, she has a soft spot for strategy games like Civilization and Heroes of Might & Magic III and still revisits classic Sierra adventures. Þorbjörg lives with her husband, three sons, and their family dog. While she may officially hold the title of matriarch, she suspects the dog is the one truly in charge.
Sesselja Ingibjörg Barðdal Reynisdottir
↪ Drift EA
Sesselja Ingibjörg Barðdal Reynisdottir is the CEO of Drift EA and a passionate advocate for fostering a thriving community of innovation and entrepreneurship in North Iceland.
Drift EA, situated in the heart of Akureyri in northern Iceland, is an independent nonprofit initiative dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. Its "Incubator" serves as a dynamic coworking space where businesses receive support from experienced experts to develop and grow, catering to both startups and established ventures. Drift's focus provides a vibrant atmosphere of innovation, a thriving local business community, and a nurturing environment conducive to learning at all levels. It collaborates closely with influential businesses, organisations, and academic institutions in the northern region of Iceland. Drift's focus areas include biotechnology, health tech, ageing solutions, fishing industry, and sustainable green solutions. Sesselja holds degrees in Hotel Management, Law, and an MBA and is an investor and an experienced entrepreneur.
Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir
↪ Carbfix
As a CEO, Edda strives to lead with a clear and strategic vision, inspiring her team to drive forward the company’s mission of scaling their proprietary technology that permanently turns captured CO2 into stone underground, thereby contributing to climate recovery. Carbfix revolutionized the carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector, notably reducing the timeframe for CO2 mineralization from thousands of years to just two years, while accumulating over a decade of operational experience. Prior to taking on her current role as CEO, Edda was Head of Innovation and Strategic Planning at the Department of Research and Innovation at Reykjavik Energy, while also being a project manager for the Carbfix project. Carbfix started as a research project, an international collaboration between industry and academia, in 2007, with Edda being part of the journey from the beginning. Looking ahead, Edda is focused on expanding Carbfix’s technology into new markets, advancing their contribution toward a carbon-neutral future.
Tansu Kjerimi
↪ TechBBQ
Tansu Kjerimi is the Global Partnerships Manager at TechBBQ, passionate about connecting people, sparking collaborations, and building thriving communities in the tech and innovation space.
David Cerami
↪ REST ApS
David has built his career in the climate, wellbeing, and creative industries. He is the Founder and CEO of REST ApS, a European based biotech and foodtech company focused on creating a bean-free coffee alternative designed to address the growing problems within coffee. As the second most consumed beverage on earth after water, coffee's problems are felt globally because of a supply deficit driven from climate change and unabated demand. With REST, David is focused on delivering taste parity and below parity pricing to expand the supply of coffee at a cheaper price that's good for businesses and consumers. He has been part of founding teams where he has harnessed his experience in storytelling to galvanize action and impact with corporate leaders, companies, and consumers across a number of different mediums. Before co-founding Valence, a climate tech biomaterials company creating home compostable biopolymers, David served as the Co-Founder and Talent Director of Condition alongside Nate Brown. There, he worked on launching Condition as an editorial platform focused on mental and physical wellbeing through the Millenial and Gen Z perspective. Prior to that, he served as a Contributing Editor to At Large Magazine and V Magazine. He has also served as the Content Director of digital design agency, Maui New York, where he led the content direction for brands like David Yurman, Jeffrey Rüdes and Billy Reid. David has also worked on campaigns for John Hardy, 7 For All Mankind, Herradura Tequila, and Jeep and Hyatt while at Matte Projects. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and is a National Champion Rower. With a deep rooted passion for communication with purpose, David is excited to be part of the next wave of impact driven companies helping them reach a wider audience and deliver on sustainability commitments. When he is not working, he loves long bike rides through the mountains of the UK and mountain walks with his 2 children and wife.
Gisli Rafn Olafsson
↪ Iceland Red Cross
Currently serves as the Secretary General of the Icelandic Red Cross. Gisli combines over 25 years of experience from humanitarian response operations worldwide with 30+ years in the technology sector. Prior to his current role, Gisli served as an elected member of parliament in his native country of Iceland.
Jón Ingi Bergsteinsson
↪ IceBAN
Jon founded SMART-TRIAL in 2013 and spent a decade supporting hundreds of MedTech companies through clinical trials and to market. Since his exit in 2022, he's devoted most of his time to angel investments, early-stage MedTech investments in the Nordics via LIFA Ventures, and leading the Icelandic business angel network (IceBAN) as its founder and chairman.
Emil Grímsson
↪ Artic Trucks
Emil Grimsson, MD of Arctic Trucks Polar and Arctic Trucks International. Born and raised in Iceland, he finished Cand Oecon from University of Iceland and later finishing an MBA in the US. As marketing director for Toyota Iceland in 1990 he was instrumental in establishing the Arctic Trucks operation within Toyota. In 2005, then CEO for Toyota Iceland, he bought the Arctic Trucks operation and left Toyota. Diving deep into expedition planning and doing the BBC Top Gear Polar Special to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole, Emil found a “calling” for exploration, studying possibilities, planning the extreme and joining the adventure. Along with working on the Arctic Trucks business, he and his team, using Arctic Trucks vehicles, have made many world’s first and accomplished impressive statistics in the Arctic and the Antarctic supporting adventure and science alike.“
Freya Pratty
↪ Sifted
Freya Pratty is a senior reporter at the Financial Times' Sifted, a publication covering tech across Europe. Freya specialises in climate tech and has charted a tumultuous time for the industry. She also works on investigations into the wider tech ecosystem
Susanna Laursen
↪ Tonik
Súsanna Laursen has been active in the startup ecosystem for over eight years, focusing on innovation, community development, and entrepreneurship.
Based in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, she works at Hugskotið, the local startup incubator, where she supports early-stage founders and contributes to building a thriving entrepreneurial environment. Súsanna is also one of the project managers and a co-founders of TONIK, a start-up and tech event focusing on technology, creative industries & art.
She brings a unique perspective on how small-scale innovation hubs can have a global voice and is excited to share her insights at Iceland Innovation Week.
Camila Medina
↪ Schneider Electric
Through her studies, in industrial engineering and management, and her work at Schneider Electric (2017-2021 and 2024-2025) and Statkraft (2021-2024), Camila Medina has conducted analyses, projects, and initiatives to help Norwegian businesses with energy efficiency, using technological solutions based on IoT and artificial intelligence. In her current role as Strategy Leader for the Nordic and Baltic Region at Schneider Electric, Camila has further expanded her perspective.
Based on macroeconomic, geopolitical and technological trends, she develops visions for the future of Northern Europe and uses her knowledge and experience to chart the course for Schneider Electric's operations in the region. She also offers consulting and support to companies looking to digitalize. Camila is driven by the principle that energy and resource efficiency not only strengthens the bottom line, but also motivates employees and provides tangible positive effects for both the business and the environment
Ari Kristinn Jonsson
↪ Nato Innovation Fund
Dr. Jónsson is the CEO of Videntifier Technologies. Over the last 15 years, he has worked on various projects related to innovation and entrepreneurship in Iceland. Ari has been board member of high-tech startup companies and involved in strategy and policy development for the government. In 2007, he joined Reykjavik University and in 2010 he was appointed president of the university. Ari worked previously for 10 years at NASA as a senior research scientist and a manager. He graduated with a PhD from Stanford University in 1997, with focus on artificial intelligence.
Sesselja Vilhjálmsdóttir
↪ Abstrakt Consult
Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir is a seasoned tech serial entrepreneur and venture builder with over 15 years of experience as a business leader in the tech sector. She has founded several companies, Kinwins, a gamified social network, and Tagplay, an automatic workflow management software. She co-produced and directed the video documentary, The Startup Kids. Sesselja has worked in digital business and product development and transformation, sales, marketing, and investment banking. She currently serves as a consultant for Abstrakt Consult, providing expert guidance on innovation, business development, strategy, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. Sesselja is also a host of Athafnalíf, a popular podcast about entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Helga Valfells
↪ Crowberry Capital
Helga is a founding Partner of Crowberry, a Nordic seed and early stage venture capital fund. Currently Helga sits on the boards of 9 of Crowberry ́s portfolio companies: She is chairman of the board of Lucinity and Greenbytes and a board member of Aldin Dynamics, Monerium, Katla, Tiimo, Kickercloud, Porcelain Fortress and Scale-up Finance. Helga is also a board member of the Icelandic Venture Capital Association and the Icelandic Design Center. Prior to co-founding Crowberry in 2017, Helga was CEO of NSA Venture from 2010. Helga has also managed a number of marketing and funding initiatives for start-ups on behalf of the Trade Council of Iceland and worked as a non-political advisor to the Minister of Business Affairs in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009. Helga was deputy chairman of the board of listed telco Siminn from 2018 - 2021 deputy chairman of Islandsbanki from 2013 to 2019. Helga was on the board of the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce from 2020 - 2024.
Hulda Hallgrímsdóttir
↪ Nox Medical
Sigríður Mogensen
↪ Federation of Icelandic Industries