Stage hosts announcement
It's time to give our stage hosts the spotlight ✨ Say hæ to Gummi, Henriette, Courtney, Björn and Vanessa! 🎊👋🏼
Dr. Vanessa Julia Carpenter
Founder and designer —Kintsugi Design
Dr. Vanessa Julia Carpenter believes in being a catalyst for change. Her focus today is on Femtech and how we can empower half the world’s population to live a better life. She holds a PhD in Designing for Meaningfulness in Future Smart Products from Aalborg University, Copenhagen and is founder and designer at Kintsugi Design, a design studio specialising in design and emerging technologies. She is a member of the Danish Design Council and is one of the experts on the The Danish Society of Engineers’ expert panel (IDA). She has worked for Gagarin, Astrid, SPACE10, FORCE Technology and as a consultant for many other companies. Vanessa aims to work interdisciplinary between industry, art, academia and technology.
Guðmundur Felixsson
Actor and director
Guðmundur Felixson is an Icelandic director, improviser, actor, and theatre maker who graduated from the Iceland University of Arts in 2015 with a B.A. in Performing Arts. Focused primarily on comedy, he performs improv weekly, teaches regularly, and co-founded the sketch group Kanarí in 2018, dedicated to creating humorous sketches. Kanarí has achieved notable success with two sketch series on RÚV and two stage shows. Guðmundur is an integral part of Iceland's independent theater scene, taking on various roles such as directing children's plays, managing technical aspects, and performing in devised works addressing topics like anxiety, thus leaving a lasting impact on the Icelandic artistic landscape.
Courtney Smith
Founder — SmithCon
Courtney is a creative startup consultant and marketing strategist, passionate about fostering growth and innovation within the startup, tech, and CPG sectors. With experience across the US, Europe, and Asia, Courtney's global insight and strategic approach empower businesses to thrive in the competitive startup ecosystem. To put it more simply, she really, really likes to work with and support cool people doing cool things, thus couldn’t be more delighted to be part of IIW.
Henriette Husby
Founder & Show Host — Businesstalk
Henriette is the Founder & Show Host of Businesstalk with Henriette podcast, which is the #1 entrepreneurial podcasts in Norway. She interviews the most up-and-coming female entrepreneurs to figure out how they've created the life of their dreams. She is a business coach, public speaker, podcaster and content creator and works as a Commercial Real Estate Agent in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Björn Lapakko
Founder of NoContext™
Björn is a creator, producer, consultant, and consummate collaborator, passionate about builders and creators of all kinds. With experience in the US (Fortune 500 companies), Europe (founders and investors), and Asia (founders, investors, and government), Björn's insight and strategic approach enable businesses to break through the noise to impact people in a challenging global economy positively. Attending IIW annually provides Björn with creative and inspirational fuel to help his clients build amazing experiences, products, and services.