coexistence

Because technology carries creativity across oceans, and culture gives it meaning wherever it lands. Next Tuesday I’ll be on the Culttech Accelerator Innovation Stage at our CultTech Summit 2025, moderating a panel on scaling to new markets. We're bringing together perspectives from Intra & Entrepreneurs expanding to and from their regions. Joining me are Laura Haidinger (Canva), Takayuki Suzuki (MusicTech Japan), Mershad Javan (Octiive), Nohelia Sanchez (KunturLab) and Garry Yankson...a 🔥 🔥🔥 mix of creative and cultural innovators shaping what global growth looks like next. CultTech Summit 2025 22nd & 23rd October Vienna Be there or be 🔲 Get your tickets from www.culttechsummit.com Culttech Accelerator CultTech Association #culttechsummit #culttech #creativeculture #innovation

Mentoring is one of the most fulfilling parts of my work. But this experience with Culttech Accelerator has been truly special. A few months ago, I was contacted to be a mentor at Culttech Accelerator, the first accelerator for startups in culture. At this stage of my career, I’m already used to receiving this kind of invitation. But what I wasn’t expecting was the high level of the people behind it and the quality of the startups participating. Yes, we all know Y Combinator, 500 Startups, or Techstars - and let me tell you, Culttech Accelerator sits at the same table. I’ve already talked in a previous post about how Alejandra Prieto found me, but what I didn’t share is how well I’ve been treated since the very beginning. With care and a personal touch, they immediately understood how I could add value to their startups, even without a background in culture. It’s also important to mention that they respect mentors’ time - and compensate accordingly - which, even today, is still not the norm. I’ve often thought about how I’d build a mentorship program for startups, and honestly, this would be the model I'd follow! I was lucky to be matched with Luca De Bellis, founder of Garipalli, a great founder with a very interesting product ready to scale. I’ve spent the past three months talking with him every week, and I just love this kind of long-term mentorship. It allows me to share my perspective and help the startup with its challenges in a much more consistent way than a one-off call ever could. And now, the program is coming to an end with the Culttech Summit (organized by CultTech Association) in Vienna next week! This event brings together startups, investors, cultural organizations, and creative professionals exploring how technology can transform culture. The program features startup pitches (where Luca will showcase Garipalli’s most recent evolution), investor sessions, and the Culttech Global Expo, alongside panels on revenue models, digital tools, and socially impactful projects. I’m super excited to finally meet all these brilliant people in person - including the founders behind the only Portuguese startup in the program, Membrz.Club (Bruno Costa and Rods Rodrigues, let’s have a drink!). It’s going to be two fast but very intense days in Vienna, one of my favorite cities in the world! So, if you’re around next week, let me know. 🙂

Vienna calling: Join my open table at the #CultTech Summit 25! The question I would love to explore with you: 👉 What can the #economy learn from the creative industries? On October 22 we flip the script: For decades, the so-called “real” industries have been seen as teaching the creative field—how to become more efficient, more productive, more scalable. But times are changing, and probably faster than ever. In today’s #VUCA and #BANI world, I find the cultural field to be far more #resilient than most other sectors, uniquely skilled at responding spontaneously to new situations and starting much more meaningful connections. I’ve seen this first-hand in projects I’ve worked on for cultural institutions such as creating the audio guide for the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe and Silke Oldenburg, developing a new cultural identity for the Hochschule für Musik und Theater together with Jochen Strauch, or shaping the digital strategy for the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble in collaboration with Christina Schonk. Patrik Suenwoldt and me already raised this question at the German Creative Economy Summit in Hamburg—and I’m excited to continue the conversation in Vienna. 🎟️ If you don’t have a ticket yet, you’ll find the link in the comments. 📲 If you’re already planning your schedule, use the Talque app to book your seat at the table. Thanks for making the round tables happen, Ilya Lobanov! I very much look forward to welcoming you and sharing this discussion—maybe with you, Sara Lerota or Michal Adamík? 📅 October 22 ⏰ 12:00–13:00 📍 Meeting Room 1 CultTech Association

So happy to share that I’ll be attending the CultTech Summit 2025 in Vienna! It’s the leading event exploring how culture and technology intersect - from ArtTech and MusicTech to digital rights and emerging creative tools. I still remember the vibrant atmosphere last year and can’t wait to experience it again! As part of the CultTech community and mentor network, I’m proud to contribute to an ecosystem that’s shaping the future of culture - supporting the next generation of creative startups and connecting with artists, investors, and entrepreneurs who are driving change. Can’t wait to see you all there! 📍 Vienna, Austria 📅 October 22–23, 2025 CultTech Association Culttech Accelerator

Counting down the days - Join me at the CultTech Summit! I’m really excited to be part of two sessions this year: • CultTech Residency: Merging Tech Inspiration with Artistic Innovation with Cyran AOUAMEUR, Gabriella Chihan Stanley. • Technology for Higher Education and Creativity with Clemens Apprich, Airan Berg, Gosia Cabaj, and Carsten Q. Schneider. If you’d like to join, here’s a little something from me: use my personal 20% discount code: CS-ARDELEAN. Grab your ticket at https://lnkd.in/dAPraDYB Big thanks to the CultTech Association. Can’t wait to see everyone in Vienna on October 22–23! Maria Sloeva, Samanta P., Alejandra Prieto, Sofía Prieto, Pavel Yablonskiy

At the foundation — and the heart — of the CultTech Association lies artistic creation. When we began shaping the first CultTech Summit, before any panels or keynotes took form, we invited artists, theatre makers, and musicians. Honestly, it wasn’t an obvious decision for me at first. Coming from a background of theatre festivals and producer forums, I thought these were separate genres — that art might distract from the conversations, while being an expensive, not necessarily attractive part of the program. I was wrong. And I’m grateful my colleagues were more visionary than I was. Many participants told us that what sets CultTech apart is its direct connection to art itself — to those who create and embody the cultural shifts we discuss. The artistic program isn’t a side note where you can take a break; it’s the essence of what CultTech stands for — and it’s essential to share and promote it across diverse audiences. So, I’m very happy to share a glimpse of this year’s Artistic Program: - EOL – End of Life (DARUM) An intimate 1.5-hour VR performance reflecting on mortality, care, and digital embodiment. Recently selected among Theatertreffen 2025’s Top 10 Theatre Productions in DACH, not just as a tech work — but as one of the most powerful theatre experiences of the year. - Angewandte Digital Arts Showcase In collaboration with the University of Applied Arts Vienna, this exhibition features works exploring technology, storytelling, and machine agency. Critical, speculative, and deeply human — it’s a mirror for our digital culture. The CultTech Emerging Artist Award will celebrate innovation and artistic courage in digital arts. - CultTech Residency Showcase Presenting three experimental installations born from our summer residency in Linz: GrooveDeck — a collaborative music-game with Sony CSL (Paris) by Florin Gorgos,Cyran AOUAMEUR, Victor Palle Amaury DELORT It Takes 2+1 to Waltz — an AI-human sound choreography powered by motion capture with Sony CSL (Paris) by Jasmy Chieh-Hsuan Chen, Obed King Him Cheung, Michael Hoi Ming Du, Javier Nistal Subtextura — a conspiracy-inspired AR environment created with Artivive by Artem Timonov, Olga Lukianova, Peter Voznesensky - DeLaurentis – Musicalism Composer and electronic artist DeLaurentis returns with Musicalism, blending melodic techno, synesthesia, and AI-driven composition tools from Sony CSL and IRCAM. - Drone A genre-bending performance-party merging theatre, rave culture, and speculative fiction — premiered at Voices Festival (Berlin) and now coming to Vienna. If you’re in Berlin this month, check out Voices Berlin Festival, produced by our colleagues. CultTech Summit 2025 is not just a conference. It’s a space where art, science, business, and technology meet to change how we perceive and experience the world through culture. *a video from our residency visit to the Ars Electronica Museum in Linz, where I completely fell in love with a robot.