By Bruno Iafelice (TVLP Institute, USA) and Gil Goncalves (University of Porto, Portugal)

Industry Forum at ETFA 2025, Porto, Plenary Session. (L-R): Gil Gonçalves (Moderator – standing), Marlos Silva (Sonae), Teresa Conceilção (NVIDIA), João Pereira (Portugal Ventures), Michael Olshimke (Scalefree), Cristina Cristalli (U-Sense).

 

When Bruno Iafelice and Gil Goncalves met for the kickoff of ETFA 2025 (30th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation), they realized they shared experiences as founders of technology ventures and a passion for innovation. This guided them over the following months in designing the Industry Forum as co-chairs. Their goal was to attract more industry participation, engage startup entrepreneurs (the next generation of industry players), and inspire the IEEE IES community.

The 30th ETFA conference, held 9–12 September 2025, in Porto, Portugal, included the Industry Forum, designed to blend industry challenges with entrepreneurship. The program, created by Gil Goncalves and Bruno Iafelice promoted collaboration while showcasing examples of emerging technologies.

They envisioned a main plenary session to inspire attendees with international speakers from leading players in automation and AI, alongside examples from emerging companies. In parallel, they designed a more interactive, local-focused session where industry partners could present real needs and startups could pitch solutions—specifically targeting the Porto area to strengthen relationships favored by proximity.

The Industry Forum program opened the conference following the opening ceremony with a plenary panel session held in the main auditorium, attended by around 250 participants. The panel brought together industry leaders, investors, and fast-growing companies to share insights on the current state and future of industrial automation. Panelists included venture capitalists such as Portugal Ventures, large companies like NVIDIA, Silicon Valley pioneers in AI chips, and Sonae, a leading Portuguese multinational. Fast-growing companies such as ScaleFree, founded by serial entrepreneur Michael Olschimke with roots in Silicon Valley and Germany, also shared insights on scaling innovation globally, alongside Cristina Cristalli of the startup U-Sense.IT in partnership with carmaker Volkswagen.

A more interactive and local-focused session complemented the plenary, allowing startups to engage directly with industry partners to discuss pressing challenges and pitch transformative solutions. Its hands-on format enabled participants to collaborate closely, explore solutions in depth, and create tangible opportunities for innovation. Startups from the venture fund Portugal Ventures and incubators such as UPTEC participated, including Scemai, Twevo, Follow Inspirations, AZITEK, Voxelmaps, Evoworkforce, and Inklusion Entertainment, SA. In the months before the conference, organizers held planning meetings and discussions with industry partners—such as the industry cluster Produtech, EIT Manufacturing, Vista Alegre, and others—to ensure the program addressed the most relevant industry problems.

By combining startups, investors, and industry leaders, the forum offered unique perspectives on emerging technologies, industrial challenges, and market opportunities. It fostered cross-sector dialogue, mentorship, and partnership opportunities, reinforcing IEEE IES’s commitment to entrepreneurship, industry collaboration, and innovation in factory automation.