Scaling Businesses With AI | Growth, Fundraising & Hands-On Workshop | Shaping the AI Era
Hosted by GrowthGirls
GrowthGirls evening on growing, funding and running businesses with AI: talks, founder stories and a hands-on workshop.
What happens after you've built something with AI? How do you get customers? How do you raise funding? How do you turn an impressive demo into an actual business?
AI rewrote how businesses grow, get funded and run. Teams of three now ship what used to take thirty. Brands test, learn and scale in days, not quarters. And the old question “how do I raise?” now has a rival: “do I even need to?”
This is an evening for founders, marketers, operators and investors who’d rather build the future than read about it. Real stories, straight talk and tools you can use the next morning.
The agenda
6:30pm · Doors open & ice-breaker Please, come early so you can meet the room before the room gets busy.
7:00pm · Welcome
7:05pm · From 0 to $$$: the ResQ story How a startup grew to being an established company with real revenue through AI-powered marketing and relentless experimentation. What worked, what flopped, and what they’d do again tomorrow.
7:45pm · Panel: AI and the real work of growing a business
What has it actually changed for the people growing companies? This panel skips the hype and goes straight to practice.
Expect honest answers, real examples and the lessons nobody puts on a slide.
Panel:
Laura Cortes Founder & CEO, Velaia Laura spent 20 years leading award-winning creative work for Google, Netflix, Disney and Adidas, and was Head of Digital Creative at Warner Bros. Records. She is a BAFTA and Webby nominee and a Cyber Lion winner. Today she is building Velaia, a maternal mental wellness platform for mothers of young children. On the panel, she brings the founder’s view: what it takes to build a brand people trust and how AI is changing the way a new company gets noticed.
Sarah Sommersguter Business Angel & Investor Coach, Yangel Sarah supports investors in building their business angel careers and works closely with early-stage founders. On the panel, she brings the investor’s view: what angels look for in the AI era, how AI changes the case for raising money, and what founders should have in place before they ask.
Carmen Katz Fractional COO, BizFlow Partners Carmen helps businesses find what’s really holding them back, using her “Find Your Stuck” framework, and then picks the tools a team will actually use. On the panel, she brings the operator’s view: why most AI tools never get adopted, how to work through resistance and fear of job loss, and how to make AI work for your people rather than the other way round.
(more to be announced soon)
8:35pm · Professional Visibility and AI Talk + mini-workshop with Lovable By Irina Shurmina, Lovable Ambassador & Lisbon City Lead · Founder, Ladies Who Talk and Talk Academy.
Irina founded the Ladies Who Talk community and Talk Academy, and is an expert in networking and business development. In this talk and hands-on workshop, she covers why professional visibility matters, how to build trust, and where to show up authentically. Then you’ll build your own visibility tool live with Lovable. You’ll leave with a visibility plan and three prompts ready to use.
9:05pm · Networking drinks Lisbon is in full Web Summit fever, and the best conversations happen off-stage. Smaller room, sharper people, drinks in hand.
Who it’s for Founders, marketers, operators, investors and anyone curious about building something, in Lisbon or in town for Web Summit.
Good to know
- Free to attend. Seats are limited and approved on request.
- Drinks available to purchase at the Second Home bar. No food is served.
Where: The Studio, Second Home Lisboa, 1st floor of Time Out Market (Mercado da Ribeira).
Hosted by GrowthGirls. Supported by ResQ and GrowthHackers. In partnership with Second Home Lisboa.
Request your spot.
Our Supporters
GrowthGirls is a London-based AI & Growth marketing agency responsible for the hyper-growth of well known companies worldwide.
ResQ Jewelry is a female-founded personal safety technology brand that combines innovative technology with elegant, wearable design to empower women to feel safer and more confident in their everyday lives.
GrowthHackers is the largest global community for growth-focused marketers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, dedicated to sharing insights, strategies, and innovative approaches to sustainable, data-driven business growth.
Ladies Who Talk is an international community where women come together to connect, learn, and grow professionally and personally.
