Opening remarks

Embracing Radical Business Model Transformation for Future Growth at Web Summit Qatar 2026

The third and final day of Web Summit Qatar 2026 began with opening remarks from Ms. Grazi Sbardelotto, Partner and VP at Pmweb, a VML company. She welcomed attendees, emphasizing that growth in 2026 demands knowing when to completely change a business model, rather than merely optimizing it. This sets the stage for discussions on strategic transformation.

Ms. Sbardelotto introduced her diverse professional background. Besides her leadership role at Pmweb, she is a Partner at Follow Capital, dedicated to fostering growth in small and medium-sized enterprises. Her commitment extends to being a Women in Tech Web Summit ambassador and an advisor for Ali Clue, a startup aiding visually impaired individuals with label access.

Pmweb, with over 30 years in the market, specializes in CRM solutions, partnering with various technologies to help clients succeed through data, services, and technology. She highlighted WPP Open, the world’s largest AI hub for marketers, which enables the creation of copywriting, videos, synthetic personas, and more using advanced LLMs.

Ms. Sbardelotto stressed that future successful companies will be those brave enough to disrupt their own business models proactively. She noted a significant industry shift: retailers are becoming media companies, media companies are evolving into commerce platforms, and tech companies are entering retail, indicating a widespread convergence where “everyone is becoming everything.”

She illustrated this with Pmweb’s history, founded in 1966 as a website developer, then creating its own CRM technologies. A series of acquisitions followed: by Responses in 2012, then Oracle in 2013, and later WPP in 2017. These events dramatically reshaped Pmweb’s core business, forcing continuous adaptation.

The acquisition by WPP in 2017 was a turning point, revealing that Pmweb’s strength lay in providing services to help clients succeed, irrespective of their chosen platform. This led to a pivot from reselling platforms to becoming an agnostic implementation partner, working with diverse platforms like Salesforce, Braze, and Adobe.

Ms. Sbardelotto clarified that a true pivot involves a new offer, a new customer segment, a distinct value proposition, and a redefined competitive landscape, going beyond mere operational optimizations. Pmweb’s strategic decision to exit platform sales and focus on services exemplified this, allowing them to thrive by leaving direct competition.

She then presented Follow Capital’s impressive track record, achieving a 13x DPI, four exits, and an average exit time of 3-5 years, accumulating over $150 million in portfolio value within five years. This success is attributed to actively supporting companies, filling a gap where angel investors often lack time for hands-on guidance.

Ms. Sbardelotto invited attendees to connect via LinkedIn and provided access to the “Future 100” report, detailing 100 trends across AI and consumer behavior to guide future business strategies. She then introduced the Grove Stage agenda, promising insights from startup founders and larger companies on funding, adaptation, and resilience.

The morning’s first speaker was announced as Gary Liu, co-founder and CEO of Terminal 3. He would address the critical challenge of trust in AI systems, which increasingly shape decisions. His presentation would explore how digital identity can serve as a fundamental basis for accountability and transparency in this evolving technological landscape.