And with that, we have concluded another incredible Navigate event đź’™
As Navigate Europe 2024 comes to an end, we couldn't be more grateful for everyone involved, from our sponsors, attendees, and most importantly, the Civo team. It was a packed event with over 40 talks and workshops on a range of topics, such as artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technology, LLMs, and security in the cloud native space. We also had the chance to announce new product launches and hear from renowned speakers, including Frank Thelen and Kelsey Hightower.
To help summarize some of the core moments from this week, we have put together this wrap up video 👇
Keynote Sessions
Keynote with Frank Thelen
After an opening speech from Mark Boost (CEO of Civo) on the meaning behind Navigate and what attendees can expect from the upcoming event, we kicked off day 1 with a fireside chat with European serial founder, technology investor, and TV personality, Frank Thelen. Dinesh Majrekar (Civo CTO) and Mark Boost had the chance to sit down with Frank on stage to talk about his insights on innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of technology.
Keynote with Mark Boost
Moving on to day 2 of the event, we started the day with a keynote session from Mark Boost (Civo CEO), who touched upon the future of tech, where the frontiers of technology and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) converge to redefine business and society. Throughout this session, he was able to share his thoughts on how the world could be transformed by innovative technologies and a renewed corporate ethos, highlighting the endless possibilities that await.
Keynote with Kelsey Hightower
Joining us as a returning speaker from Navigate Europe 2023, we welcomed Kelsey Hightower to the stage as our keynote speaker for day 2 of the event. For anyone who has had the pleasure of listening to Kelsey speaking during a conference, they will know that he has limitless advice to share.
During the fireside session with Kelsey, he opened up about his thoughts on the cost of cloud and Mark Boost’s statement whereby “the cloud is broken”. He spoke directly to the audience when he said, “the cloud is broken because you allow it to be”. With this big statement, Kelsey explained how you need to spend the money to see the future you want to see
When prompted about the future of Kubernetes, Kelsey dove into his past experience and how we need to be asking more questions and be excited for the future based on the growth in the industry we have already seen.
Civo’s Latest Innovations
Dinesh Majrekar, Mark Boost, and Josh Mesout (Chief Innovation Officer at Civo), took to the stage to discuss the upcoming projects we have been working on at Civo. This included the release of Relax.ai, an open-source, sovereign AI assistant, and Flexcore, a complete private cloud solution.
While we will be releasing more information on these launches over the next few weeks, here is everything you need to know from the announcement at Navigate Europe 👇
Relax.ai
One of the core announcements during Navigate was surrounding Relax.ai, an open-source, sovereign AI assistant powered by the Llama 3.1 405B model and running on 100% renewable energy. The aim of Relax.ai is to set a new standard for AI assistants, offering unparalleled capabilities while prioritizing data sovereignty and user trust. Built on the first frontier-level open-source AI model, Relax.ai provides state-of-the-art performance rivaling top closed-source models.
Josh Mesout spoke about this release by saying:
“With Relax.ai, we're not just launching an AI assistant; we're setting a new benchmark for responsible AI. To deliver on this vision, it was a no-brainer for our team to run this AI assistant sustainably – the tech sector has a responsibility to help, not hinder, the fight against climate change. Ultimately, through the Llama 3.1 405B model and ironclad guarantees on data sovereignty, we're providing UK businesses with an AI assistant that's not only powerful but also trustworthy and compliant.”
Flexcore
Another notable release was Flexcore, a complete private cloud solution with unmatched security, performance, and scalability, deployable in minutes. Recent research that we conducted found that 48.7% of VMware customers are actively exploring alternative cloud providers, with many accustomed to the private solutions previously available on VMware.
With this, we have launched Flexcore to meet the needs of enterprises that require a reliable, high-performance cloud environment while maintaining control over their data, including organizations that have to comply with specific UK regulations. When speaking about the release of Flexcore, Mark Boost, CEO of Civo, said:
“Businesses are increasingly seeking solutions that allow them to retain control over their data while avoiding the vendor lock-in often associated with hyperscalers. FlexCore meets this demand head-on, offering an alternative to VMware that ensures our customers can maintain their sovereignty and flexibility, features that many VMware customers had easy access to before the Broadcom acquisition. Our mission with FlexCore is to provide a straightforward, powerful private cloud solution that empowers businesses to operate with confidence, control, and clarity."
Community and Sponsor Highlights
We had the pleasure of being joined by an amazing group of sponsors, such as Northflank, Pure Storage, Fermyon, Fullstaq, Humanitec, Kubermatic, Defense.com, and Kubefirst. For 2 days, our sponsors joined us in Berlin for some great conversations and live demos of their product offerings 👇
Once again, we want to say a massive thank you to all of our sponsors who made this event possible. Over the upcoming weeks, we will update our website with more event information and upload all recordings. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram to keep up with these announcements.
"I had an incredible experience at Civo Navigate Europe... Engaging conversations about edge computing with Kubernetes and AI/ML made it a truly insightful event. Exciting developments all around." - CEO of Fullstaq (Platinum Sponsor)
Upcoming Navigate Events
During this event, we announced two additional Navigate events: Navigate Local London 2024 and Navigate North America 2024 in San Francisco, California.
Navigate North America 2025
We’re excited to announce that we will be coming to San Francisco, California, for our third installment of Civo Navigate North America! On February 10th & 11th, 2025, we will be at the Convene, offering a place for professionals to connect, collaborate, and learn from a line up of 50 industry-leading speakers focused on navigating and succeeding within the cloud native landscape.
đź“… February 10th & 11th, 2025
đź“Ś Convene 100 Stockton, San Francisco, California, United States
We are now accepting CFPs for those looking for an opportunity to speak at Navigate North America 2025. To submit your application, click here.
Navigate Local London 2024
Earlier this year we held the first edition of Navigate Local, a new, more intimate yet equally impactful event. After the great response from our return to Tampa, Florida, we have announced that on October 15th, 2024, we will be coming back to London, England for an event aimed at enriching your understanding and skills with sessions tailored for all levels.
"I am having serious FOMO not being at #CivoNavigate in Berlin! So much good stuff going on there. Civo does such great conferences." - CEO of Fermyon (Platinum Sponsor)
We are now offering tickets for this event at just ÂŁ50. Secure your spot to join us in London and be a part of this unique experience in the cloud native world > www.civo.com/navigate/local
