As I write these thoughts seated at my workstation in Europe, I can't help but contrast the cinematic grandeur of Las Vegas with the understated elegance of my environment. Yet, the spectacle unfolding in Nevada this week, AWS re:Invent 2025, is anything but discreet. For entrepreneurs, business leaders, and dreamers alike, this event presents an annual benchmark of technological evolution, and if you're following along remotely, ensuring you don't miss the essentials is your ticket to staying informed.
Packed with artificial intelligence advancements, the event offers insights not only into cutting-edge tech but into strategic plays designed to disrupt industries. Here’s why you should pay attention and precisely how to optimize your viewing experience.
Why AWS re:Invent Matters More Than Ever
Amazon Web Services has long transcended its origin as a cloud computing behemoth, gradually leading the charge in AI, security innovation, and scalable infrastructure. For entrepreneurs who rely on digital ecosystems to fuel growth, events like re:Invent spotlight the newest tools and methodologies that could reshape your strategies.
In 2024, AWS made waves by introducing services aimed at addressing AI hallucinations. This year promises deeper dives into "agentic AI," where autonomous systems become vital partners in business operations. Consider the implications not just for enterprise developers, but for founders relying on automation to save manpower and finances.
Schedule Highlights You Don’t Want to Overlook
The schedule is bursting with sessions, many of which you can stream for free without purchasing an expensive ticket. Here are the key moments for 2025, tailored for founders and freelancers eager to extract practical intel:
Day One Highlights – December 2
Matt Garman’s Opening Keynote
Time: 8 a.m. PT
Details: Matt Garman unveils AWS’s roadmap for the year, touching on product launches and strategic priorities. For founders looking toward growth through scalable tech, this opening session is foundational. You can access the livestream via AWS Keynote Stream.
AWS Security Deep Dive
Time: 10 a.m. PT
Details: Security isn’t just a concern, it’s the backbone of operational success. This session focuses on enterprise-level responses to cyber threats, and most importantly, how startups can implement scalable security measures effectively.
Day Two & Beyond: AI Steps Into the Spotlight
AI with VP Swami Sivasubramanian
Time: December 3, 8:30 a.m. PT
Why It Matters: If your business is investigating generative AI or autonomous intelligence, this conversation delves into real-world applications and market-ready capabilities. Catch the session streamed here.
Closing Session with Software Maestro, Werner Vogels
Time: December 4, 3:30 p.m. PT
Details: Known for his developer-first ethos, Vogels explores how innovation in computing translates directly into solutions for early-stage companies across industries.
Beyond these scheduled events, AWS’s collaborative experiments with NVIDIA on 'AI Factories' and foundational model-building platforms like Trainium3 will be further illuminated.
How to Participate From Anywhere
- Set Alerts: Livestream details for critical keynotes are available through the official AWS Event Page.
- Turn Lessons Into Actions: For every AI or compute-related announcement, evaluate its relevance to your business model. The AWS Industries session on Day Three (1:40 p.m. PT) will touch industries from fintech to logistics, topics ripe for disruptive solutions.
- Follow Live Commentary: TechCrunch has consolidated editorial insights, including interviews with AWS executives, over AWS-focused updates.
Common Oversights: What Most Founders Miss
For those tuning in remotely, here are three errors to avoid:
- Skipping Interactive Demos: Record-breaking technologies like Trainium chips will have real-time demos. Watching the customer implementation live could provide clarity that generic recaps often fail to deliver.
- Neglecting Partner Announcements: AWS isn’t innovating in isolation, its collaborations, even unconventional ones like streaming via Fortnite, offer frameworks for future partnerships.
- Treating the Event Passively: Transform notes into strategies by connecting the dots between AI advancements and sector-specific gaps.
Final Takeaways
Re:Invent 2025 is remarkable not because it unveils shiny tech, but because it simultaneously empowers businesses to stay competitive and strategic. Remote access ensures nobody has an excuse to postpone learning, and for visionaries in Europe, Asia, or anywhere the Las Vegas Strip feels distant, this access is invaluable.
Be ruthless about what you absorb. AWS’s focus on AI and security signals that these will dominate conversations, funding rounds, and operational frameworks through 2026. For aspiring startup protagonists watching from afar, the most powerful takeaway from AWS’s spectacular stage is this: Be future-ready not by predicting the next big thing but by implementing the seeds of change where applicable.
Let this be the year your curiosity aligns with opportunity.
FAQ
1. What is AWS re:Invent 2025?
AWS re:Invent 2025 is Amazon Web Services’ premier annual event that showcases the latest cloud innovations, AI advancements, and infrastructure updates. The event is held in Las Vegas from December 2–4, 2025. Explore AWS re:Invent 2025 event details
2. How can I watch the AWS re:Invent 2025 keynotes live?
All keynotes are available for free via livestreams on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. For a detailed schedule and links to keynotes, visit TechCrunch’s AWS re:Invent Hub.
3. What will Matt Garman’s keynote cover?
Matt Garman, AWS CEO, will provide an overview of AWS’s product launches and strategic plans during his keynote on December 2, 2025, at 8:00 AM PT. Watch Matt Garman’s keynote here.
4. What is agentic AI, and why is it a focus for AWS?
Agentic AI refers to systems capable of autonomous decision-making and actions in business processes. AWS is focusing on this to assist enterprises in developing scalable AI-driven solutions. Learn more about agentic AI in Swami Sivasubramanian’s session.
5. What are the major innovations AWS is unveiling this year?
Key innovations include advancements in AI technology like the Trainium3 chip, foundational AI models, and collaborations such as NVIDIA's 'AI Factories'. Read about AWS's AI and chip innovations.
6. Can I access past sessions on-demand?
Yes, AWS provides an on-demand library of previous sessions and keynotes. You can explore the 2024 content while waiting for new videos to be uploaded for 2025. Access AWS on-demand content here.
7. How can startups benefit from attending AWS re:Invent?
Startups can gain insights into the latest cloud infrastructure, AI tools, and cybersecurity best practices. Attending sessions like "AWS Security" and "AWS Industries" can provide practical applications for your business. Learn more about the AWS Security session.
8. What industries is AWS targeting during the event?
AWS is emphasizing verticals such as fintech, healthcare, and logistics with tailored solutions for these sectors. The "AWS Industries" session on December 4, 2025, will discuss these opportunities. Discover more during AWS Industries.
9. Are there any interactive demos during the event?
Yes, AWS will feature live demos of its technologies, such as the new Trainium3 chips, to showcase practical implementation. These demos provide an in-depth look at customer use cases. Watch Trainium chip demo highlights.
10. What are the costs of attending AWS re:Invent 2025 in-person?
An in-person pass is $2,099 USD and includes access to all activities, including keynotes, breakout sessions, labs, and the re:Play party. Sign up for re:Invent.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.