In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Messearena
Messeplatz 1
Messehalle 5
Klagenfurt, Kärnten, 9021
Austria

Adrian Davies

Young entrepreneur + student

Adrian Davies is an award-winning young entrepreneur and law student focused on accelerating slow industries. His first major project, launched while still in school, was centralizing European rail onto a single platform to enable seamless and cost-effective cross-border travel. This initiative led to his first startup and inspired the railway industry to develop its own solutions. Adrian is passionate about reimagining the status quo, particularly in heavily regulated sectors. Currently, he is focused on legal tech, where he recently developed an AI system that assists compliance and tax departments with legal questions about "Work from Anywhere" and "Workations" in minutes via phone or chat. His achievements include winning the ASFINAG innovation award 2023, the eLegal Legal Tech Hackathon, and delivering talks on innovation at WKO. Adrian continues to push boundaries and drive innovation in industries that need it most.

Andrena Woodhams

Somatic body expert + author + speaker

Andrena Woodhams is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and Founder of Yinbound LLC, an American company enhancing well-being and mental health for leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Documentary filmmaker, reporter and presenter of BBC World Business Television, she co-founded a communications firm that produced corporate videos highlighting social innovation and environmental awareness for high profile clients that included George Soros’ Open Society, Norman Lear’s Business Enterprise Trust, and The United Nations. Somatic body expert and best-selling author, Andrena introduced pioneering shamanic practices in Europe which created profound and lasting shifts in consciousness for hundreds of people. She has also developed a unique approach to leadership which allows founders and entrepreneurs to maximize their impact on the world by accessing a deeper cut of themselves.

Andrew Kavanagh

Singer/Musician + street performer

Andrew Kavanagh, better known as Kav, is the charismatic lead singer of the Irish band Keywest. Originating as street performers in the vibrant city of Dublin, Keywest’s music resonated with audiences, propelling them to the top of the Irish music scene. With three number-one albums, platinum sales, and multiple chart-topping singles, their impact extends beyond borders, with their songs featured in movies and TV shows. Despite their commercial success, Keywest remained grounded in their roots, continuing to perform on the streets while selling out tours. However, amidst their triumphs, the band made a pivotal decision to break away from the corporate side of the music industry, reclaiming control over their lives and music. With a renewed focus on street performances and a commitment to building their brand authentically, Andrew and Keywest embarked on a journey to redefine their artistic path and connect with audiences on a deeper level.

Andy Starr

Brand architect + entrepreneur

Andy Starr is an award-winning brand architect with a passion for provoking organizations at the intersection of business, branding, and education. A musician, entrepreneur, and recovering law student, Andy is the co-founder and managing partner of Level C—the world’s new Bauhaus of Brand. He splits his time between the US and Austria.

Charlie Morley

Lucid dreaming teacher + author

Charlie Morley is a bestselling author and teacher of lucid dreaming, shadow integration, and Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep. With over 20 years of experience in lucid dreaming, Charlie was authorized to teach within the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche in 2008. He has written four books, translated into 15 languages, and held workshops in over 30 countries. He has lectured at Oxford and Cambridge universities and delivered courses for the Metropolitan Police, Reuters, and the Army Air Corps. Awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2018, he researched PTSD treatment in veterans, which became the basis for his book Wake Up to Sleep. He has presented his work on Sky News and at the Ministry of Defence Mindfulness Symposium. In 2023, a study published in Traumatology showed 85% of participants had decreased PTSD symptoms using his methods. A former actor and hip hop collective leader, he now lives in London with his mini-dachshund, Waffles.

De Kai

Pioneering AI scientist + professor

De Kai is a pioneering AI innovator and one of the founding figures behind the world’s first global-scale online language translator, which led to Google Translate, Yahoo Translate, and Microsoft Bing Translator. Recognized as one of the Founding Fellows by the Association for Computational Linguistics and named one of Hong Kong's 100 most influential figures by Debrett's, De Kai addresses philosophical questions about the future of technology and its impact on society. His work bridges cultures through AI, cognition, language, music, creativity, ethics, and policy. He has been featured in the New York Times, on the cover of Human magazine, and at events such as the UBS keynote with Geoffrey Hinton, TEDx, and major news channels like NDTV and i24 News. De Kai is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at HKUST, a Distinguished Research Scholar at Berkeley's International Computer Science Institute, and an independent director of AI ethics think tank The Future Society.

Dora Deliyska

Pianist

Dora Deliyska has established herself not only as one of the leading pianists of the present time, but also as one of the most versatile and intriguing. Her unique artistic projects have their own conceptual dramaturgy, giving piano literature and the art of interpretation a new perspective. Her extensive repertoire ranges from Bach to Ligeti. Deliyska performs regularly at some of the most renowned concert halls such as the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Oosterpoort Music Center (Netherlands), and many other venues in Europe

Dr. Elesa Zehndorfer

Award winning writer, blogger + author.

Dr. Elesa Zehndorfer is an eMBA lecturer and award-winning author known for her books on politics and leadership, including Evolution, Politics & Charisma: Why do Populists Win?, Leadership: Performance Beyond Expectations, and the forthcoming Post Truth Politics: A Brave New World? (Routledge). Over two decades, she has presented at conferences across Europe, America, and Asia, and worked at leading universities. In 2023, she spoke at the European Liberal Forum conference on disinformation in Whitehall. Elesa manages the Political Animals and Animal Spirits blog on Psychology Today and is a founding partner of Lakeside Partners GmbH. With a PhD from Loughborough University, her interest in physiology informs her work as a Personal Trainer and Pilates coach and influences her research on how physiology impacts decision-making and emotions in politics, finance, and business.

Dr. Paul Leahy

Sustainable engineer + researcher + recturer

Paul Leahy is a Senior Lecturer in Wind Energy Engineering at University College Cork, Ireland, and an Investigator at the MAREI Centre for Energy, Climate, and Marine Research. He leads research on sustainable energy and carbon dynamics. As a leader of the international Re-Wind project, he addressed the challenge of decommissioned wind turbine blades by repurposing them into new structures. In 2022, he co-founded BladeBridge, a startup that transforms turbine blades into green infrastructure such as e-bike charging hubs and street furniture. Paul is also a member of the Climate Change & Environmental Sciences Multidisciplinary Committee of the Royal Irish Academy and serves on the Steering Group of the International Energy Agency Wind Task 45, focusing on recycling wind turbine blades. His work is at the forefront of sustainable engineering and environmental innovation.

Heike Weber

Social activist + embroidery expert

Heike Weber is a German visionary who has dedicated her life to preserving the rich textile heritage of the Levant. Since moving to Syria in 1982, she has immersed herself in the local culture and traditions. As the founder and director of the ANAT Centre for Arab Textile Handicrafts, Heike has created a pioneering project that empowers Syrian and Palestinian women by providing them with employment opportunities in embroidery, knitting, and clothing design. Her deep appreciation for Levantine textiles is matched by her commitment to cultural preservation and social activism. Married into Syrian culture, Heike has spent decades observing and studying the region’s handicraft traditions. Her work at ANAT illustrates the transformative power of traditional crafts as tools for social change and community connection. Heike continues to inspire with her dedication to empowering individuals and her belief in the potential of art to unite people across cultures.

Jamie Beck Alexander

Climate activist

Jamie is a climate activist and creator of Undercurrent, a network of stealth actors across business, finance, law, journalism, activism and politics that works to tilt climate-critical decisions toward a livable world. Previously, Jamie founded Drawdown Labs at Project Drawdown which helped to push the boundaries of corporate climate action. Her TEDx talk "No matter where we work, every job is a climate job now" helped accelerate the green jobs transition, and ushered in a wave of employee climate activism inside influential companies. Jamie has been a guest on popular news outlets to discuss climate change including CNN, The Weather Channel, Al Jazeera and NPR, and her writing has been featured in CNN Opinion and Fast Company.

Katy Bohinc

Data Scientist + mathematician + founder + poet

Katy Bohinc, an award-winning data scientist, mathematician, founder, and artist. She is a visionary polymath Fortune 500 marketer. Bohinc began her career as a data scientist for leading marketing agencies, operationalizing big data adoption. Her work garnered Assembly Media (now Assembly Global) Ad Age’s Agency of the Year award. She has published three books of poetry, along with two edited volumes. Bohinc served as Director of the award-winning Tender Buttons Press (2013-2020). Her latest endeavor as founder & CEO of The Ratio – an AI startup which applies data science to the ancient traditions of astrology – marks her as a leading creative and scientific mind.

Nat Dr. Ware

Visionary social impact economist and entrepreneur

Dr. Nat Ware is the Founder/CEO of Forte, a groundbreaking initiative that finances global education and healthcare at no cost to individuals or governments. Endorsed by the World Economic Forum and named a UBS Global Visionary Company, Forte's model is transforming lives in Colombia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Australia. Nat also founded 180 Degrees Consulting, the largest volunteer consultancy, with 175 branches in 35 countries, delivering 8 million hours of service and training over 80,000 social impact leaders. Academically distinguished as Oxford’s top MBA student and a Visiting Fellow at Princeton, Nat’s accolades include being a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and the only two-time St Gallen Wings of Excellence winner. An Ironman triathlete, he swam the English Channel for charity. His first TEDx talk on 'Why We're Unhappy - The Expectation Gap' has over 2 million views, inspiring global audiences with his commitment to social innovation.

Niraj Naik

Breathwork expert + musician + serial entrepreneur

Niraj Naik is a certified pharmacist turned holistic health and breathwork expert, professional musician, serial entrepreneur, and one of the world’s most sought-after spiritual ceremony facilitators. His journey began as a community pharmacist, but a personal battle with an autoimmune disease led him to explore holistic health and breathwork. This inspired his mission to promote natural methods for health and happiness. He is the founder of SOMA Breath, a global breathwork movement with over 2000 certified instructors, renowned for its powerful transformational experiences. Endorsed by experts like Ben Greenfield, Marisa Peer, and Dave Asprey, his techniques are studied by neurologists at Cambridge University. Niraj also produced music for the Wim Hof Method and co-created a meditation technology with Rituals. Niraj is transforming personal adversity into a global wellness revolution, one breath at a time.

Sabine Friesser

Strategic brand builder + lecturer

Sabine Friesser is an accomplished executive and C-suite sparring partner. She has steered global B2B and B2C companies for 17+ years. Specializing in strategic brand building and management in highly competitive industries, she is one of few people in the world allowed to pass on her knowledge as a Level C Fellow. She is an Adjunct Professor of Branding and Marketing at multiple EU universities and a trusted counselor across a spectrum of companies, from microenterprises to category heavyweights, realizing revenues in the billions of euros.

Zala Pušnik

Mindwife + women's health advocate

Mag.a Zala Pušnik is a dedicated freelance midwife and lecturer based in Carinthia since 2005. At the University of Applied Sciences for Midwifery in Carinthia, she educates future midwives while managing her own practice, focusing on prenatal care, home birth assistance, and postpartum support. A board member of the Carinthian midwifery committee and a mother of four, Zala brings a holistic approach to childbirth and education. She cherishes guiding births in all forms—those of newborns, her children, and her students entering the world of midwifery. Her passion lies in exploring and honoring the profound wisdom inherent in women and its connection to natural phenomena. Zala is committed to integrating this understanding into broader societal contexts. She advocates for appreciative discourse and making female nature visible and valued in society, aiming to foster a deeper connection between women’s inner wisdom and the world around them.