Inside Davos Catalyst: My Interview with Founder Adrian Fopp

By: Kate Strachnyi

I recently sat down with Adrian Fopp, the founder of Davos Catalyst, to talk about the AI summit he's hosting in Davos the week before the World Economic Forum. Adrian is from Davos (his family has been there for a couple hundred years), so he has watched WEF week up close for a LONG time, and he had a lot to say about why he decided to build something smaller and more focused.

What is Davos Catalyst?

Adrian described WEF week as a bit of a circus, with a lot of noise, a lot of people running around, and a lot of fun too. He wanted something more focused that happens just before that week and prepares the ground for it, where big topics get discussed in a smaller, intimate circle so the conversations are already further along by the time the World Economic Forum starts.

Davos Catalyst runs January 12 to 15, 2027, and the WEF Annual Meeting follows from January 18 to 22. Davos Catalyst is an independent event and isn't affiliated with the World Economic Forum.

What the week looks like

• Tuesday, January 12: the week kicks off with a gala dinner in the evening.
• Two summit days: keynotes, panel discussions, gatherings, lunches, and dinners.
• Ski day: a day of skiing together on the Jakobshorn.

Adrian wants people to interact with each other and have heart-to-heart conversations so they actually get to know each other. He also has a rule from his years at WEF that he calls the three P's, and the idea behind it is that people need to have fun together and get to know each other on a personal level, and then the business opportunities come out of that. I'm a HUGE fan of that approach because a lot of my own business relationships started with a fun conversation at an event.

Who will be in the room

Adrian is going for quality before quantity, with around 200 people in total. He's looking for the right personalities, meaning people who are nice, insightful, curious, and on a similar level to the others in the room. Most guests are CEOs and senior leaders, along with experts in their fields and people working on the AI frontier who are looking at what's coming next.

Why companies should send their AI leaders

When I asked why companies should send their AI leaders to Davos Catalyst, Adrian said it's a place to get completely new ideas and think outside the box, with some fresh Alpine air. The room will include world-class scientists, astrophysicists, and AI technologists from leading institutes, plus decision makers who can actually sign a check when they find something interesting. He joked that in Europe, people talk too much, which is why he wants Americans to show up too, and the goal is for people to build trust with each other so investments can happen.

The venue: the Rätia Center

Davos Catalyst is hosted at the Rätia Center on the Promenade in Davos Platz, right in the center of town. During WEF week it sits opposite the OpenAI House, with companies like Anthropic and Stripe nearby, so Adrian calls it the tech corner of Davos. The summit takes over the second floor, which is about 800 square meters with a view of the Alps and big rooms set up so the conversations can be shared with the rest of the world.

How to apply

Davos Catalyst is invitation only, and Adrian said applying is "brutally easy." You go to the website, submit your profile, and explain why you want to participate. From there, the team has a conversation with applicants to understand how they'll contribute, and a small committee decides who gets invited.

Learn more about Davos Catalyst and apply here. You can save 20% on your pass with the code DATAcated20, and you can apply with the code here.

If you're heading to Davos for WEF week too, check out my FREE Davos 2027 guide and join the Davos community to see who else will be in town. See you in Davos!