IoT Forum
IoT Forum is a Geneva-based non-profit founded in 2013 that promotes international cooperation on the Internet of Things through membership services and a portfolio of global conferences including IoT Week, Global IoT Summit, Digital Around the World, and Privacy Symposium. It serves research organizations, IoT companies, universities, and policy bodies across 50+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What IoT Forum does
IoT Forum (legally "The International Internet of Things Forum") is a non-profit, member-based organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, where it is hosted by founding member Mandat International. The organization's stated purpose is to promote international dialogue and cooperation on the Internet of Things, organize flagship events, and develop synergies among members across research, industry, academia, and policy communities. Its vision is "The Internet of Things without borders," supporting a worldwide interoperable IoT ecosystem that addresses societal, economic, and environmental needs.
IoT Forum's core offerings are membership services and a portfolio of conferences rather than a technology product. The membership program is tiered by organization turnover, ranging from €1,000/year for organizations under €5M turnover to €3,000/year for organizations over €30M turnover, with a €5,000/year sponsor add-on that grants non-executive board appointment. The event portfolio includes the flagship IoT Week conference (12+ editions, one of the longest-running IoT events globally), the IEEE-endorsed Global IoT Summit (GIoTS) co-located with IoT Week, the Digital Around the World virtual conference, and the Privacy Symposium in Venice. Strategic content assets include the IoT4SDG Declaration adopted at IoT Week 2017 with ITU, framing IoT contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
IoT Forum generates revenue through annual membership fees and event-related income (sponsorships, exhibition fees, registrations). It is funded entirely by member contributions with no venture funding, parent company, or acquisition activity. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, with membership acquisition flowing through flagship events and institutional partnerships with ITU, BDVA, AIOTI, ECSO, and TM Forum. The organization operates across Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, and Latin America, serving a community of over 1,000 partners and attracting 1,600+ attendees from 48+ countries at recent IoT Week editions.
IoT Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IoT Forum
- Legal name
- The International Internet of Things Forum
- Website
- https://iotforum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- IoT Forum is a Geneva-based non-profit founded in 2013 that promotes international cooperation on the Internet of Things through membership services and a portfolio of global conferences including IoT Week, Global IoT Summit, Digital Around the World, and Privacy Symposium. It serves research organizations, IoT companies, universities, and policy bodies across 50+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IoT Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industry Association and Conference Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Partner, Channel & Alliance Summits (THAHAMAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interest-Based Communities & Forums (BPAMABAC), IoT Connectivity Management (Private APN, SIM/eSIM, Device Connectivity) (HDAIAGAG)
Keywords
Where IoT Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Geneva
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
IoT Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from organizations, companies, and universities working in the IoT domain. Fees are tiered based on organization turnover: €1,000/year for organizations under €5M turnover, €1,500/year for €5-30M turnover, and €3,000/year for organizations over €30M turnover. Sponsor members pay an additional €5,000/year.
- Event Revenue: Revenue generated from organizing flagship events including IoT Week conference, Global IoT Summit (GIoTS), Digital Around the World virtual conference, and Privacy Symposium. Events feature sponsorship opportunities, exhibition space, and registration fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Membership for small organizations (under €5M turnover) |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Membership for medium organizations (€5-30M turnover) |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Membership for large organizations (over €30M turnover) |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsor Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
IoT Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IoT Forum is a non-profit, member-based organization that promotes international dialogue and cooperation on the Internet of Things through a portfolio of membership services and conferences. Its core offerings include the IoT Forum Membership program, the flagship IoT Week Conference, the Global IoT Summit (GIoTS), the Digital Around the World virtual conference, the Privacy Symposium, working groups, and the IoT4SDG Declaration initiative. These services are targeted at IoT researchers, industry companies, universities, and policymakers seeking neutral collaboration, visibility, and links to standardization bodies.
Product overview
IoT Forum is a non-profit, member-based organization focused on promoting international dialogue and cooperation on the Internet of Things. Rather than offering a unified software platform, the organization provides a portfolio of membership services and events, including the flagship IoT Week Conference, the academic Global IoT Summit (GIoTS), the Digital Around the World virtual conference, and the Privacy Symposium. These offerings are complemented by working groups, the IoT4SDG Declaration initiative, and member benefits including networking, collaboration opportunities, and access to international organizations and standardization bodies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IoT Week: Annual flagship IoT conference organized by IoT Forum, one of the longest running IoT events attracting a global audience from industry, academia and policy makers
- Global IoT Summit (GIoTS)
- Digital Around the World
- Privacy Symposium
Products and services
- IoT Forum Membership A member-driven organization offering tiered annual memberships to organizations, companies, and universities working in the IoT domain, providing access to the IoT expert community, event participation, working groups, and cooperation links with international standardization bodies.
- IoT Week Conference The flagship annual IoT conference and one of the longest-running IoT events globally, attracting a global audience from industry, academia, and policy makers. Members shape the event programming and receive privileged conditions.
- Global IoT Summit (GIoTS) International scientific conference co-located with IoT Week, featuring peer-reviewed papers on IoT innovations, AI, 5G, nanotechnology, and applications for sustainable development. Papers are published in the Springer Digital Library.
- Digital Around the World Conference A 24-hour non-stop virtual conference on digital transformation trends, covering emerging technologies and international cooperation across global regions.
- Privacy Symposium Conference promoting international dialogue on data protection, compliance, and innovative technologies, featuring sessions on AI, DLT, Metaverse compliance, health data, and international cooperation.
- IoT4SDG Declaration International Declaration on the Internet of Things for Sustainable Development adopted at IoT Week 2017, presenting a strategic vision for leveraging IoT to achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Companies that use IoT Forum
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IoT Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
IoT Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- Mandat InternationalcoreFounding member and host organization of IoT Forum. Mandat International is a Geneva-based organization that provides the hosting facilities for the IoT Forum headquarters and has been instrumental in the Forum's establishment and ongoing operations since 2013.
- Alexandra InstituttetcoreFounding member and current sponsor member of IoT Forum. Danish research organization specializing in IT research and innovation, contributing to the Forum's founding vision and ongoing activities.
- University of MelbournecoreFounding member of IoT Forum. Australian university contributing academic expertise and research perspectives to the IoT Forum community.
- Copenhagen Business SchoolcoreFounding member providing academic and business research perspectives to the IoT Forum.
- Institute for Information IndustrycoreFounding member and sponsor, providing expertise in information technology and industry collaboration, based in Taiwan.
- BDVA (Big Data Value Association)majorInstitutional partner providing European big data ecosystem connection and collaboration opportunities.
- AIOTI (Alliance for IoT Innovation)majorInstitutional partner strengthening IoT innovation ecosystem and European research collaboration.
- ECSO (European Cyber Security Organisation)majorInstitutional partner focused on cybersecurity collaboration within the European IoT ecosystem.
- ITU (International Telecommunication Union)majorKey institutional partner and co-creator of the International Declaration on IoT for Sustainable Development (IoT4SDG) in 2017, providing UN-level international cooperation framework.
- TM ForummajorInstitutional partner providing telecommunications and digital transformation expertise.
- DunavNETsupportingFounding member and ordinary member contributing IoT technology solutions and expertise.
- EricssonsupportingOrdinary member contributing telecommunications industry expertise and technology perspective.
- FraunhofersupportingOrdinary member representing major European applied research organization in IoT domain.
- NEC Europe LtdsupportingOrdinary member contributing enterprise technology and IoT solutions expertise.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
IoT Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TM Forum: Global industry association for telecoms and digital service providers, with a comparable member-driven event and working-group model. An IoT Forum institutional partner, making it a directly comparable membership-association peer.
- ECSO (European Cyber Security Organisation): European cross-sector cybersecurity association with a similar industry-academia-policy membership model and event portfolio (workshops, summits). Comparable as an institutional partner addressing a technology domain relevant to IoT.
- IEEE IoT Initiative: IEEE's global initiative driving IoT technical activities including conferences, publications, and standards working groups. Directly comparable as a global IoT-focused convening organization with a similar academic/industry member base.
- AIOTI (Alliance for IoT Innovation): European IoT industry alliance that brings together research, industry, and policymakers on IoT innovation. Directly comparable as an IoT-specific multi-stakeholder convener and a current institutional partner of IoT Forum.
- BDVA (Big Data Value Association): European association driving the Big Data Value ecosystem, with overlapping membership model (industry, research, policy) and similar EU-funded partnership structure. Comparable as a fellow IoT-adjacent multi-stakeholder convener and current institutional partner.
Broad incumbents
- ITU (International Telecommunication Union): UN specialized agency for ICTs that convenes global stakeholders on telecom/IoT standardization. A broader incumbent partner of IoT Forum and comparable as a convener of international dialogue on IoT policy and standards.
- GSMA: Global mobile operator association with a member-driven event and working-group structure (e.g., MWC, IoT programmes). Comparable as an incumbent membership association addressing adjacent connectivity topics to IoT Forum's remit.
- World Economic Forum (WEF): International organization for public-private cooperation that convenes stakeholders across technology, policy, and industry. Comparable in its mission of facilitating international dialogue on cross-border technology issues, including IoT.
- Consumer Technology Association (CES): US-based trade association producing CES, one of the world's largest technology trade shows. Comparable as a member-based event-driven technology convener operating in adjacent technology domains.
Emerging players
- IoT Solutions World Congress: Industry-focused IoT trade congress organized by Fira de Barcelona. Comparable as a recurring international IoT event competing for the same sponsor and attendee pool as IoT Week.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
IoT Forum social profiles
Digital presenceIoT Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IoT Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
IoT Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IoT Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IoT Forum
What does IoT Forum do?
IoT Forum is a non-profit, member-based organization that promotes international dialogue and cooperation on the Internet of Things through a portfolio of membership services and conferences. Its core offerings include the IoT Forum Membership program, the flagship IoT Week Conference, the Global IoT Summit (GIoTS), the Digital Around the World virtual conference, the Privacy Symposium, working groups, and the IoT4SDG Declaration initiative. These services are targeted at IoT researchers, industry companies, universities, and policymakers seeking neutral collaboration, visibility, and links to standardization bodies.
Is IoT Forum a public or private company?
IoT Forum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was IoT Forum founded?
IoT Forum was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is IoT Forum based?
IoT Forum is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does IoT Forum make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are event Revenue.
Who are IoT Forum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TM Forum, ECSO (European Cyber Security Organisation), IEEE IoT Initiative, AIOTI (Alliance for IoT Innovation) and BDVA (Big Data Value Association). Broad incumbents are ITU (International Telecommunication Union), GSMA, World Economic Forum (WEF) and Consumer Technology Association (CES). IoT Solutions World Congress is listed as an emerging player.
Does IoT Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for IoT Forum.
What industry is IoT Forum in?
IoT Forum's product category is Industry Association and Conference Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAMAC, Partner, Channel & Alliance Summits, with a secondary code of BPAMABAC, Interest-Based Communities & Forums. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.