IoT Forum

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.

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

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

• IoT industry association
• Technology membership organization
• IoT conference events
• International standardization cooperation
• IoT research networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Mandat InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Founding 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 InstituttetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding 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 MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of IoT Forum. Australian university contributing academic expertise and research perspectives to the IoT Forum community.
• Copenhagen Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member providing academic and business research perspectives to the IoT Forum.
• Institute for Information IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and sponsor, providing expertise in information technology and industry collaboration, based in Taiwan.
• BDVA (Big Data Value Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing European big data ecosystem connection and collaboration opportunities.
• AIOTI (Alliance for IoT Innovation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner strengthening IoT innovation ecosystem and European research collaboration.
• ECSO (European Cyber Security Organisation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner focused on cybersecurity collaboration within the European IoT ecosystem.
• ITU (International Telecommunication Union)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey institutional partner and co-creator of the International Declaration on IoT for Sustainable Development (IoT4SDG) in 2017, providing UN-level international cooperation framework.
• TM ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing telecommunications and digital transformation expertise.
• DunavNETsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFounding member and ordinary member contributing IoT technology solutions and expertise.
• EricssonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrdinary member contributing telecommunications industry expertise and technology perspective.
• FraunhofersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrdinary member representing major European applied research organization in IoT domain.
• NEC Europe LtdsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrdinary member contributing enterprise technology and IoT solutions expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/IoT_Forum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnXbIu8C2c7QK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iot-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IoT Forum