Founder & Curator

Kevin Varend

Co-Founder of J3D.AI — making collaboration more profitable than competition through advisory, AI readiness scoring, and sovereign convenings across Europe and Asia.

Bases
Munich·Tallinn·Mumbai·Dubai
Heritage
Estonia
00 — About

A practitioner of collaboration as a science.

A trained mindfulness practitioner under Dr. Jack Kornfield, Kevin has lived in the Amazon, spoken across 60+ countries, and contributed to global platforms including the UK House of Lords, CGTN, Horasis, Mindvalley and Maastricht University. His work sits at the intersection of cybernetics, AI foresight, and geopolitical strategy — with the conviction that how we collaborate determines what we can build.

01 — Affiliations

The seats currently held.

i.
Co-FounderAdvisory · AI · Sovereign Convenings
J3D.AI Labs OÜ
ii.
FounderAnnual flagship at Davos · Now in its third edition
House of Collaboration
iii.
Founding Curator — EstoniaWorld Economic Forum · Next-generation leadership
WEF Global Shapers
iv.
Vice ChairEurope India Centre for Business & Industry
EICBI
02 — Practice

Three pillars, one architecture.

Three capabilities — operating in concert, never in isolation.

i.

Advisory & Strategic Matchmaking

Government and bilateral matchmaking across four corridors — China, Vietnam, India, and the New Nordics. MoU structuring, market entry advisory, and fundraising support for founders.

  • Market entry across key growth corridors
  • Bilateral relationship structuring
  • Government and institutional introductions
  • Fundraising access and MoU support
Discuss a market →
ii.

Events & Sovereign Convening

Production of invitation-only platforms designed for decision density — the House of Collaboration at Davos, the Estonian Leap Programme, and the J3D.AI Deep Tech Castle.

  • Flagship invitation-only platforms at global forums
  • Public–private partnership facilitation
  • Ministerial and CEO-level convenings
  • Bespoke institutional gatherings
Apply to attend →
iii.

AI Readiness Indexing

The VAY Score™ — a proprietary methodology measuring an organization's AI readiness across five dimensions. Scored, benchmarked, and board-ready in four weeks.

  • Five-dimension diagnostic
  • Composite score & benchmark
  • Prioritized action roadmap
  • Implementation programmes
Request assessment →
860+
Davos Delegates
70+
Countries Represented
USD 3T
AUM & GDP in the Room
15+
Allianz Whitepapers
03 — In the Room

Organisations worked with.

A selection of clients, partners and institutional collaborators.

Allianz SE
Allianz SE
Deloitte
Deloitte
Microsoft
Microsoft
European Commission
European Commission
MFA Estonia
MFA Estonia
ESMT Berlin
ESMT Berlin
Wayra · Telefónica
Wayra · Telefónica
Horasis
Horasis
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks
UnternehmerTUM
UnternehmerTUM
ITU
ITU
04 — Published Works

Reports & whitepapers.

Selected publications co-authored or co-edited across J3D.AI's intelligence practice.

Annual Report2026

HoC Davos 2026 — Insights Report

Documenting outcomes across AI readiness, GovTech, sovereign infrastructure and capital deployment from 860 delegates and 70+ countries.

Download PDF →
Whitepaper2025

Davos Foresight — Our World in 2125

Forty-two global experts, nine visions of the future. Distributed to heads of state and sovereign investors.

Download PDF →
Enterprise SeriesDAX40

Allianz NextGenIT & Cybersecurity Think Tank

15+ whitepapers building the cybersecurity roadmap of a DAX40 enterprise. Strategic decision-making within Allianz SE.

Request access →
RecognitionESMT Berlin

SyntAIgration — CyberBrains at ESMT

3-day intervention with 32 thought leaders in AI, cybersecurity, philosophy and governance. Recognised as a Deep Tech Institute initiative.

View at ESMT →
Government ReportKorea

Gyeonggi 2024 — DACH Study Tour

South Korea provincial government delegation across the DACH innovation ecosystem. Insights fed directly into provincial AI policy.

Key insights →
SustainabilityClimate

Future of Climate Summit — Exemplary Models

A collaborative approach for public and private sectors at the intersection of sustainability, AI, and the road to 2030.

Key insights →
05 — Stages

Where the conversation has been taken.

Past & Recent

  • UK House of LordsLondon
  • Horasis Asia & GlobalMulti-city
  • CGTNBeijing
  • MindvalleyTallinn
  • Maastricht UniversityNL
  • Basel Investor ForumBasel
  • Voice of SeoulSeoul
  • Telefónica · WayraMunich
  • Bits & PretzelsMunich
  • Biohacker SummitAmsterdam
  • Shijingshan ParkBeijing

Topics

AI Governance Foresight & Futures Cybernetics Public-Private Partnerships Cross-Border Collaboration Estonia & Digital Resilience Europe–Asia Corridors Mindfulness for Leaders Cognitive Performance Peace Economics Cybersecurity Deep Tech Investment Founder Psychology
06 — Voices

From people in the room.

The way our dialogues progressed — and how the group approached each subject — was genuinely illuminating. The method actively shapes our solutions.

Marius von Spreti

Head of Cybersecurity, Deloitte

A genuinely transformative experience for me and many others. The calibre of decision-makers in the room is unmatched anywhere else during Davos week.

Dr. Ralf Schneider

Head of Cybersecurity & NextGenIT, Allianz SE

A thoughtful process for crafting fast, meaningful networking between intellectuals across very different backgrounds.

Tsutomu Ishiai

Deputy Managing Editor, The Asahi Shimbun

Their collaboration platform made sharing our sessions remarkably efficient — saving us a tremendous amount of effort.

Kim Ki-Eun

Director, Gyeonggi Human Resources Development Institute

07 — Media

Where the work has been covered.

Selected appearances, editorial coverage and institutional recognition — including the latest cycle around the House of Collaboration in Davos.

The New York Times
United States~90M monthly

The new Davos houses, and what they signal about diplomacy

Reporting on the proliferation of independent "houses" around WEF and the House of Collaboration's positioning as a Public-Private Partnerships Accelerator.

Read coverage →
Blick
SwitzerlandLead Davos partner

Estland begrüsst Partner in Tiny Häusern

Coverage of the third-edition House of Collaboration at Talstrasse 52 — the former House of Monaco — and how a Swiss-based week reshaped public–private partnership.

Read interview →
MFA Estonia
EstoniaSovereign endorsement

This week in Davos — Estonian Leap

Official coverage from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia on the Estonian Leap programme hosted at Davos within the House of Collaboration framework.

Read post →
European Brain Council
EU InstitutionalDavos · WEF 2026

EBC at Davos during WEF 2026

European Brain Council's official Davos appearance and engagement on health, brain sciences and policy alongside the House of Collaboration.

View event →
CGTN
AsiaMultiple editions

The economic case for AI cooperation across Eurasia

Multiple appearances on China Global Television Network covering AI, Asia–Europe trade, and the J3D.AI delegations to Beijing and Shanghai.

Watch segment →
08 — Contact

Let's collaborate.

For delegations, summits, advisory mandates, or speaking — written notes preferred to forms.

Direct kevin@j3d.ai

+372 5582 920

Bases

Munich · Tallinn
Mumbai · Dubai