Gus Balbontin

Born in the wonderful land of Patagonia and with a healthy disregard for the status quo, Gus Balbontin has hitchhiked across continents, built businesses and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet, innovated and partnered with tech giants like Amazon & Google X – he is the ultimate disruptor.

Seeking a change from corporate life as Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet, Gus moved back to his entrepreneurial roots, becoming an investor, founder and mentor.

Today you will find Gus building robots, developing AI solutions, making 3D printed wheelchairs and investing in climate change technologies.

At Lonely Planet, Gus helped lead the company through one of the most disruptive shifts in media history, the move from traditional publishing to digital platforms.

His experience navigating digital disruption provides powerful lessons for organisations facing AI, technological change and evolving customer expectations today.

Instead of predicting the future, Gus focuses on how organisations can build the capability to adapt to any future. While Gus is happy to speculate about the future, he brings into focus what you can control right now, to make you ready for any future.

Gus is known for his high-energy, provocative and story-driven presentations. He crafts a transformative experience that energises and empowers.

By connecting deeply with the audience, he ensures that the lessons learned resonate on a personal level, equipping each participant with the confidence and tools needed to turn inspiration into tangible, meaningful action.

Blending humour, candid storytelling and practical frameworks, he challenges audiences to question assumptions and rethink how they approach change. Audiences leave not just inspired, but equipped with practical models they can implement immediately.

Gus does not speak for a living, he often finds it embarrassing that people call him a speaker. He runs a consulting business called Neu21, he helps run a wheelchair company called Rove, he is an angel investor with a portfolio of startups that he also mentors, he is building a new Wellbeing Ai agent, Euda AI, he is building a robot in the US, and he runs the Unrealistic Foundation.

Gus has delivered keynotes, executive sessions and strategic briefings for organisations across industries navigating technological acceleration and change. From global enterprises to regulated sectors, the conversation is consistent: Clarity. Adaptability. Action.