Anne McKinnon^CA/FR

Anne McKinnon is CEO and cofounder of Ristband, a next-generation gaming platform working with world-class creators, festivals and brands. Her team won the SXSW Audience Award in 2023 for their official live and digital Future x Music event. In January 2023, Anne was recognized by IQ Magazine as one of the live music industry’s most visionary professionals. In 2022 her team won ‘Best Designed Metaverse’ at the Paris Metaverse Summit. In 2021, her team received a grant from Epic Games.
McKinnon has a unique background spanning gaming, deep tech, media and entertainment. Prior to Ristband, Anne supported emerging technology startups through growth and acquisition. She has worked with world-class music management, agents, and labels to promote and book critically acclaimed electronic artist Miro Shot’s live virtual reality concert at festivals and events around the world, including at GITEX Dubai, SXSW Austin, London Fashion Week, Nuit Blanche Paris, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Amsterdam and more.
McKinnon is a contributor to Forbes’ writer Charlie Fink’s book Convergence on 5G and AR. In 2022, she published the first Report on Diversity in the Metaverse. In 2019, she was selected by CES (Consumer Electronics Show) as Tech Media Trailblazer, featuring talented, promising diverse voices in media. In 2018, her speculative fiction short story Memories Inc was recognised by the British Science Fiction Association, and later published by New Con Press.
McKinnon is a sought-after speaker, hosting global conference sessions and seminars related to topics across markets, culture and content. She continues to write reports for the UK government on emerging technology in foreign markets, providing the evidence base for where it should invest, and identifying opportunities for UK businesses to build partnerships and collaborations with key economies.