Ryan Graves constructed Uber into a world platform. Now he’s bringing that very same ambition to Italy’s Adriatic coast.
Ryan Graves, the billionaire entrepreneur who helped launch Uber from a startup into a world transportation platform, has joined the Board of Administrators of the Adriatic Sound Competition.
The competition takes place at Fano Airport on Italy’s Adriatic shoreline and launched in 2025, quickly establishing itself as one among Europe’s most enjoyable new digital music gatherings. The debut version welcomed over 20,000 attendees throughout two levels, mixing Roman heritage with a forward-thinking digital music program headlined by RÜFÜS DU SOL, Richie Hawtin, and Sven Väth, amongst others.
Graves earned his fortune as the primary worker and authentic CEO of Uber, taking part in a central position within the firm’s early operations, launch technique, and worldwide enlargement, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President of International Operations. He based Saltwater in 2018, an funding agency centered on capital effectivity and long-term worth.
The appointment alerts a deliberate push by the competition to place itself on the intersection of expertise and tradition. “Saltwater was constructed on a easy perception: as expertise saturates every little thing, essentially the most precious experiences would be the ones that ship that means: place, presence, and human connection,” Graves stated in a press launch shared with EDM.com. “The Adriatic Sound Competition is an ideal expression of that. Luca and Robert have created a world-class expertise rooted in Italian historical past and the tradition of digital music, and I’m excited to assist them carry what they’ve constructed to a world stage.”
Adriatic Sound Competition founder Luca Lewis referred to as Graves “not solely an investor, however a real associate within the imaginative and prescient we’re constructing,” including that the appointment has given the group “great confidence” of their ambition to scale the model worldwide.
Graves joins Brant Cryder, President and CEO of Saint Laurent Americas, on the competition’s board. The second version of the Adriatic Sound Competition runs June 12-14th, 2026, at Fano Airport in Fano, Italy. This 12 months’s lineup contains Boris Brejcha, ARTBAT, Sven Väth, and extra.
