Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Business Conferences in Europe (2027): 15 Flagship Startup and Tech Conferences Compared by Size, Price and Investor Access

Business Conferences in Europe 2027: The Flagship Startup and Tech Events Worth the Ticket

Europe has hundreds of startup events, but only a handful of flagship business conferences where investors, corporate buyers, journalists and founders from the whole continent are in the same building at the same time. Those are the events founders plan a year around, and they are also the most expensive in tickets, flights and days away from customers. This guide compares the big ones: Web Summit, VivaTech, 4YFN, SXSW London, London Tech Week, Slush, Bits & Pretzels, South Summit and the strongest regional flagships, by size, audience, ticket price and what a founder actually gets: a startup programme, investor meetings, a pitch stage or an exhibition stand. We checked every date, figure and price on the organiser's own website on 3 November 2026. Looking for every event month by month, including the small ones? Use our full calendar of startup events in Europe.

Quick answer: if you are raising money, Slush in Helsinki and Bits & Pretzels in Munich (27-29 September 2027) are the most founder-focused. If you sell to large companies, VivaTech in Paris (16-19 June 2027) and 4YFN next to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (1-4 March 2027) bring the corporate buyers. Web Summit in Lisbon is the biggest all-round tech conference, with more than 70,000 people. On a small budget, regional flagships such as How to Web (startup ticket €119) and Arctic15 (startup ticket from €99 plus VAT) give better investor access per euro.

Write FREE SEO-optimized Blog Articles! Our Article Writer ensures your blog is loved by both Google and your readers, turning those clicks into customers.

👉 Write your article here

Business Conferences in Europe Compared

Conference	City	Next edition	Size (organiser's figure)	Price shown (3 Nov 2026)	What founders get
Web Summit	Lisbon	9-12 Nov 2026; 2027 dates not announced	70,000+ people	General attendee €1,595 incl. tax	Startup programme by application, investor meetings
VivaTech	Paris	16-19 June 2027	200,000 attendees, 15,000+ startups	Not shown in default view	Exhibiting, corporate startup challenges
4YFN (with MWC)	Barcelona	1-4 March 2027	105,000 attendees across 4YFN and MWC	Register interest	Pre-booked meetings, 4YFN Awards
SXSW London	London (Shoreditch)	24-29 May 2027	863 speakers in 2026	Passes from £210 (50% off)	Venture Spotlight, networking
London Tech Week	London (Olympia)	7-11 June 2027	Not shown	Register interest	Expo, fringe events
Slush	Helsinki	18-19 Nov 2026; 2027 dates not announced	12,000+ attendees	Startup €395 (sold out)	Meeting tool, Day 0, investor office hours
Bits & Pretzels	Munich	27-29 Sep 2027	7,500 attendees	On the ticket page	Startup exhibition, Pitch Corner, table captains
South Summit	Madrid	2-4 June 2027	Not shown	Waiting list	Startup Competition
EU-Startups Summit	Malta	13-14 May 2027	About 2,500 attendees	On the ticket page	Pitch competition, 75 exhibitors
TechBBQ	Copenhagen	8-9 Sep 2027	10,000+ attendees	On the ticket page	North Star Pitch
Sifted Summit	London	6-7 Oct 2027	Not shown	From £225 + VAT	For Series A+ scaleups
Wolves Summit	Warsaw	7-8 April 2027	250 founders, 100+ investors	On the ticket page	1-on-1 meetings, 99 stage pitches
Latitude59	Tallinn	19-21 May 2027	3,500 attendees	On the ticket page	Pitch competition
Arctic15	Helsinki	16-17 June 2027	Attendees from 60+ countries	Startup ticket €99 + VAT	SiRA matchmaking, Startup Village
How to Web	Bucharest	5-7 Oct 2027	3,000+ attendees	Startup ticket €119	Investor matchmaking, demo and pitch

Sources: each organiser's official website, default view, checked 3 November 2026. Sizes are the organisers' own figures. Prices change often, so check the ticket page before you book.

The Largest Business and Tech Conferences in Europe

1. Web Summit (Lisbon): the biggest all-round tech conference

Web Summit says more than 70,000 people come to Lisbon for it, which makes it one of the largest tech conferences in Europe: founders, investors, corporate teams, media and policymakers across many content tracks. Startups do not usually buy a standard ticket; they apply to the startup programme, and Web Summit is already taking applications for 2027. Selected startups get a Startup Showcase slot, Mentor Hours and investor-to-startup meetings. A general attendee ticket was listed at €1,595 including tax (€1,297 excluding tax). Dates: the 2026 edition was set for 9-12 November 2026 in Lisbon; 2027 dates not announced yet (checked 3 November 2026).

2. VivaTech (Paris): where startups meet corporate buyers

VivaTech is the biggest event on this list by attendance. Its organisers give 200,000 attendees from 165 countries, 4,500 exhibitors and more than 15,000 startups. Its exhibitor testimonials stress meeting brands, retailers, clients and investors, so it suits B2B startups that want customers and pilots as much as funding. Startups take part by exhibiting and through VivaTech's startup challenges and awards. The pass price is not shown on the page's default view. Next edition: 16-19 June 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. More events in the country are in our guide to startup events in France.

3. 4YFN (Barcelona): the startup event of Mobile World Congress

4YFN (4 Years From Now) runs side by side with MWC Barcelona, and the organisers count 105,000 attendees across both events. It has its own stage and exhibition for startups, investors and corporates, and its team builds a meeting schedule around your goals before you arrive. The 4YFN Awards put selected startups on stage in front of the MWC crowd. The site asks you to register your interest rather than showing ticket prices. Next edition: 1-4 March 2027, Fira Gran Via (North Entrance), Barcelona. See also our startup events in Spain guide.

4. SXSW London: tech, business and culture in one week

SXSW London is the London edition of the Austin festival, spread over warehouses, halls and churches in Shoreditch. It mixes a conference with music, film and visual arts, so it is less of a fundraising event and more of a place to meet media, creative and consumer-tech people; its programme includes a Venture Spotlight strand. The 2026 edition had 863 speakers. Passes for 2027 were on sale from £210 (half of the £420 full price), with the top pass at £750 instead of £1,500; the early price was set to run until 1 December 2026. Conference talk submissions were set to close on 12 November 2026. Next edition: 24-29 May 2027.

5. London Tech Week: enterprise tech and government

London Tech Week is a business-to-business event: the expo and content stages take place at Olympia London, and a fringe programme of partner events runs across the city. Its theme is technology for business, so it suits startups that sell to enterprises more than founders looking for a pitch stage. The site asks you to register your interest for 2027 passes. Next edition: 7-11 June 2027, with the expo on 7-9 June. Fill the rest of the week with our guide to startup events in the UK.

Boost Your SEO by listing your startup and get a FREE backlink.

Create a profile in the F/MS Startup Game, add the link to your website and submit.

👉 List your startup now!

Founder-First Conferences With Investor Matchmaking

6. Slush (Helsinki): the founder and investor meeting

Slush calls itself the most founder-focused event on the planet and says it has one VC for every two founders. Its figures: more than 12,000 attendees, more than 25,000 meetings, 200+ speakers and 600+ side events during Slush week. The startup ticket (€395 including 13.5% VAT, sold out for 2026) includes the meeting tool, mentoring and investor office hours, and Day 0 for founders; an investor ticket costs €1,195. Dates: the 2026 edition was set for 18-19 November 2026 in Helsinki; 2027 dates not announced yet (checked 3 November 2026). More Finnish events are in our startup events in Finland guide.

7. Bits & Pretzels (Munich): founders at Oktoberfest

Bits & Pretzels hosts 7,500 founders, investors and industry leaders for three days during Munich Oktoberfest. The organisers curate a founder-to-investor ratio of 2 to 1 and count 21,000 founder-investor meetings and more than 600 enterprise decision-makers. Day three takes place in a tent at the real Oktoberfest, where more than 250 Table Captains (founders, investors and executives) host tables. Startups can exhibit in the Startup Exhibition and pitch at the Pitch Corner, a no-slides stage in the exhibition area; startup tickets are for companies founded between 2016 and 2026. Next edition: 27-29 September 2027. See our startup events in Germany guide for more.

8. South Summit (Madrid): the bridge to Latin America

South Summit brings startups, investors and corporations together in Madrid and also runs an edition in Brazil. Its main draw for founders is the South Summit Startup Competition, whose 2026 winners are presented on the Madrid page. It suits startups that want Spanish-speaking markets. Tickets for 2027 are not on sale yet; the site offers a waiting list for presale tickets. Next edition: 2-4 June 2027. Lisbon and Porto events are in our startup events in Portugal guide.

9. EU-Startups Summit (Malta): a compact founder event

The EU-Startups Summit is run by the EU-Startups online magazine and gathers about 2,500 founders, angel investors, VCs, corporates and media. Its pitch competition finalists are selected from more than 1,600 applicants, about 75 companies exhibit, and roughly 80 speakers share two stages. At this size you can realistically talk to most of the investors who come. Next edition: 13-14 May 2027 in Malta. See also our startup events in Malta guide.

10. TechBBQ (Copenhagen): the Nordic startup summit

TechBBQ lists more than 10,000 attendees, over 4,000 founders and operators and more than 1,700 investors. Its North Star Pitch puts 10 European startups on stage to compete, and it also runs a Startup Showcase and a life science and deep tech programme. It is the event to pick if you want to enter the Danish or wider Nordic market. Next edition: 8-9 September 2027 at Bella Center Copenhagen. More dates are in our startup events in Denmark guide.

11. Sifted Summit (London): for scaleups, not first-time founders

The Sifted Summit is organised by Sifted, the European startup news site, for founders and operators at Series A+ scaleups and fast-growing tech startups, and for investors. It is smaller and more senior than the events above, so go once you have a team and revenue. Tickets start at £225 plus VAT. Next edition: 6-7 October 2027 at Protein Studios, London.

Boost Your SEO with 1,500+ Free Business Directories: increase your DA, get backlinks and traffic.

We've compiled an exclusive list of directories and websites where you can submit your business and start building high-quality backlinks to boost your website traffic and get your SEO snowball rolling.

👉 Submit your startup now!

Regional Flagship Conferences: Central, Eastern and Northern Europe

12. Wolves Summit (Warsaw): investor meetings in Central Europe

Wolves Summit is built around one-on-one meetings between early-stage founders and investors. For its Warsaw flagship it lists 500 companies, 7 country and city delegations, more than 100 investors, 250 founders, more than 2,000 one-on-one meetings, 99 on-stage pitches and the European Startup Ecosystem Awards. Next edition: 7-8 April 2027 in Warsaw. Our startup events in Poland guide has more.

13. Latitude59 (Tallinn): the Baltic flagship

Latitude59 is Estonia's startup and tech conference, held in the country of Skype, Wise and Bolt. The organisers speak of 3,500 attendees from 70 countries and more than 800 investors; the second day ends with the L59 Pitch Competition finals, and an investor programme runs alongside. Next edition: 19-21 May 2027 in Tallinn. See our startup events in Estonia guide.

14. Arctic15 (Helsinki): matchmaking on a budget

Arctic15 brings startups, investors, corporates and media from more than 60 countries to Helsinki. In 2027 it marks 20 years since ArcticStartup was founded and adds SiRA matchmaking, which scores startups on fundraising readiness to improve investor matches, plus VC reverse pitching and corporate pilot challenges on the main stage. Startup tickets were on sale for €99 plus 13.5% VAT (list price €249) and are only for companies with a valid business ID. Next edition: 16-17 June 2027.

15. How to Web (Bucharest): Eastern Europe's tech conference

How to Web calls itself Eastern Europe's leading startup and technology conference: three days, more than 3,000 attendees from 40+ countries and over 500 founders, with three stages, one-on-one matchmaking, an expo floor, an investor summit and side events. The Startup ticket costs €119 and requires an application; it includes the startup programmes and investor matchmaking. Next edition: 5-7 October 2027 in Bucharest.

Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.

We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Get featured now!

Changed, Discontinued or Left Out Since the 2025 List

TNW Conference (Amsterdam): its official page still shows 19-20 June 2025 as the latest edition, with no 2026 or 2027 edition announced, so it is not in the comparison.
GITEX Europe (Berlin): renamed GITEX AI Europe; the 2026 edition ran on 30 June-1 July 2026 at Messe Berlin, and the homepage does not show 2027 dates yet.
Startup Grind Europe Conference: the newest Europe conference page on startupgrind.com is the 2021 virtual edition. Startup Grind still runs local chapter events, for example in Barcelona.
Smaller regional events from the old list (SKInnovation, PODIM, ViennaUP, the Austrian Startup Summit and the Tech.eu Summit) are not flagship conferences; you will find the ones with confirmed dates in our full calendar.
Left out: Hellobrain Startup Festival, Digital Nomad Festival, Future of Work Summit, Pitch@Palace, Startup Fest Amsterdam, Reboot Conference, InnoTech Expo, Fintech Europe, GreenTech Festival and Blockchain Expo Europe. The 2025 version listed them without official links, and they are niche rather than flagship business conferences. The old early-bird prices and attendance figures were removed because no source was given.

Which Business Conference in Europe Should You Choose?

You are raising a seed or Series A round: Slush, Bits & Pretzels and Wolves Summit, where the meeting tools and investor ratios are designed for it. Before you go, shortlist investors from our early-stage VCs in Europe and angel investors in Europe lists and book meetings in advance.
You sell to large companies: VivaTech and 4YFN for corporate buyers, London Tech Week for enterprise and government.
You want visibility and press: Web Summit and SXSW London, where media coverage is part of the package.
You have a small budget: How to Web (€119 startup ticket), Arctic15 (from €99 plus VAT) and the EU-Startups Summit, where a small team can meet most of the investors present.
You are entering a specific market: South Summit for Spain and Latin America, TechBBQ for the Nordics, Latitude59 for the Baltics, Wolves Summit for Poland and Central Europe.
You already run a scaleup: Sifted Summit.

How Founders Use These Conferences (and Where to Find More Events)

A flagship conference pays off when you decide in advance what one result would make the trip worth it: three customer conversations, two investor follow-ups or a pilot partner. Apply to the startup programme rather than buying a general ticket, use the meeting tools in the weeks before the event, and treat the side events as the place where the real conversations happen. If you want a stage, our list of pitch competition events and our guide to startup competitions in Europe show where to apply, and our fundraising events list adds smaller investor days. Women founders can add the events in our startup events for female entrepreneurs guide. If you want months of support rather than a few days of networking, compare the startup incubators in Europe, and if you are still choosing where to base the company, read our ranking of the best countries for startups in Europe. For every smaller event, month by month, see the full calendar and all city and topic lists in the Startup Events section.

Join F/MS: Startup Facilitator & Incubator and unlock your startup dreams today! Get your first customers, register you company in the Netherlands and get startup visas for the team.

FAQ About Business Conferences in Europe

What is the biggest business conference in Europe?

By the organisers' own figures, VivaTech in Paris is the largest, with 200,000 attendees and more than 15,000 startups. Web Summit in Lisbon reports more than 70,000 people, and 4YFN together with MWC Barcelona 105,000 attendees.

What is the best startup conference in Europe for meeting investors?

Slush in Helsinki, which says it has one VC for every two founders, and Bits & Pretzels in Munich, with a curated 2 to 1 founder-to-investor ratio. Wolves Summit in Warsaw is a smaller option built around 1-on-1 investor meetings.

When is VivaTech 2027?

VivaTech 2027 takes place on 16-19 June 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

When is Web Summit 2027?

The 2027 dates were not announced when we checked on 3 November 2026. The 2026 edition was set for 9-12 November 2026 in Lisbon, and Web Summit is already taking startup programme applications for 2027.

How much does a Slush ticket cost?

For 2026 the startup ticket cost €395 including 13.5% VAT and sold out; the investor ticket cost €1,195. Prices for 2027 are not published yet.

Which European startup conferences are cheapest for founders?

Of the flagships we checked, How to Web in Bucharest has a €119 startup ticket and Arctic15 in Helsinki a startup ticket from €99 plus VAT. Both include investor matchmaking.

What is the "European startup festival" at Oktoberfest?

That is Bits & Pretzels in Munich, a founders festival with 7,500 attendees whose third day takes place in a tent at the Munich Oktoberfest. The 2027 edition runs on 27-29 September 2027.

Is TNW Conference still happening in Amsterdam?

Its official page still shows 19-20 June 2025 as the latest edition. No 2026 or 2027 edition was announced there when we checked.

Where can I find smaller startup events in Europe?

Our full calendar of startup events in Europe lists events month by month, and the Startup Events section has guides for each country, from the UK and Germany to Estonia and Malta.

How can I get my startup seen before a conference?

Get covered where investors and buyers look: you can publish a guest post in the Fe/male Switch startup blogs. Get featured and earn a backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta Bonenkamp

2026-11-03 01:51 Top 25