Top 25 Startup Competitions for Early-Stage Startups in Europe in 2025
Europe's startup landscape is rapidly evolving, leading to vibrant innovation hubs and numerous opportunities for early-stage startups. Competitions present a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas, gain crucial exposure, and connect with potential investors and mentors. This article highlights the Top 25 Startup Competitions for Early-Stage Startups in Europe scheduled for 2025, providing details on locations, dates, focus areas, and web links for further information.
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1. Slush
When: November 19 – 20, 2025
Where: Helsinki, Finland
Focus: General tech startups
Highlights: A major startup conference facilitating meetings between founders and investors. Includes matchmaking and pitch contests. Networking opportunities with attendees from around the world. Founded in 2008, it has grown into a significant global event.
2. VivaTech
When: June 11 – 14, 2025
Where: Paris, France
Focus: Tech and innovation across various sectors
Highlights: One of Europe's largest tech events, it includes challenges, awards, and networking. Brings together thousands of startups, investors, and corporations. Covers disruptive tech and innovation breakthroughs.
3. EU-Startups Summit Pitch Competition
When: April 24-25, 2025
Where: Malta
Focus: Early-stage European startups
Highlights: A pitch competition with a prize package worth over €390,000. Targets pre-seed or seed-stage startups founded within the last three years. Brings together 2,500 founders, investors, and startup enthusiasts for networking.
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4. START Summiteer (START Summit)
When: March 20-21, 2025
Where: Switzerland
Focus: General tech and entrepreneurship
Highlights: Europe's leading student-run conference for tech and entrepreneurship. Grants CHF 10,000 to innovative startups. Connects investors and thought leaders, attracting over 7,000 participants.
5. InCyber Forum Start-up Award
When: April 1-3, 2025
Where: Europe (specific location varies)
Focus: Cybersecurity and digital trust
Highlights: Recognizes innovative startups in digital security, offering multiple award categories. Eligibility for businesses founded within the last five years, generating less than €5 million in revenue. Judges are composed of industry experts.
6. Latitude59 Pitch Competition
When: TBA May 2025
Where: Estonia
Focus: Early-stage startups with scalable models
Highlights: A significant pitch competition offering €1 million in funding. Designed for early-stage startups with proven traction. Connects startups with mentors, investors, and industry partners.
7. Web Summit ALPHA
When: TBA November 2025
Where: Lisbon, Portugal
Focus: Fast-growing tech startups
Highlights: Special program for fast-growing startups, offering global visibility and investor meetings. Access to a vast network of industry professionals. Provides opportunities for meaningful connections in a large tech conference setting.
8. Podim
When: Likely in May 2025
Where: Maribor, Slovenia
Focus: Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) startups
Highlights: A leading tech and startup conference in the CEE region. Features the Podim Pitching Competition and facilitates 1-on-1 business meetings. Attracts startups, investors, and industry leaders from the region.
9. TechChill
When: February 5-7, 2025
Where: Riga, Latvia
Focus: Tech startups with a Baltic focus
Highlights: Leading tech event in the Baltics, featuring a startup contest, workshops, and investor days. Offers excellent networking opportunities with industry professionals.
10. PropTech Startup Europe Awards
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: PropTech startups
Highlights: Focuses on innovation in the PropTech sector, supported by the European Commission. Provides a platform to connect with important stakeholders in the real estate industry.
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11. S+T+ARTS Prize
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Projects intersecting science, technology, and the arts
Highlights: Prize category amounts to €20,000, recognizing groundbreaking projects. Highlights the cultural impact of technology and innovation.
12. ABB Startup Challenge
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Industrial automation, robotics, and smart cities
Highlights: Prize awards of $30,000; criteria include sustainability and technological innovation. Invites startups to present solutions transforming industries.
13. Energy Tech Challengers
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Energy sector innovation
Highlights: Promotes startups innovating in the energy sector, supporting transformative solutions that address sustainability challenges.
14. Impact Festival Pitch Competition
When: TBA 2025
Where: Germany
Focus: Greentech startups with scale-up potential
Highlights: Supports startups aiming to drive environmental impact through innovative technologies. Provides access to investors and industry experts.
15. WMF Startup Competition
When: TBA 2025
Where: Italy
Focus: Innovative projects in Southern Europe
Highlights: Connects startups with the Startup World Cup final in San Francisco; aims to highlight Southern European innovations.
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16. European Startup Prize
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Sustainable mobility startups
Highlights: Specifically emphasizes startups of Ukrainian origin; fosters innovative solutions in mobility.
17. StartUp Fest
When: July 2025
Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Focus: Innovation and entrepreneurship
Highlights: Gathering of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and technologists featuring pitches and networking. A robust platform for visibility and growth.
18. Seedstars World Competition
When: Regional finals throughout 2025
Where: Various European cities
Focus: Emerging markets
Highlights: A global competition recognizing startups from emerging markets, providing access to investment opportunities and training.
19. Hello Tomorrow Global Summit
When: March 13-14, 2025
Where: Paris, France
Focus: Deeptech and sustainability
Highlights: Focuses on transformative solutions across tech sectors; connects participants with investors from all over the world. Aiming for breakthrough solutions.
20. Startup World Cup Europe Regional
When: Spring 2025
Where: Varies across Europe
Focus: Various sectors
Highlights: Offers the chance to win a ticket to the global finals in San Francisco; a platform for connecting startups with investors.
21. Agritech Startup Competition
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Agriculture technology
Highlights: Aims to support startups developing innovative solutions in the agriculture sector, focusing on sustainability and efficiency.
22. Health Tech Pitch
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Health technology
Highlights: Opportunities for healthcare startups to pitch innovative solutions to industry experts and investors focused on improving health outcomes.
23. Fintech Startup Awards
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Financial technology
Highlights: Celebrates innovation in fintech, providing startups the chance to connect with investors and leaders in the financial sector.
24. New Mobilities Challenge
When: TBA 2025
Where: Various European cities
Focus: Sustainable transport
Highlights: Focused on startups that innovatively address urban mobility challenges and promote sustainable transport solutions.
25. Digital Health Innovations Awards
When: TBA 2025
Where: Europe
Focus: Digital health
Highlights: Recognizes innovative digital health startups transforming the healthcare landscape and improving patient outcomes.
This list reflects the dynamic and diverse startup competition landscape in Europe leading into 2025. For the most accurate and updated information, be sure to visit the provided links and stay connected with industry news.
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FAQ
Q: What is the largest tech event in Europe?
A: VivaTech in Paris is one of Europe's largest tech events, gathering thousands of startups, investors, and corporates. Learn more about VivaTech.
Q: Which startup competition is focused on cybersecurity?
A: InCyber Forum Start-up Award recognizes innovative startups in digital security and trust. Discover InCyber Forum Start-up Award.
Q: Where can early-stage startups get significant prize funding?
A: EU-Startups Summit Pitch Competition offers a prize package worth over €390,000 for early-stage startups. Check out EU-Startups.
Q: What startup competition emphasizes tech innovations in Central and Eastern Europe?
A: Podim in Slovenia focuses on startups and innovations from Central and Eastern Europe. Explore Podim.
Q: Which event offers opportunities for networking with high-profile investors?
A: Slush in Helsinki is renowned for creating excellent networking opportunities with VCs and investors. Visit Slush.
Q: What competition supports fast-growing tech startups?
A: Web Summit ALPHA program provides visibility and investor meetings for fast-growing tech startups. Learn more about Web Summit.
Q: Which event highlights innovation in the real estate sector?
A: PropTech Startup Europe Awards showcases innovation in the PropTech industry. Discover PropTech Startup Europe Awards.
Q: What is the main focus of TechChill?
A: TechChill in Riga emphasizes tech startups, especially from the Baltic region. Check out TechChill.
Q: Where can startups network with industry leaders and potential partners?
A: START Summiteer in Switzerland offers networking opportunities with corporate leaders and investors. Explore START Summit.
Q: Which competition recognizes startups in sustainability?
A: S+T+ARTS Prize recognizes projects at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts, focusing on sustainability. Learn more about S+T+ARTS Prize.
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.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
