The Netherlands has one of Europe's busiest startup calendars: Amsterdam hosts big international conferences like Money20/20, HLTH Europe and World Summit AI, while Delft, Groningen, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Rotterdam run strong local scenes built around universities and incubators.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in the Netherlands from October 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. Where a date isn't published yet, we say so, and we mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only).
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Best Startup Events in the Netherlands 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to October 2027
Autumn 2026: October to December
TechEx Europe: 19–20 October 2026
A free expo pass gets you into a hall full of enterprise AI and data buyers. There is a startup area and an AI hackathon on site.
YES!Delft Meet your co-founder: 23 October and 4 December 2026
YES!Delft, the Delft tech incubator, runs these sessions about every six weeks. You can pitch your startup or present yourself as a potential co-founder. On 5 November it also hosts the first CTO Unconference with TNO, for deep tech CTOs with a Delft connection.
Groningen: Dealflow Dinsdag and Innovation Day, 27 October and 4 November 2026
Founded, the startup organisation of the northern Netherlands, runs Dealflow sessions four times a year: selected startups pitch to regional public and private investors. On 4 November its Innovation Day at the Feringa Building focuses on academic entrepreneurship and university spin-offs.
Startup Valley Pitch Night and NXTGEN: 29 October 2026
A monthly pitch night with live investor questions, and a cheap way to practise your pitch in front of real investors. On the same day, the NXTGEN Conference in The Hague brings together the Dutch high-tech ecosystem around scaling deep tech startups.
UtrechtInc founder events: October and November 2026
Utrecht's university-linked incubator runs regular free or low-cost events: Meet UtrechtInc (29 October and 26 November), a Pizza Night for Founders (12 November) and Team up with a Startup (24 November), which matches talent with startups. UtrechtInc events
AI Summit Brainport: 12 November 2026
This year's theme is "AI at work. Use it or lose it?" A good room for meeting the Brainport region's industrial companies. See also our guide to startup events in Eindhoven.
European Defense Tech Hackathon: 13–15 November 2026
The Amsterdam edition of this dual-use and defence tech hackathon ends with a demo day on the Sunday. Listings name both Amsterdam and Almere as the location, so check the organiser's page before you go. Global Entrepreneurship Week runs on 16–22 November 2026, but no Dutch programme has been published.
2027: January to October
New Energy Challenge and MXT: January 2027
The fifth edition of the flagship founder day of the northern Netherlands. YES!Delft's New Energy Challenge also runs from 3 January to 9 April 2027: a competition for energy startups that leads to pilots with energy companies.
Dutch Blockchain Week and Upstream Festival: May 2027
Rotterdam's main startup and capital event, built around founder–investor conversations and speed-dating, with more than 2,000 attendees in 2026. Dutch Blockchain Week runs in Amsterdam on 17–23 May 2027, with its summit at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on 19–20 May.
JSNation and React Summit: 21 May 2027
Two large developer conferences, held together in Amsterdam on 21 May (with remote days on 25 May). Useful for hiring and for developer-tool startups. jsnation.com
Hello Tomorrow Global Summit: 1–3 June 2027
Hello Tomorrow moved its global summit from Paris to Amsterdam. It is the best deep tech investor and corporate room in Europe, with one-to-one investor meetings.
Money20/20 Europe: 8–10 June 2027
Europe's largest fintech deal room. The startup pass is for early-stage companies under 3 years old that have raised less than €5 million, and growth-stage ones under 5 years and €15 million.
HLTH Europe: 21–24 June 2027
Where European health tech founders meet buyers and pilot partners, with a startup pitch.
Cybersec Netherlands and World Summit AI: September and October 2027
The largest AI audience in the Netherlands. Before it, Cybersec Netherlands (15–16 September 2027, Jaarbeurs Utrecht) is the place for security startups selling to Dutch buyers.
Dates not announced yet
- Level Up, Eindhoven. The 2026 edition was on 28 September at the Evoluon; expected again in September 2027.
- CES Unveiled Amsterdam. Held on 14 September 2026 (invite only, with a pitch for the Dutch CES delegation); a 2027 edition hasn't been announced.
- Hack4Her 2027. The women-focused hackathon ran in Amsterdam and Eindhoven in 2026 (TU Eindhoven, 12–14 June); expected again in June 2027.
- SaaSiest Amsterdam and SaaS Summit Benelux. Both ran in Amsterdam in autumn 2026; 2027 dates are not published.
- TechEx Europe 2027. No date yet; the 2026 edition is on 19–20 October.
Recurring meetups and communities
- Founded (northern Netherlands): Dealflow investor sessions four times a year, plus Fuckup Nights in Groningen (22 October) and Leeuwarden (19 November). founded.in
- YES!Delft: Meet your co-founder sessions about every six weeks and free online info sessions.
- UtrechtInc: monthly Meet UtrechtInc, Finance Fridays and founder pizza nights. UtrechtInc
- Startup Valley: monthly pitch nights in Amsterdam and other cities.
- High Tech Campus Eindhoven: many free campus events, such as the AI Salon Eindhoven.
- Startup Village Amsterdam (Science Park): an active startup hub with its own events calendar.
- Techleap: the national startup programme's event calendar is for members only.
Some events from earlier versions of this guide have ended or moved. TNW Conference has moved to London, DevOpsDays Amsterdam 2026 was cancelled, GOTO Amsterdam is paused, and we found no recent editions of Amsterdam Capital Week, StartupFest Europe, Dutch Technology Week or ACE Venture Lab events.
Events for women founders in the Netherlands
We found few dated women-founder events in the Netherlands for the coming year, so these are the communities to know:
- Fe+male Tech Heroes, High Tech Campus Eindhoven: free women-in-tech meetups; the October 2026 edition was about angel investing, with one-minute pitches.
- The Next Women: an invite-only membership for women building and scaling a business in the Netherlands, with monthly masterminds in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. thenextwomen.com
- Hack4Her: a women-focused hackathon, expected again in June 2027.
- Women Entrepreneurs Connect, Amsterdam: Finance Friday sessions for women entrepreneurs (about €15).
If you organise an event for women founders in the Netherlands, send it to us and we'll add it.
Funding and support to know before you go
- WBSO R&D tax credit: 36% of R&D wage costs in the first bracket (50% for starters), now up to €391,020. Applications for 2026 closed on 30 September; changes are announced for 2027. RVO
- Innovatiekrediet (Innovation Credit): a €50 million budget in 2026 for risky development projects, up to €10 million per project and up to 45% of costs for small companies. RVO
- Start-up residence permit for non-EU founders: you need a recognised facilitator (mentor); the permit lasts one year and the application costs €423. IND
- KVK registration: registering a company with the Chamber of Commerce costs a one-off €85.15. KVK
For more, see our list of startup accelerators in the Netherlands and the Dutch startups to watch.
How to get the most out of Dutch startup events
- Go regional. Delft, Groningen, Utrecht and Eindhoven have smaller events where investors and incubators actually have time to talk.
- Use the free events. TechEx's expo pass, YES!Delft's co-founder sessions, UtrechtInc meetups and High Tech Campus events cost nothing.
- Plan June in Amsterdam. Hello Tomorrow, Money20/20 and HLTH Europe run within three weeks of each other.
- Apply for startup programmes. Money20/20, Hello Tomorrow and the Dealflow sessions select startups for cheaper passes or pitch slots. See more startup competitions.
- Know the schemes. Incubators and RVO staff at these events can explain the WBSO and Innovatiekrediet, which most Dutch tech startups use.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in the Netherlands? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other countries
- Best startup events in Europe (with all country guides)
FAQ
What are the biggest startup events in the Netherlands?
Money20/20 Europe (8–10 June 2027), HLTH Europe (21–24 June 2027), Hello Tomorrow (1–3 June 2027) and World Summit AI (6–7 October 2027), all in or near Amsterdam, plus Upstream Festival in Rotterdam (20 May 2027).
Is TNW Conference still in Amsterdam?
No. TNW announced in January 2026 that its flagship conference is moving to London; no London dates have been published yet.
Are there free startup events in the Netherlands?
Yes. TechEx Europe's expo pass, YES!Delft's Meet your co-founder sessions, UtrechtInc meetups and High Tech Campus Eindhoven events are free.
Where can I pitch my startup in the Netherlands?
At Startup Valley pitch nights in Amsterdam, Founded's Dealflow sessions in Groningen (for rounds of €200,000 or more), the Money20/20 and Hello Tomorrow startup programmes, and YES!Delft's New Energy Challenge.
Are there events for women founders in the Netherlands?
Fe+male Tech Heroes in Eindhoven runs free meetups, The Next Women has invite-only masterminds, and the Hack4Her hackathon is expected again in June 2027.
Can non-EU founders start a company in the Netherlands?
Yes, through the start-up residence permit: you need a recognised facilitator, the permit lasts one year and the application costs €423.
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.
