The best fundraising events for founders in 2027 are the ones built around founder–investor meetings: curated matchmaking, pitch stages in front of investor judges, and rooms where business angels and VCs actually take meetings. These are the ten worth planning your raise around, from Munich, Leipzig, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Warsaw and Helsinki to Doha, Austin and Silicon Valley.
We chose events where founders, not only fund managers, are the audience: each one has investor matchmaking, a pitch competition or a startup ticket that gets you into the investor programme. Europe comes first, with the best of the rest of the world. We checked every date on the organiser's own website and mark each one as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (reliable second source only) or Expected (based on past editions only). All ten below are Confirmed.
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
Top 10 Fundraising and Investors Startup Events of 2027 at a Glance
The 10 best fundraising and investor startup events of 2027
1. Web Summit Qatar: 31 January–3 February 2027, Doha
Web Summit's Gulf edition. The organiser counts more than 30,000 entrepreneurs and investors and more than 1,500 startups. Go if you want to reach Gulf sovereign funds, family offices and regional VCs that rarely travel to European events.
2. 4YFN and the 4YFN Awards: 1–4 March 2027, Barcelona
MWC's startup event. In 2026 the organiser counted more than 700 curated meetings, over 60% of them between startups and investors. The 4YFN Awards give the winner a €20,000 cash prize; finalists and the Top 20 also get smaller cash awards. Applications close on 26 October 2026, so move fast.
3. SXSW Pitch: 16–17 March 2027, Austin
64 startups pitch live to 40 investor judges, in front of SXSW's crowd and press. Check the application deadline on the official page: it closes in November 2026. A good stage for consumer, media and AI products that benefit from the festival audience.
4. Wolves Summit: 7–8 April 2027, Warsaw
The whole format is built around founders meeting investors: you book one-to-one meetings and can submit a financing pitch. It is the most focused way into Polish and Central and Eastern European capital.
5. Startup Grind Conference: 27–28 April 2027, Silicon Valley
The organiser built the $299 Startup Ticket for pre-seed and seed founders who need investor access, honest feedback and warm introductions. One of the cheapest ways to spend two days in a room with Silicon Valley seed investors.
6. EBAN Congress: 2–4 June 2027, Leipzig
The yearly meeting of the European Business Angels Network, held in Saxony together with the Saxon Innovation Summit. The congress day mixes panels and workshops with startup pitches and networking with investors. If you are raising your first angel round, this is where Europe's angel networks gather. Read our guide to angel investors for women founders before you go.
7. South Summit Madrid: 2–4 June 2027, Madrid
The organiser counts more than 2,100 active investors. Founders apply to the Startup Competition, and finalists pitch on stage in front of investors and corporates. Your gateway to Spanish, southern European and Latin American investors. Note that it falls in the same week as the EBAN Congress.
8. ARCTIC15: 16–17 June 2027, Helsinki
A small, deal-focused event: a fundraising-readiness check (SiRA) is used to match startups with investors, and there is a Deal Tank pitch session. The cheapest curated founder–investor matching on this list.
9. VivaTech: 16–19 June 2027, Paris
Europe's biggest tech show, with more than 15,000 startups. Investors come to scout and corporates run startup challenges, so you can meet a VC and a first big customer in the same aisle. Startups at VivaTech
10. Bits & Pretzels: 27–29 September 2027, Munich
Built for founders: the organiser curates a founder-to-investor ratio of 2 to 1 and counts more than 3,000 founders, more than 1,700 investors and 21,000 founder–investor meetings. The Oktoberfest day is famous for deals made at the tables.
Also worth a look
- Techarena, Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, 3–4 February 2027: the Nordics' big tech and growth conference. techarena.se
- TechChill, Riga, side events on 17 March and main days on 18–19 March 2027: the Baltics' main startup event, with more than 250 investors. techchill.co
- ViennaUP, Vienna, 10–14 May 2027, with a WarmUP weekend on 7–9 May: a citywide startup festival with many investor side events. viennaup.com
- Latitude59, Tallinn, 19–21 May 2027: Estonia's flagship startup event, with a pitch competition and a big investor crowd. latitude59.ee
- Web Summit Vancouver, Vancouver Convention Centre, 25–28 May 2027: Web Summit's North American edition (formerly Collision), with PITCH and a startup programme. vancouver.websummit.com
- Hello Tomorrow Global Summit, Amsterdam, 1–3 June 2027: deep tech, with an Investor Day. hello-tomorrow.org
- London Tech Week, Olympia London, 7–11 June 2027 (expo 7–9 June). londontechweek.com
- TechBBQ, Bella Center Copenhagen, 8–9 September 2027: Startup 2-Day Pass €299 with AI matchmaking and startup–investor areas. techbbq.dk
- How to Web, Bucharest, 5–7 October 2027: Eastern Europe's leading startup conference, with an Investors Summit; startup ticket €119. howtoweb.co
- Sifted Summit, London, October 2027 (exact days not published yet): Europe's scaleup founders and investors; tickets from £99 + VAT. sifted.eu
Events for fund managers rather than founders: SuperReturn International (Berlin, 7–11 June 2027), SuperVenture (Berlin, 8–10 June 2027), the Invest Europe Investors' Forum (Geneva, 17–18 March 2027) and IPEM (Cannes, 2–4 February, and Paris, 7–9 September 2027). They are mostly for investors and their own backers, so they are expensive and rarely worth it before Series A.
Dates not announced yet
- Slush, Helsinki: the 2026 edition is on 18–19 November 2026 (startup ticket €395, sold out); 2027 dates are not out. It is one of the most founder-focused investor events in the world, so watch for the announcement.
- Web Summit, Lisbon: the 2026 edition is on 9–12 November 2026; 2027 dates are not out.
- TechCrunch Disrupt, San Francisco: last held on 13–15 October 2026; only a 2027 waitlist so far.
- Expand North Star, Dubai: the next edition is on 8–10 December 2026 at Expo City Dubai; 2027 dates are not out.
- Startup World Cup Grand Finale: 2027 regional rounds are listed, but not the date of the final, where the winner gets a $1 million investment.
- LEAP 2027, Riyadh: April 2027 dates appear in other listings, but we could not confirm them on the official site.
- Female Founders Venture Summit, Bonn: women founders pitch for the Female Innovation Award; the 2027 date is not confirmed by the organiser yet.
Why these events matter: startup funding in numbers
- Venture investment in European tech was projected at $44 billion in 2025, flat year on year and well below the 2021 peak, according to Atomico's State of European Tech report, as summarised by CVCA.
- In 2024, European startups with all-female founding teams raised €814 million across 396 rounds, while all-male teams raised €38.3 billion across 5,830 rounds, according to PitchBook data reported by Maddyness.
- European startups with at least one female founder raised €7.5 billion across 1,376 deals in 2025, a three-year high and 19% more than a year earlier, according to the Female Innovation Index 2026 reported by Tech.eu.
Preparing a raise? Read what you need to know about venture capital for female entrepreneurs and use our cold email templates for investor meetings.
How to choose the right fundraising event
- Match the event to your round. Angels and pre-seed: EBAN Congress, ARCTIC15, Startup Grind and Wolves Summit. Seed and Series A: Bits & Pretzels, South Summit, 4YFN and VivaTech. Gulf capital: Web Summit Qatar.
- Prefer curated meetings. Events that match you with investors (Bits & Pretzels, ARCTIC15, Wolves Summit, 4YFN) give you more real conversations than a big expo floor.
- Use startup tickets. ARCTIC15, Startup Grind, How to Web and TechBBQ have startup prices from €99 to $299.
- Book meetings before you travel. Investors fill their calendars weeks ahead. Write to them through the event app or by email with a short, specific ask.
- Follow up within 48 hours with your deck and one clear next step. See more startup competitions with prize money.
List your event
Do you organise an investor event, a pitch competition or a founder–investor matchmaking day? Send us the name, dates, city and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this list.
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
More startup event lists
- Top 10 Startup Events on Female Entrepreneurship in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on AI in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Deep Tech in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Edtech in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Fintech in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Climate Tech in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Healthtech in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on SaaS in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Web3 and Blockchain in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Cybersecurity in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Gaming in 2027
- Top 10 Startup Events on Biotech and Life Sciences in 2027
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
What are the best startup events to meet investors in 2027?
Our top picks are Bits & Pretzels in Munich, the EBAN Congress in Leipzig, South Summit in Madrid, 4YFN in Barcelona, VivaTech in Paris, ARCTIC15 in Helsinki, Wolves Summit in Warsaw, Web Summit Qatar, SXSW Pitch and the Startup Grind Conference.
When is Bits & Pretzels 2027?
On 27–29 September 2027 in Munich, with the third day at Oktoberfest. The organiser curates a ratio of two founders to one investor.
Where can I meet business angels in 2027?
At the EBAN Congress, Europe's largest business angel event, on 2–4 June 2027 in Leipzig, Germany. Startups pitch to investors on the congress day.
Which investor events have cheap startup tickets?
ARCTIC15 in Helsinki (€99 at the current price), How to Web in Bucharest (€119), TechBBQ in Copenhagen (€299 for two days) and the Startup Grind Conference in Silicon Valley ($299).
Which pitch competitions have cash prizes in 2027?
The 4YFN Awards in Barcelona give the winner €20,000 (applications close on 26 October 2026). SXSW Pitch puts 64 startups in front of 40 investor judges. See also our list of startup competitions.
When is Slush 2027?
Not announced yet. Slush 2026 is on 18–19 November 2026 in Helsinki; we'll add the 2027 dates when they are published.
How much venture capital goes to women founders in Europe?
Startups with at least one female founder raised €7.5 billion in 2025, according to the Female Innovation Index 2026. All-female teams raised €814 million in 2024, against €38.3 billion for all-male teams, according to PitchBook.
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.
