On April 20-21, 2023, we will be welcoming you again to our annual EU-Startups Summit in Barcelona! This year, the event will be bigger and better than ever before and we’ll have lots of exciting speakers, panel discussions, networking activities, pitch competitions and much more. The EU-Startups Summit will gather over 2,000 founders, startup enthusiasts and investors for two days of networking, inspiration and learning!
The EU-Startups Summit is a space for different players in the startup ecosystem to come together, share ideas and explore the trends that are shaping the future of society and tech development. We bring together the leading experts from right across the entrepreneurial spectrum to explore business trends, innovation development, minding your wellbeing, how to fast track for success and so much more.
Here, we outline the 10 tracks that define this year’s EU-Startups and from which you’ll no doubt get some inspiration and have a lot of takeaways to learn from.
Sustainability and Impact
Sustainability is top of the agenda for companies, governments and societies right across the world. The impact of the climate crisis is now being felt and creating more future-proof, sustainable and planet-friendly solutions is a key priority. Luckily, European startups are leading the way, coming up with innovative solutions that are shaping new approaches to energy, food, finances, health and more.
At this year’s Summit, we’ll explore sustainability and impact, looking at how the space is emerging and also making those hard-hitting questions about greenwashing and buzzwords.
Check out our Circular Economy and Sustainable Business panel discussion with Wallapop’s Rob Cassedy, Too Good To Go’s Jamie Crummie, Vaayu’s Namrata Sandhu and Glovo’s Sacha Michaud. The panel will explore how businesses can embed ESG and sustainability into their business strategy and how they are contributing to circular ways of thinking. We’ll also be joined by Kilian Kaminski, the co-founder and CEO of Refurbed, who will share insights on how to scale an impact-driven company. Sissel Hansen, founder and CEO of Startup Guide will give an interesting talk on how startups can lead the way for systemic change, optimising for impact and solving some of the world’s greatest challenges. This is in addition to a keynote from circular economy unicorn Grover’s founder and CEO, Michael Grover.
Mental Wellbeing and the Startup Hustle
For startup founders, leaders and employees, minding your mental health at work is vitally important. The startup life is infamous for the hustle, but now it’s time to look for better work-life balances and seek ways to protect your health. Health is wealth after all.
At this year’s Summit, we’ve lined up a special talk from Decelera‘s Marcos Martin, who will explore the forgotten mental and emotional health journey of founders. We’ll also hear from the neuroscientist-turned-founder, Dr Emilia Molimpakis, the co-founder of thymia, about how to set boundaries as a founder. These are critically important topics and we don’t think you’ll want to miss out.
PR Best Practices and the Media
The world of PR can provide a bit of stress to startup founders. From knowing how to navigate media relations and the impact of branding and storytelling to leveraging social media, there is a lot to cover here.
That’s why we’re gathering together experts from the industry to give you the ultimate survival guide. Communications guru Cathy White will join us for a workshop on how startups can master the art of PR, and, we’ll have a very special Panel Discussion about media relations featuring the best in the business.
Funding and Valuations
Getting your finances in order and planning your funding strategy are two pillars of startup success. But, knowing which route to take, and how to go about it, can be a difficult space to navigate.
At this year’s Summit, we have a very special panel discussion dedicated to startup finances, as well as one dedicated to accelerators and one dedicated to crowdfunding. These panels all feature the experts in their respective fields and will leave you with key takeaways and learnings to embark on the right funding path. If that’s not enough, you will also have the chance to hear from YOYABA’s founder and Managing Director, Tim Rath about how demand generation might just be the new lead generation, Leanox Impact Capital’s Founding Partner, Paulina Jänsch will share insights in how to put value into valuation, and Freepik founder and CEO Joaquin Cuenca will share the ins and outs of bootstrapping
Future of Work
The ways we work and approach the workplace have changed dramatically over the past couple of years. From the rise of remote working to the growing conversation about workplace culture, the future of work and how we work is being shaped today.
You’ll be able to dive into this topic with our Panel Discussion on the Future of Work, featuring Jobbatical’s Co-Founder & CEO, Karoli Hindriks, Zenjob’s Founder & CEO, Fritz Trott, Bolt’s VP of People, Kerstin Rothermel, and, Talent Garden’s Co-Founder, Rasa Strumskyte.
We’ll also be joined by Miro’s BizDev Lead Startups, Jaïr Halevi who’ll share insights on how to make the right hires and the importance of workplace culture (might it even supersede strategy?), and, AirDNA’s Chief of Staff & Director of Spain, Lauren Basler will talk about how to build heart-led startup cultures.
Pitch Prep
Going into the investor boardroom and pitching your startup is a daunting task – for any founder. It’s also a necessity in the equity funding game. That’s why we’ve invited pitching experts to Barcelona this year to help you figure out how to do it.
Learn more Global Pitch Coach Beth Susanne about how to craft and deliver a successful pitch and have the chance to meet with investors face-to-face during our dedicated networking activities. We’re also turning the tables a little and giving investors the chance to pitch to you, putting them in the hot seat. After all that, you might be in need of some comic relief, so make sure you also don’t miss startup comedian Christoph Sollich‘s ridiculously convincing pitch!
Learning from the Journey
Resilience is time and time again the quality that leaders and founders point to. Whether the times are good or when the times are bad, being resilient, staying true to your mission and making sure to learn every step of the way will define your startup story.
Daniel Gebler will join us to tell us about his early entrepreneurial failures, sharing what he learned from these experiences. Erika de Santi, the co-founder and International Expansion Director of fast-growing WeRoad will talk to us about overcoming entrepreneurial challenges and bounceback, meanwhile, Moritz Kreppel, the co-founder and CEO of Urban Sports Club will share insights from his decade-long adventure. That’s in addition to Eric Weber, the co-founder and CEO of Spinlab, who’ll explore the different personas of founders – and how that can determine whether you make it or not.
The unicorn dream. What most founders aspire to – but it’s a challenging journey. Going from startup to unicorn requires a hell of a lot of grit, determination and precise strategising. Be inspired by the ones who have made it at this year’s EU-Startups Summit.
You can hear about the entrepreneurial journey of Shrestha Chowdhury, co-founder and CTO of Razor, Daniel Gebler, founder and CTO of Picnic, Alexandre Prot, co-founder and CEO of Qonto, Jordi Romero, co-founder and CEO of Factorial, Umesh Sachdev, co-founder and CEO of Uniphore, Diliara Lupenko, co-founder and COO of Impress, Michael Cassau, the co-founder and CEO of Grover – and so many more inspirational voices!
Web3 and the Metaverse
The EU-Startups Summit is an out-of-this-world experience. Not just because of the inspirational speaker lineup and the fantastic opportunities that come with it, but also because we’re focusing on the futuristic tech as well – and that includes Web3 and the metaverse.
This year, in addition to our annual Startup Pitch Competition, we’ll also have a pitch competition exclusively for metaverse and Web3 startups. As well as this, we’ll hear from Victoria Albrecht (Springbok AI’s co-founder and Managing Director) about the growth of future-shaping tech like ChatGPT and how to leverage it.
The Future of Sport
The world of sports and sports entertainment has seen profound changes in recent years, thanks to tech development. Sports has firmly gone digital, and we want to learn more about that, and what’s in store for the future.
At this year’s EU-Startups Summit, we’re gathering together experts from this massive industry to discuss how tech is influencing the future of sports. The conversation will feature FC Barcelona’s Innovation Hub Director, Albert Mundet, B1 SmartTV’s CEO, Gerd Weiner, and, NativeWaves’ CEO Christof Haslauer.
You’ll also have the chance to hear from Moritz Kreppel, the co-founder and CEO of Urban Sports Club will share insights from his decade-long adventure building a sports tech company.
Regulations, Governments, and Policies
From Intellectual Property to term sheets and government regulations, startups aren’t always the sexy image sold by savvy marketing teams. There’s a lot of paperwork to slog through – and it can get pretty complex.
To help give you some insight into this space – which is fundamental to growing a company – we have some educational talks with the experts lined up. You’ll have the chance to enjoy a crash course on IP law and trademarks from Ipriq’s co-founder, Erkki Holmila.
In addition, we have brought in some government experts, to share how government policies and frameworks can help you and your startup in a unique panel discussion. Hear from Sara Medina from the EU SME Centre as she breaks down international expansion. And, don’t forget about our Panel Discussion uncovering EU policies, initiatives and funding opportunities for startups.
Are you ready? Secure your ticket here today!
This year’s EU-Startups Summit is set to be our biggest and best yet – and we can’t wait! With a fantastic lineup of inspirational speakers, stand-out networking opportunities and must-attend content all on the way, we’re looking forward to welcoming you to Barcelona very soon.
In the meantime, to learn more about the event, and the other wonderful speakers taking part, check out our dedicated event page, and enjoy the video below, which will give you some insights into what’s to come.
Our Event Sponsors
Silicon Castles is a Tech Company Builder and Strategic Business Accelerator for technology, intellectual property and licensing businesses, located in Salzburg, Austria. The focus is on European Diamonds: technology startups with a unique business idea, scalable technology and outstanding intellectual property. Silicon Castles also organizes the Startup Executive Academy (SEA), an international Go-to-Market program for founders and executives of early-stage startups, taking place annually since 2017.
Vanta is the easy way to achieve compliance certifications such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more. Over 4000 fast-growing companies trust Vanta to automate their security monitoring and get ready for compliance audits in weeks instead of months. Simply connect your tools to Vanta, fix the gaps on your customised dashboard, and then work with a Vanta-trained auditor to complete your certification. And for a limited time, EU-Startups readers and attendees of the EU-Startups Summit will get $1,000 off Vanta. Just go to vanta.com/eustartups to get started.
EPAM is the foremost global digital transformation services provider – leading the industry in digital and physical product development and digital platform engineering services. Through its innovative strategy; integrated advisory, consulting, and design capabilities; and unique ‘Engineering DNA,’ EPAM’s globally deployed hybrid teams help make the future real for clients and communities around the world by powering better enterprise, education and health platforms that connect people, optimize experiences, and improve people’s lives.
Airwallex is a global payments and financial platform for modern businesses. It removes the unnecessary friction and cost inherent in the traditional financial system to help entrepreneurs achieve their global ambitions. Leading companies around the world trust Airwallex to manage everything from payments, treasury, and spend to embedded finance — all in one single platform. With an international footprint across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, Airwallex connects entrepreneurs, business builders and creators with opportunities in every corner of the world, and empowers them to grow without borders.
Italdesign is a state-of-the-art customer-centric, method-based company serving both traditional OEMs and newcomers in mobility, product and transportation design worldwide. It’s capable of influencing market changes with innovative designs and technologies and serves as a hub able to interconnect different sectors and expertise and integrate advanced technologies and services thanks to its technical and strategic partnerships. The 1000+ Italdesign professionals are providing an integrated set of methods, techniques and tooling aiming to the industrialization of new products, while providing services for every phase, from the initial idea to series production, including the turnkey process.
ACCIÓ – Catalonia Trade & Investment is the Catalan Government’s agency that works to attract foreign investment to Catalonia, promoting the region as attractive, innovative and competitive business location for startups. Check out their offerings and the Catalonia Startup Directory.
