On May 9-10, we’ll be hosting the 10th edition of our annual EU-Startups Summit! At this exclusive in-person event we’ll be showcasing many of Europe’s hottest startups and coming together to learn from some of the most successful European entrepreneurs of our time. Ready for two days of networking, inspiration and learning?
This year, we are bringing back our popular “Investors on Stage” Sessions. We have invited 30 high-profile and carefully selected VCs to join us on the main stage to present their investment firm/focus with a 2-3 minute pitch each. It’s an occasion where we flip the switch, turn the tables, and put the investors in the hot seat for a change!
Most startup founders might agree that pitching to investors can be a daunting task. But before even reaching out to investors it’s important to do your homework and to find out which VC firms are a fit for your company in terms of industry focus, business stage focus or even geographical focus.
Checking out our Investors on Stage session, but also enjoying active networking with our 250+ investors at the EU-Startpus Summit, will help you as a founder to meet and connect with VCs, business angels and accelerators that might be just the right fit for your startup.
Day 1:
Angelo Burgarello, Investment Board Member and Partner at Look AI Ventures, the first investment fund in the Czech Republic focusing exclusively on early-stage AI startups. Their goal is to nurture the AI startup ecosystem by investing in a new portfolio.
Antony Baker: Principal at Claret Capital Partners who has responsibility across the full deal cycle and all aspects of the investment process, focusing on sourcing, evaluating, and executing investments in high-growth companies across the Technology and Life Sciences sectors.
Daniel Sendt, Senior Associate in the Media Investment team at SevenVentures, focusing on growth strategies and innovation. His experience includes propelling growth and innovation in HSBC’s Credit Sales department and advising startups on strategy, pricing, and go-to-market strategies during his time at Deutsche Börse’s Venture Network.
David Fischer, Principal at HV Capital, one of the leading early-stage and growth investors in Europe. With nine fund generations over 23 years and €2.8 billion in managed assets, HV Capital is one of the continent’s most active investors.
Haider Alleg is an entrepreneur blending business strategy & innovation within regulated industries. Bridging the gap between the culture of large organisations and the agility of startups, Haider launched Allegory Capital, a next-gen investment vehicle unleashing growth for tech entrepreneurs evolving in a more regulated world.
Iryna Krepchuk, Investment Analyst at Trind VC. Iryna’s goal is to support ambitious high-impact projects. A seed-stage fund, Trind focuses on European software startups with a consumer or community component and was founded in 1999.
Jan Reichelt, Founding Partner of 10x Founders, a network-driven investor backed by over 200 entrepreneurs and angels. His focus is on emerging digital companies, online business strategy, as well as digital publishing, education, and information services sitting between B2C and B2B.
Konstantin Koenig, Principal at the London-based VC firm Frog Capital. Their strategy is based on selecting the best scale-up phase investments and empowering technology CEOs to grow fast, by deploying their capital, network and support.
Marcin Kurek, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Market One Capital, a €125 million seed fund focused on marketplaces and network effects platforms. He has invested in +50 marketplace and SaaS projects including already two unicorns (Tier, Docplanner).
Miguel Borg, Lecturer at the University of Malta, now plays a leading role in the newly launched “Malta Venture Fund.” This fund will allocate €10 million to support innovative startups in sectors such as video game development, fintech, e-sports, pharma, green energy, AI, electronics, and blue economy, among others.
Nadia Lazarova, Associate at Molten Ventures. Nadia has a background in corporate law and was previously a founder of a fintech startup. At Molten, she works on direct investments with the deal flow team, where her primary focus is Fintech, Enterprise Software, and EdTech.
Pekka Maki is the Managing Partner at 3TS Capital, a leading European technology-focused private equity and venture capital firm. 3TS provides expansion capital and buyout funding for small and medium-sized businesses in growth sectors including Technology & Internet, Media & Communications and Technology-Enabled Services.
Terhi Vapola, Founder and Managing Partner of Greencode Ventures, investing in digital-first early-phase (Seed to Series A+) green transition startups across Europe. We are particularly interested in green energy, green mobility, green built environments and green industries – and making them greener.
Tsolmon Finch, Founder & Managing Partner at Jade Ventures, leads an advisory and investment firm that helps businesses generate value by addressing complex challenges. These challenges include gender inequality, climate change, access to finance, and healthcare.
Verica Poposka, Senior Associate at Accelerace. She works closely with stakeholders to ensure alignment with their investment objectives and to foster growth within their portfolio companies. Their main focus is at VITA Accelerator (Italy), BEYOND (Pan-European), and Corporate-Startup Matchmaking (International)
Day 2:
Chen Zhu: Investment Manager at Aqua-Spark, a global investment fund that makes investments in sustainable aquaculture businesses and generates investment returns, while creating positive social and environmental impact. She’s also managing their investment in eFishery – the world’s first aquaculture startup to be valued at over $1 billion.
Burhan Pisavadi is the Investment Manager at PT1, focusing on pre-seed and seed startups aimed at decarbonizing the industry and the built environment, while also developing the firm’s proprietary tech and data stack. They manage and contribute to a fortnightly newsletter with over 2,000 subscribers.
Ekke Van Vliet has been the Investment Coordinator at the EIC Fund since 2019. Ekke is a business economist and auditor by education, with a career spanning more than two decades in various financial roles in European Institutions. The multi-billion EU VC fund supports deep-tech startups in the EU and beyond.
Elizabeth Pauchet: President of the Investment Committee at WinEquity. She is a seasoned C-level attorney and corporate secretary, with extensive experience in the full range of legal affairs of international entities, from the creation of departments in start-ups, through successive rounds of debt and equity financing to IPOs.
Francis Lowry is a VC Investor at Allstate Strategic Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Allstate Insurance Company. He directly invests in startups that represent attractive business and investment opportunities for Allstate. Francis offers broad experience in early-stage deals and is based in Ireland.
Gabriel Demirci is a Managing Partner at Growth Box Ventures, a Malta-based VC firm investing in early-stage startups within the fields of fintech, gaming and consumer internet business models in general with strong search and lead generation components.
Galyna Isakiv, Head of Portfolio & Operations at SID Venture Partners. She is a startup evangelist and strategist with 11+ years in management and communications. Having a background as a professional lobbyist and international lawyer, she is a skilled strategist and policymaker, driving actionable B2B and B2G dialogue in IT.
Hege Tollerud, Head of Community at Brighteye VC. They are looking for exciting startups and entrepreneurs at the intersection of learning, entertainment and creativity to empower and expand the frontiers of human potential.
Karolin Beck, Venture Partner at Tola Capital. She is an internationally experienced business and marketing executive with a proven track record of bringing new products and services to a global market and developing, managing, and executing results-driven go-to-market plans and strategies.
Michal Sikyta, Investment Director at Soulmate Ventures. They seek entrepreneurs in areas such as air, water, energy, circular economy, food & agriculture, mobility, education, and healthcare. Upon selection, they invest up to €1 million in their initiatives and grant them access to our hands-on acceleration programs.
Pavel Ezekiev is the founder of Neo Ventures a deep tech fund invested in builders of digital infrastructure for smart cities, outpatient healthcare and space missions. For almost a decade, they have been backing AI and ML technology startups to develop and deploy reliable and scalable data solutions.
Philipp Hauptmann, Investment Analyst at STS Ventures. Cologne-based STS Ventures was launched to concentrate the business activities of serial entrepreneur and successful investor Stephan Schubert. It backs tech startups, giving them advice, capital and a supportive hand.
Stephan Beier, Senior Investment Manager at bm|t, the leading venture capital firm in Germany, brings over 17 years of experience and expertise in the IT, media, software, and internet sectors. Stephan has been involved in the entire investment process from origination to exit, managing a portfolio of over 20 companies.
Virág Dezső, Principal at Lead Ventures, a fresh, well-capitalized venture capital fund in the CE region, specializes in financing scale-ups. They usually realize investments over €2 million, targeting capital-intensive scale-ups after seed funding.
To learn more about the event, and the other fantastic things going on, check out our dedicated event page and enjoy the video below, which will give you some insights into what’s to come.
HEADLINE SPONSOR
Malta Enterprise is Malta’s economic development agency, facilitating economic growth, investment, and innovation, by offering a range of support services for local and foreign enterprises setting up a productive presence in Malta. As a key player in Malta’s economic landscape, it contributes to the nation’s prosperity by attracting investments, supporting businesses, and driving innovation, thereby reinforcing Malta’s position as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Malta Enterprise actively cultivates a vibrant startup ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in fostering a conducive environment for startups and offering tailored support and incentives to empower emerging businesses.
EVENT SPONSORS
The M. Demajo Group is a leading business player in Malta, with a successful history spanning 114 years. The Group’s growth and diversification have resulted in a wide coverage of business sectors through a commitment to long-term results. M. Demajo Group’s workforce is 500 strong and their various activities have been developed through organic growth, acquisitions, partnerships, and startups. Its strong financial situation and ethical standards, its business reputation, and its renowned track record as a business partner are all key factors in its continued expansion.
Cloud Office is a Premier Google Cloud partner that recently won the 2024 Google Cloud Expansion Partner of the Year Award for EMEA! They have over 20 years of combined experience with Google Cloud and are the only Bulgarian partner distinguished by 11 “Expertise” awards, and 2 Specialisations as well as a Premier level partner status from Google. Their team holds 100% certification across Google Workspace and GCP, including Professional Cloud Architect and Professional Data Engineer credentials. They are HQed in Bulgaria with a branch in London, UK, with a team size of over 85 people, out of which 70+ certified engineers, trusted by more than 650 companies with their Google Cloud and Google Workspace journeys.
Airwallex is a leading global financial platform for modern businesses, offering trusted solutions to manage everything from payments, treasury, and spending management to embedded finance. With its proprietary infrastructure, Airwallex takes the friction out of global payments and financial operations, empowering businesses of all sizes to unlock new opportunities and grow beyond borders. Proudly founded in Melbourne, Airwallex supports over 100,000 businesses globally and is trusted by brands such as Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more.
