We track 142 organisations in this sector across 6+ countries.
142 entries.
ENISE (Encuentro Internacional de Seguridad de la Información) is Spain's benchmark cybersecurity event, organised by INCIBE, the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute. The 20th edition gathers the international cybersecurity ecosystem — companies, startups, public sector and researchers — for keynotes, B2B meetings, an innovation track and live demos over three days at the León convention centre.
Founded in 2000, 3TS Capital Partners is a Vienna-based VC and growth equity firm investing EUR 5-20M at Series B and beyond in technology, media, and telecom companies across Central and Eastern Europe. The firm manages over EUR 500M and has completed 70+ investments with 30+ exits. Notable portfolio companies include SALESmanago (acquired by Bain Capital), Evrotrust, and Emarsys (acquired by SAP). 3TS focuses on profitable, scaling B2B software and digital media businesses in the DACH and CEE regions.
A Tbilisi-based accelerator programme run by 500 Global in a four-year partnership with GITA and Bank of Georgia, launched in 2022. The 12-week programme accepts cohorts of early-stage tech startups from across the Eurasia region twice a year, providing $100,000 in investment per company and culminating in a Demo Day. As of mid-2024, six batches had accelerated more than 70 startups from over 15 countries.
Accel is one of the world's most active early-stage venture firms and has been the leading transatlantic investor in European technology since opening its London office in 2000. Operating through dedicated Europe & Israel funds — the eighth closed at $650M in May 2024 — the London team writes seed and Series A cheques of $1–20M, targeting up to 30 companies per fund across software, AI, cybersecurity, fintech and consumer internet. Accel's European track record is unmatched: early bets on Spotify (Sweden), Supercell (Finland, $8.6bn Tencent deal), UiPath (Romania, NYSE IPO 2021), Vinted, Celonis, Monzo, Deliveroo, GoCardless and BlaBlaCar established its reputation for category-defining companies across 20+ countries. Recent deals continue the pattern — Accel led the $200M Series A in Swedish AI app-builder Lovable in 2025, one of the largest Series A rounds in European history. The London partnership includes Sonali De Rycker, Harry Nelis, Luca Bocchio and Philippe Botteri, the last of whom authors Accel's closely watched annual Euroscape report on European cloud and AI.
AI Connect is a one-day artificial-intelligence conference at the RTU Science and Innovation Centre in Riga, structured in three tracks: Build (technical sessions for AI engineers and data specialists), Use (practical AI for business and the workplace) and Explore (demos and workshops for newcomers). Its aim is to make AI understandable, practical and human, connecting developers, businesses, students and the public.
A network grown by the Polish Entrepreneurship Foundation in Szczecin, uniting ~50 investors from across Poland. Amber invests in projects that at least have a prototype or beta, focusing on those with high potential and market access. Notable focus: early post-prototype startups requiring angel funding to commercialize (diverse sectors, strong emphasis on the West Pomerania region).
Amir Salihefendic is the Founder and CEO of Doist, the company behind Todoist, one of the world's most widely used task management and productivity applications with tens of millions of users globally. He founded Todoist in 2007 and built Doist into a profitable, bootstrapped, fully remote-first company without external venture capital funding. Salihefendic is a widely cited thought leader on async-first work culture, sustainable remote work practices, and building durable software businesses outside the VC model.
André Xuereb is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Merqury Cybersecurity, a Malta-based cybersecurity firm. As a founder and CEO in the cybersecurity space, he is an active and recognised figure in Malta's growing information security community. He is a confirmed speaker in the Cybersecurity track at TechTok 2026.
Angel Invest is a Berlin-based super-angel fund founded in 2018 by Jens Lapinski and Jenny Apostel, positioning itself as one of Europe's most active early-stage investors. The fund targets pre-seed and seed-stage European technology startups, writing roughly €100k–€125k cheques across dozens of investments per year. Lapinski previously led Techstars Berlin, and the fund's portfolio companies have collectively raised hundreds of millions in follow-on funding.
Arman Obosyan is the CEO of Skytel, one of Georgia's established telecommunications and technology companies. He spoke at Change Inspire 2026, a major annual technology conference held in Tbilisi in its seventh year, addressing an audience of 1,000+ IT professionals and business leaders. As a chief executive in Georgia's technology and telecom sector, Obosyan is a notable figure in the country's enterprise technology landscape.
Arthur Bataille is the CEO of NEVERHACK Group, a European cybersecurity company headquartered in Paris, France, that provides AI-native defence services, managed detection and response, and EU-sovereign security infrastructure to organizations across Europe. Under his leadership, NEVERHACK has expanded across multiple European countries and established itself as a key player in the EU cybersecurity market. He is a confirmed opening speaker at the Nordic Baltic Security Summit 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Atomico is a leading European venture capital firm founded in 2006 by Niklas Zennström, the co-founder of Skype. Headquartered in London with roots in Stockholm, Atomico focuses on backing ambitious tech founders across Europe at Series A and beyond. The firm manages several billion dollars across multiple funds and has built a portfolio of household names. Atomico’s approach leverages Zennström’s global experience – the firm often helps startups expand internationally and recruits senior talent via its notable “Executive-in-Residence” program. Atomico has invested in companies spanning fintech, deep tech, software, and consumer internet. Notable successes include Klarna (the Swedish fintech giant), Supercell (Finnish gaming, acquired by Tencent), Graphcore (UK AI chips), and MessageBird (Netherlands communications platform). Atomico was also an early backer of Stripe in the US and Viagogo. The firm is known for publishing the annual “State of European Tech” report, reflecting its thought leadership in the ecosystem. In terms of investment size, Atomico typically leads or co-leads Series A–C rounds with cheques of $5–$50 million, and it has the capacity to follow-on through later stages. It closed its fifth fund of $820 million in 2020 and a $1.2 billion fund in 2022, underscoring investor confidence in European tech. Atomico’s team includes partners with experience at Google, Uber, Spotify, and more – providing operational support to portfolio founders. The firm also stands out for its commitment to sustainability and diversity, integrating impact considerations and backing companies tackling climate change. Atomico’s influence is evidenced by the fact that as of 2025 it has produced five IPOs and multiple $10B+ exits in Europe. In summary, Atomico has established itself as a premier VC “built by founders for founders,” fueling Europe’s ascent with capital, expertise, and global networks.
The Azerbaijan Innovation Center (AIM) is a 1,250 m² urban innovation hub on Atatürk Avenue, Baku, managed by the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA). Opened in October 2024, it provides 18 dedicated desks, development programs, networking events, and investor roadshow access for resident startups. IDDA reports supporting 750+ startups cumulatively across its programs, with ecosystem assets under management of approximately $15.6 million.
BackingMinds is a Stockholm-based venture capital firm founded in 2016 that deliberately invests in founders and markets overlooked by mainstream investors, backing early-stage technology companies in the Nordics and beyond. Co-founded by Sara Wimmercranz and Susanne Najafi, it focuses on 'blind spots' where it sees underestimated potential.
Balderton Capital is one of Europe’s most established venture capital firms focused on early-stage technology companies. Based in London, Balderton was founded in 2000 as the European arm of Benchmark Capital and became independent in 2007. It has since raised ten funds dedicated to European startups, with over $4 billion in assets under management. Balderton primarily invests at Series A, typically leading rounds of $5–15 million and taking significant minority stakes. The firm’s portfolio spans a wide range of sectors – from fintech and marketplaces to SaaS and gaming – reflecting Europe’s diversity. Notable investments include Revolut (fintech, which Balderton backed at Series A), The Hut Group (UK e-commerce, now public), Darktrace (cybersecurity, IPO 2021), MySQL (acquired by Sun Microsystems), Citymapper (urban transport app), GoCardless (payments) and Vestiaire Collective (fashion resale). Balderton has consistently been among the most active Series A investors in Europe; in 2022 it deployed capital into 20+ new companies and many follow-ons. The firm is known for its strong founder support and an ethos of “teamwork” – all partners share carry evenly, which encourages collective input on portfolio companies. General Partners like Bernard Liautaud (founder of Business Objects) and Suranga Chandratillake (founder of Blinkx) bring operator experience. In recent years Balderton also launched a liquidity fund to buy secondary shares from European tech founders and early employees, reflecting a maturing ecosystem. The firm has also been vocal on issues like startup diversity and European tech sovereignty. With successes such as Revolut’s rise to $33B valuation and Darktrace’s IPO (Balderton held ~18% at listing), Balderton has proven that European VCs can deliver world-class returns. It continues to invest actively across Europe – from Stockholm to Tel Aviv – aiming to partner with founders “with global ambition.” In the constellation of European VC, Balderton Capital is often mentioned alongside Accel and Index as the top choice for Series A funding, thanks to its track record and deep network built over two decades.
Barcelona Tech City is the leading private nonprofit association representing Barcelona's technology and digital innovation ecosystem, based in the 22@ innovation district (also known as 22@Barcelona). The 22@ district itself is a 200-hectare urban renewal area in the Poblenou neighborhood that the city government designated in 2000 as an innovation district, transforming former industrial land into a dense cluster of tech companies, research centers, universities, and startup spaces. Barcelona Tech City, as an association, brings together over 1,200 member companies ranging from startups to scale-ups and major tech firms, and organizes programs including mentorship, corporate-startup collaborations, talent development, and international trade missions. The organization also operates Pier01, a flagship startup hub located in the historic Palau de Mar building at Barcelona's port, and Pier03 in the 22@ district. Together, Barcelona Tech City and the 22@ infrastructure form the core of Spain's second-largest tech ecosystem.
Bernhard Albrecht is Co-CEO of ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4, Austria's leading commercial broadcaster and digital entertainment group. He drives the company's AI strategy and digital transformation agenda across its portfolio of TV and digital channels. At the 4GAMECHANGERS AI-Day 2026, he emphasized moving from AI buzzwords toward genuine practical implementations in media production and marketing.
Managing Director at Arthaum Group, working across finance, technology and strategic advisory. She is an announced speaker at Eurasia Tech Week 2026 in Istanbul.
Bryony Cole is the Founder of Future of Sex, a global media and research platform exploring the convergence of technology and human sexuality, and the creator of the Sextech School. She is widely recognized as a pioneer in the sextech industry, known for her TED talk and long-running podcast on the future of sex and technology, which have established her as a sought-after international speaker and entrepreneur. Her work bridges technology entrepreneurship, human behavior, and innovation in an emerging consumer-tech sector, and she is a confirmed speaker at AI Summit Budapest 2026.
Carlos Espinal is Managing Partner at Seedcamp, Europe's pre-seed fund, which he joined in 2009 after earlier stints at Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures and roles at NYSE's SIAC group and cybersecurity firm GTE Cybertrust. He holds a BS in Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from Babson College, and has helped build a portfolio of over 400 companies including European unicorns UiPath and Revolut. Named Investor of the Year 2021 by GP Bullhound, he is also the author of The Fundraising Fieldguide and was awarded an MBE.
Caroline Chopinaud is the Chief Executive Officer of Hub France IA, the national federation uniting France's artificial intelligence ecosystem with over 300 member organisations and 160+ AI startups. In her role she leads advocacy, working groups, and European partnerships for France's AI community. She is a prominent AI ecosystem figure and serves on the Advisory Board of Big Data & AI Paris 2026.
Two-day festival at the intersection of business, technology and innovation near Rzeszów, bringing together 1,500 participants, 50+ investors and 150 speakers for keynotes, panels and a startup competition with a PLN 150,000 prize pool.
Founded in 2017, Change Ventures is the largest pan-Baltic pre-seed and seed fund, backing ambitious founders across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as well as Baltic diaspora entrepreneurs worldwide. Managed by Andris K. Berzins and a team with over 45 years of combined operating experience, the firm closed its €49M Fund II — the largest seed VC fund ever raised in the Baltic States — supported by the European Investment Fund's Baltic Innovation Fund. The firm invests €400K–€3M in B2B and SaaS technology startups, with a strong focus on the Baltic region's next-generation founders. Fund III of €20M doubled down on pre-seed, cementing Change Ventures as the defining early-stage regional franchise.
Christian Bruch is President and CEO of Siemens Energy, a global technology company focused on the energy transition with revenues exceeding €35 billion and approximately 100,000 employees across 90 countries. He assumed the CEO role in 2020, guiding the company through its spin-off from Siemens AG and subsequent restructuring efforts including challenges within the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine business. At ONS 2026, he chairs the Strategic Conference Committee, shaping the programme agenda for one of the world's largest energy forums in Stavanger.
co-matter is a Berlin-based research-driven creative studio that develops strategies, media, and publications at the intersection of technology and culture. It co-founded Techfestival Copenhagen in 2017 alongside Thomas Madsen-Mygdal and a team of designers and entrepreneurs, and produced the Copenhagen Letter — a manifesto for humane technology signed by over 5,000 tech leaders. The studio works with clients including Mozilla Foundation, WeTransfer, IKEA/SPACE10, and Samsung on cultural intelligence, community strategy, and editorial projects.
CodeBase is the UK's largest technology incubator, founded in Edinburgh in 2014 and now operating across 27 locations throughout the UK, including a hub in Glasgow. It delivers the Scottish Government's £42 million Techscaler programme, supporting over 1,400 startups with world-class education, mentorship, and networking. Companies supported by CodeBase have collectively raised over £4 billion in funding, making it one of the most impactful startup accelerator organisations in the UK.
The Municipality of Milan, with implementation partner TIG – The Innovation Group, organises Milano Digital Week, a city-wide festival on digital innovation, AI and smart-city themes. It curates hundreds of largely free events spanning business, technology, digital citizenship, culture and education across the city.
British-Canadian author, journalist and digital-rights activist, a special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and prolific commentator on technology, platforms and the open internet. He is an announced speaker at the 2026 TEDAI Vienna conference.
Creandum is one of Europe's leading early-stage venture capital firms, founded in Stockholm in 2003 and now operating from Stockholm, Berlin, London and San Francisco. It backs technology companies from seed to Series A and has been an early investor in category-defining businesses including Spotify, Klarna, Bolt, Kahoot, Depop and Pleo. In 2024 it closed its seventh flagship fund at around 500 million euros to continue backing European founders.
Credo Ventures is a Prague-based early-stage VC focused on Central and Eastern Europe. The firm manages about EUR 250m across four funds and is currently investing out of Fund IV, writing initial checks up to roughly EUR 5m. Credo backs founders from pre-seed to Series A and has supported breakout CEE companies including UiPath, Productboard, and ElevenLabs. Key partners include Ondrej Bartos and Vladislav Jez, alongside partners such as Tomas Burian and Michal Cernocky. The firm is known for hands-on support and long-term follow-on capital in the region.
Venture Partner at Earlybird focused on Central and Eastern Europe. He co-built the Earlybird Digital East franchise (now Bek Ventures) that produced the UiPath and Trendyol outcomes, and continues to bridge Earlybird with the CEE founder ecosystem.
Dana Lawson is the Chief Technology Officer at Netlify, the leading web development and deployment platform powering millions of modern sites and applications globally. Prior to Netlify, she held senior engineering leadership roles at GitHub, where she was recognized for scaling engineering teams and culture at high-growth developer platforms. She is a prominent speaker at major developer conferences and a widely respected voice on engineering culture, developer experience, and platform scalability.
Serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Dawid is known for co-founding CHIC Group, which was acquired by British American Tobacco in a landmark transaction. He actively backs consumer-facing and technology-enabled brands, combining growth strategy support with capital. Notable startup involvements include TakeDrop and investments across lifestyle and tech ventures, including co-investments in projects such as Samurai Labs.
DEV.BG is a leading Bulgarian online community platform and job board serving IT professionals across Bulgaria, with its office in Sofia. It connects developers and other IT specialists with employers through job listings, company profiles, articles, and regular user group meetups. DEV.BG organizes the annual DEV.BG All in One conference, which in 2026 celebrates its 10th anniversary under the theme 'AI: Adopted or Addicted', expecting over 2,000 participants and 50+ IT companies at the Inter Expo Center in Sofia.
Member-only coworking space for startups, remote teams, and digital professionals, opened in 2023 at University Street 17a in Tbilisi. The space spans multiple floors with private offices, hot desks, podcast and video production studios, and a 1 Gbps fibre connection. It targets the technology and creative community and runs community events for its members.
DIGITALEUROPE is the leading trade association representing digitally transforming industries across Europe, headquartered in Brussels at Rue de la Science 37. It represents over 56,000 businesses through 134 global corporate members and 45 national trade associations spanning 35 EU countries plus Ukraine, Moldova, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey. The organization engages EU institutions across 15 policy priority areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, connectivity, data governance, and digital skills. It organises the annual Summer Summit as its flagship policy convening event, bringing together senior representatives from member states, the European Commission, and leading global technology companies.
DigithON is Italy's largest digital and startup pitch marathon, held annually in the coastal town of Bisceglie in Puglia. The 2026 edition brings around one hundred selected startups for 48 hours of pitches, mentoring and networking in front of investors, venture funds, business angels and institutions, with a total prize pool of roughly €50,000.
Founder of EFEVRE TECH, a Cypriot technology company. He is an announced speaker at the INSPIRE 2026 Entrepreneurial Festival in Cyprus.
DLD Munich 2027 brings together 1,500+ pioneers from tech, business, science, and culture for three days of ideas and connections in Munich. The annual flagship conference runs immediately before the World Economic Forum in Davos, making it a key gathering point for global leaders. The 2027 edition dates are publicly announced on the official site with attendee notifications opening shortly.
Earlybird Venture Capital is one of Europe's longest-standing and most active venture firms, founded in Berlin in 1997 by Hendrik Brandis and Christian Nagel. It manages roughly €2.5bn across two active platforms — the flagship Earlybird technology fund (Fund VIII closed at €360M in 2026, its largest to date) and Earlybird Health (€173M second fund, 2024) — from offices in Berlin, Munich and London. Earlybird writes initial tickets up to €12M, concentrated at pre-seed and seed with follow-on into Series A and beyond. The firm targets Western Europe — Germany, the UK, France, Italy, the Nordics, Austria and Switzerland — with CEE coverage via a dedicated venture partner. Its focus has shifted toward AI and foundation models, software infrastructure and deep tech (space, fusion, photonics, quantum), alongside its independent health platform. LPs include the European Investment Fund, sovereign wealth funds, global pension funds and British Patient Capital. Across 29 years Earlybird has produced landmark outcomes including Peak Games (sold to Zynga for ~$1.85bn, 2020), UiPath (NYSE IPO 2021, from the Digital East franchise that later spun out as Bek Ventures), Trendyol (Alibaba, 2018) and ImCheck Therapeutics (up to €1bn, 2025), and counts N26, Aleph Alpha, Isar Aerospace, Aiven, Payhawk and Wefox among its portfolio. In 2026 it introduced a perpetual active-ownership governance model keeping ownership with active partners.
Elkstone is a Dublin-based investment firm and one of Ireland's most active private venture investors, backing early-stage Irish technology and life-science startups alongside its broader private-markets and wealth activities. Its venture arm provides seed and early-stage capital and hands-on support to founders building high-growth companies.
CEO of Clickmelive, a live-commerce and digital sales technology company. He is an announced speaker at the IGEXX Istanbul Global E-Export Summit 2026.
The Enterprise Incubator Foundation is one of the largest technology incubators and consulting bodies in the South Caucasus, established in 2002 with support from the World Bank and the Armenian government. It operates technology centers across Armenian regions, runs matching-grant programs for early-stage companies, and maintains the Armenian-Indian Center for Excellence in ICT. EIF has incubated and accelerated hundreds of startups and publishes the authoritative EIF Guide to Armenian IT Companies.
EPIC is the startup incubation and entrepreneurship center of the American University of Armenia (AUA), providing workspace, mentorship, prototyping facilities, and investor access to early-stage ventures. Since its founding, the center has engaged over 400 entrepreneurs and supported more than 120 startup launches across technology and health-science disciplines. Programs include a 10-week pre-incubation track (STRIVE), a structured incubation cohort, and the EPIC Jam ideathon.
EQT Growth is the growth equity arm of EQT, one of Europe's largest alternative investment firms headquartered in Stockholm. Launched in 2019, EQT Growth manages over EUR 4B and invests EUR 30-200M in high-growth technology companies scaling across Europe and globally. The fund focuses on category-leading software, fintech, and marketplace businesses at Series C and beyond. Notable investments include Vinted (led its EUR 250M Series F), Mollie, Epidemic Sound, and Small Giant Games. EQT Growth leverages the broader EQT platform's industrial network and 30+ years of operational value creation expertise.
eQventure is an Austrian venture capital firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in Graz, with a second office in Vienna. It specializes in early-stage and growth investments in deep technology, industrial tech, digital health, and consumer technology companies, primarily in Austria. Behind the firm are experienced entrepreneurs who contribute hands-on operational support and access to a global network spanning Austria, Germany, the UK, Israel, the US, and China.
Erlend Solem is the CEO (Daglig Leder) of Trondheim Tech Port, the organization that positions Trondheim as Norway's technology capital. He leads a cluster of over 100 member companies and institutions spanning ocean technology, healthcare, energy, and digitalization, and is an active speaker and moderator at Trondheim Tech Port innovation events. Solem represents the organization's mission to increase Norway's innovation power through cross-sector collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector.
Conference on open source policy, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and open source community members to discuss current trends and future directions in Brussels.
Eurasia Tech Week (ETW) is a B2B technology exhibition and conference at the Istanbul Congress Center bringing together technology companies, investors and industry leaders across the Eurasian region. The programme spans telecommunications and connectivity, fintech and payments, consumer technology, data centre and cloud, and a deep-tech and startup zone, combined with keynote panels, B2B networking and startup pitch competitions.
Eurazeo is a leading European investment group listed on Euronext Paris, managing over EUR 35B in diversified assets including a dedicated venture and growth portfolio. Founded in 2001, Eurazeo's tech investment arm operates from Paris, London, Berlin, and New York, investing EUR 10-50M at Series B through pre-IPO stages. The firm has backed major European scale-ups including 1KOMMA5, Contentsquare, Doctolib, Younited Credit, and Vestiaire Collective. Eurazeo combines patient capital with deep operational expertise in internationalization, M&A, and ESG integration across its portfolio.
Eve Psalti is Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft, one of the world's largest technology companies, where she leads AI strategy and enterprise initiatives. She is a recognized voice in applied AI leadership and has represented Microsoft at major international industry summits, including the AI Tech Summit 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Eyrir Sprotar is the seed and early-stage venture fund managed by Eyrir Invest, a Reykjavik-based international investment company with a 25-year track record. The fund, launched in 2012 and formalized in 2015, backs promising Icelandic ventures targeting international markets, with typical investment sizes around €3 million. Eyrir Invest is best known as a major long-term shareholder in Marel, the global food processing equipment manufacturer.
Faber is a Lisbon-based venture capital firm founded in 2012, investing in early-stage deep tech and climate technology companies at the intersection of science and technology in Southern Europe. The firm has backed notable startups including Unbabel, SWORD Health, Codacy, and Smartex, typically writing cheques of €100,000 to €2.5 million. Its latest fund, Faber Tech III, has a target size of €60 million and is anchored by the European Investment Fund and the NATO Innovation Fund.
Factory Berlin is one of Europe's most prominent startup and innovation campuses, operating from two locations in Berlin: the original Factory Mitte (in a renovated brewery near the former Berlin Wall) and Factory Goerlitzer Park in Kreuzberg. Founded in 2014, Factory Berlin provides coworking and office space to startups, scale-ups, and corporate innovation teams, but its primary value lies in its curated community of over 3,500 members and its extensive event and programming calendar. Tenants and alumni include SoundCloud, Uber's Berlin office, and numerous venture-backed startups. Factory's community team runs mentorship circles, industry salons, investor matchmaking, and cross-border programs connecting Berlin founders with ecosystems in Silicon Valley and Asia. The campus has become a symbol of Berlin's tech scene and a standard stop for visiting delegations exploring the European startup landscape.
Fikir is a 24/7 coworking space operating two branches in Baku (Elmler and Ağ Şəhər districts), with a third location announced. It offers hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, meeting rooms for up to 12 people, and an event hall for up to 70 people. The space targets freelancers, remote workers, and early-stage startup teams in Baku's growing tech community.
Free and open source software developers' conference, covering a wide range of topics and technologies. A major community-driven event for open source enthusiasts and professionals in Brussels.
Frank Thelen is one of Germany's most recognized tech investors and serial entrepreneurs, widely known for his role as a judge on the TV show Die Hoehle der Loewen (the German equivalent of Shark Tank). Thelen founded several technology companies before launching 10xDNA, his deep-tech venture capital fund focused on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space tech, and synthetic biology. As an angel investor, he has backed dozens of early-stage German and European startups, bringing operational experience from building and scaling software companies since the late 1990s. He is a vocal advocate for bolder tech ambition in Germany and frequently speaks on digital transformation policy.
Gege Gatt is the Chief Executive Officer of ebo.AI, a Malta-based conversational AI platform company focused on customer engagement automation for enterprises. He is a recognised figure in the Maltese technology and AI ecosystem and a frequent speaker at major industry events. Gatt is a confirmed speaker in the Data & AI track at TechTok 2026.
La Famiglia is a European seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Jeannette zu Fuerstenberg, with offices in Berlin, Paris, and London. The firm bridges the gap between European industry corporates and technology startups, leveraging a network of 200+ family-owned enterprises as LPs and advisors. La Famiglia invests EUR 500K to EUR 3M at pre-seed and seed in B2B SaaS, fintech, and marketplace models. Notable portfolio companies include Personio, Solarisbank, Forto, and Pile Capital. The firm manages over EUR 250M and provides unique access to industrial pilot customers and distribution channels.
Istanbul-based exhibition organiser running Eurasia Tech Week (ETW) at the Istanbul Congress Center, a B2B technology exhibition and conference bringing together technology companies, investors and industry leaders across the Eurasian region, with tracks on connectivity, fintech, consumer tech, data centres and a deep-tech and startup zone.
Georgian Ventures was founded in 2018 in Tbilisi and focuses on early-stage investments in Georgian startup founders inside and outside the country, as well as international founders based in Georgia. The firm grew out of Startup Grind Tbilisi, which was recognised as the top Startup Grind chapter in the world in 2019 after hosting over 100 startup events, giving the team deep ecosystem roots and founder networks. Fund size is not publicly disclosed. Beyond direct investing, Georgian Ventures provides quiet advisory services to family offices and individual investors seeking curated deal flow in the Georgian market.
Giorgi Gvenetadze is the COO of Flutter CEE, the Central and Eastern European division of Flutter Entertainment, one of the world's largest publicly traded online gambling companies with a market capitalisation exceeding $30 billion. In his role he oversees operational expansion across high-growth markets in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, navigating regulatory complexity and building local infrastructure. He is a regular speaker at major iGaming industry conferences including SBC Summit Tbilisi, where he addresses regional market entry strategies and sustainable growth.
Co-founder of Index Ventures alongside Neil and David Rimer in 1996. Over more than two decades he helped build Index into one of the world's most successful venture firms before transitioning to an emeritus advisory role.
Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID) is Scotland's first innovation district, established as a dynamic hub for innovation, enterprise, and collaboration in Glasgow city centre. It is co-governed by Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Strathclyde. GCID is the founder and principal organiser of Glasgow Tech Week, the city's annual week-long festival celebrating technology, startups, and digital entrepreneurship across more than 40 events.
GP Bullhound is a global technology investment bank and investment firm founded in 1999, advising technology companies and entrepreneurs on capital raising and M&A while also managing funds that invest in leading tech businesses. It has advised on more than 700 transactions worth over 58 billion dollars and operates from offices across Europe and the United States, including a long-standing Nordic presence.
Grand Central is a coworking space founded in 2017 in Valletta, operating from two sites on Archbishop Street and Strait Street in the historic capital. It serves developers, digital nomads, and startups with flexible desks, private offices, meeting rooms, and 24/7 access. The spaces are housed in traditional Maltese townhouses and are particularly popular with Malta's growing tech and creative community.
Gróska is a 188,000 sq ft innovation and business growth center at Bjargargata 1 in Reykjavik, opened in 2019 and widely regarded as the epicenter of Iceland's startup ecosystem. The facility houses companies, investment teams, startup incubator programs, and university research labs under one roof. CCP Games is among its anchor tenants. Gróska offers flexible desk memberships, private offices, meeting rooms, and event space, fostering collaboration between startups, established companies, and academic institutions.
Hero House is a technology hub and co-working space in central Yerevan that serves as the physical base for the SmartGateVC fund, the Armenia Startup Academy pre-acceleration program, and several deep-tech community groups including SmartGateML. The space is designed for early-stage startup teams and hosts regular community programming. It is operated by the Catalyst Hi-Tech and Entrepreneurship Development Foundation.
Hub France IA is the French national federation dedicated to unifying and developing the country's artificial intelligence ecosystem. Recognised as serving the general interest under French law (association Loi 1901), it brings together over 300 member organisations including more than 160 AI startups, 1,000+ individual adherents, and 50+ European partners across large corporations, SMEs, academic institutions, and investors. The organisation facilitates working groups, European partnerships, and collaborative projects to help members navigate the rapidly evolving AI sector.
The Hungary Power Platform User Group is a volunteer-run community organization in Budapest dedicated to advancing Microsoft Power Platform knowledge among practitioners in Hungary. Led by Microsoft MVPs Máté Tóth and Dénes Halász, the group organizes the annual Shift+Enter Summit, a conference featuring international speakers on Power Platform, Microsoft 365, AI, and career development topics. The group aims to make professional development accessible by keeping events affordable through sponsorship and community support.
HV Capital (formerly Holtzbrinck Ventures) is one of Germany's most established venture capital firms, investing from seed to growth stage across European technology companies. Founded as the VC arm of the Holtzbrinck publishing group, HV Capital manages over $2 billion and has backed iconic European companies including Zalando, Delivery Hero, FlixBus, and FINN. The firm focuses on technology-enabled business models and is a cornerstone investor in the DACH startup ecosystem.
ICONIQ Growth is the growth-equity and venture arm of ICONIQ, investing in technology companies from early traction through IPO and beyond. It partners with founders at critical inflection points across software, fintech and other sectors, and invests internationally including from a London presence.
Part of the global Impact Hub network of 100+ hubs and 20,000+ members, the Tbilisi chapter is located at the Fabrika creative quarter. It offers co-working memberships, an accelerator programme for early-stage social and tech entrepreneurs, and runs a pre-accelerator in partnership with GITA. Three cohorts since 2021 have seen participating teams raise over €1 million in investments and grants.
Index Ventures is a globally renowned venture capital firm that originated in Europe and has been instrumental in scaling many of the continent’s top tech companies. Founded in Geneva in 1996 by the Daly brothers and Neil Rimer, Index later opened major offices in London and San Francisco, making it a transatlantic VC powerhouse. Index invests at all stages (seed to growth), though it is especially prominent in Series A/B in Europe. The firm has an extraordinary track record: it was an early backer of Skype (sold to eBay), Last.fm (sold to CBS), Supercell (acquired by Tencent), and MySQL (acquired by Sun) in the 2000s, and more recently of Deliveroo, Adyen, Figma, Revolut, Robinhood and Notion – to name a few. Index’s portfolio spans consumer and enterprise: it has seeded fashion marketplaces like ASOS and Farfetch, scaled up fintech stars like TransferWise (Wise) and Robinhood, and supported open-source and SaaS successes (Elastic, Confluent, Collibra). The firm manages multiple funds (it raised a $3B+ set of funds in 2022) and often co-invests across its early and growth funds to support companies long-term. Index is particularly known for its knack in consumer-facing startups and its ability to spot trends early (e.g., it led Patreon’s Series A in the creator economy space, and Discord’s seed in gaming communication). Partners at Index are a cosmopolitan bunch – with backgrounds ranging from gaming entrepreneurs to investment bankers – and they bring a strong network in both Silicon Valley and Europe. Uniquely, Index also has a life sciences arm (Index Life) that invested in companies like Moderna. In Europe, Index has been among the top three most active VCs by number of unicorns backed. For example, Index led Deliveroo’s Series B in 2014 and remained a major shareholder through its 2021 IPO. Similarly, Index was pivotal in Adyen’s growth (now a ~$50B payments giant). Culturally, Index is known for being founder-friendly and global in outlook – encouraging its European portfolio to expand to the US when needed and vice versa. It also frequently publishes insightful content (e.g., Bernard Dallé’s guides on SaaS metrics or interviews with founders). As of 2025, Index Ventures stands as a gold-standard VC, with a portfolio boasting dozens of IPOs and acquisitions, and a current crop of rising stars across continents.
Info-Tech LIVE is the EMEA flagship conference of analyst firm Info-Tech Research Group, gathering CIOs, senior IT leaders and technology executives at the Grand Hyatt Barcelona. The 2026 edition runs under the theme "Agentic IT: From Hype to Value", with 20+ keynotes, analyst-led sessions, hands-on workshops and peer roundtables on turning AI investments into measurable business value.
Info-Tech Research Group is a global IT research and advisory firm that organises the Info-Tech LIVE conference series for CIOs and senior technology leaders. Its EMEA flagship in Barcelona delivers analyst-led keynotes, workshops and peer roundtables on enterprise technology strategy and AI adoption.
Infopro Digital Trade Shows is a French professional events company that organizes over 35 industry trade shows annually across Europe, Asia, and the United States. They are the official organizer of SIDO Lyon, the leading B2B event for the convergence of IoT, artificial intelligence, robotics, and extended reality technologies, now in its 12th edition. Their broader portfolio spans sectors including construction, automotive, risk and insurance, and industrial transformation, serving major professional communities year-round.
Founded in 2007, Innogest Capital is a Turin and Milan-based early-stage VC managing over EUR 150M across funds focused on technology and life sciences. The firm invests EUR 0.5-5M at Series A in digital platforms, IoT, healthcare, and industrial tech. Notable portfolio companies include Genenta Science (IPO on Nasdaq), Musement (acquired by TUI), and Pharmacell. Innogest is one of Italy's pioneer independent VC firms with deep networks in the Piedmont and Lombardy tech ecosystems.
javaBin is the Norwegian Java User Group (JUG), a non-profit, volunteer-driven community organization with approximately 3,000 members and branches across Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, and several other Norwegian cities. Founded over 25 years ago, it organizes JavaZone — one of the world's largest community-driven Java conferences — held annually every September in Norway, attracting around 3,500 participants and 200 speakers. Beyond JavaZone, javaBin runs regular meetups, student events, and educational programs throughout the year.
Executive Vice-President of Portugal Ventures, helping lead the state-backed venture firm's investment activity across digital, industrial, healthcare and tourism technology companies in Portugal.
Managing Partner of ACT Venture Capital, Ireland's most established venture firm, which he joined in 1996. A former chairman of the Irish Venture Capital Association, he has led ACT through six funds and exits including the sale of Decawave to Qorvo and SoftBank's investment in Cubic Telecom.
Kfund is a Madrid-based venture capital firm investing from Southern Europe into technology companies worldwide, writing cheques from roughly 100,000 to 10 million euros with deliberately simple, founder-friendly terms. Through several vehicles spanning pre-seed to growth, it backs entrepreneurs building differentiated, technology-based products and has become one of Spain's most active tech investors.
KAYA is a Prague-based venture capital firm that invests early in ambitious founders building category-defining technology companies, staying involved from inception through to market leadership. Operating as an equal partnership, it backs Central European and international startups across software and deep tech.
The innovation and investment arm of Kulczyk Investments, the international investment house owned by Sebastian Kulczyk. KI Next backs technology ventures and coordinates the InCredibles programme — a long-running competency-building programme for top Polish startups run with the Warsaw School of Economics.
Kibo Ventures is a Madrid-based venture capital firm and technology investment platform that backs early-stage startups led by ambitious founders and helps them scale globally. One of Spain's most active tech investors, it invests across sectors including software, fintech, digital health and marketplaces.
Kima Ventures is one of the world's most prolific seed-stage investors, founded in 2010 by Xavier Niel (founder of Free/Iliad) and Jeremie Berrebi. Based in Paris, Kima invests in approximately 100 startups per year with typical ticket sizes of EUR 150K, making it among the most active angel-style funds globally. The firm has backed over 1,000 companies across 50+ countries, with notable investments including Alan, Luko, Mistral AI, and Algolia. Kima focuses on technology generalists at pre-seed and seed, providing fast decision-making and access to Xavier Niel's extensive entrepreneurial network.
Kristijan 'Kitze' Ristovski is the founder of Sizzy, a browser built specifically for web developers that enables responsive design testing across multiple device viewports simultaneously within a single window. A recognized figure in the JavaScript and frontend development community, he is known for his work on developer productivity tooling and his educational content on building profitable indie developer products. He is an active voice in the Balkan developer and startup ecosystem and a recurring speaker at international tech conferences.
Lakestar is a Zurich-headquartered venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels, one of Europe's most prolific and publicly visible technology investors, whose pre-Lakestar angel track record included early bets on Skype, Spotify, and Facebook in Europe. The firm runs a multi-stage strategy spanning early-stage funds, growth funds, and public/crossover vehicles, with offices in Zurich, Berlin, London, and Zug. Notable portfolio companies include Revolut, N26, Mister Spex, Blockchain.com, GetYourGuide, FlixBus, and Opendoor. Lakestar manages over EUR 2 billion across funds and has been a vocal advocate at the EU level for scaling up European technology sovereignty, having been involved in initiatives like the European Tech Champions Initiative and the Scale-Up Europe pledge. It is one of the few continental European VCs that operates across the full venture lifecycle at significant scale.
Latitude59 is Estonia's flagship startup and tech conference, gathering founders, investors, and innovators from across the Nordics and Baltics. The 2027 edition returns to Kultuurikatel in Tallinn on May 19–21, with tickets already on sale via Fienta. The event features pitch competitions, investor meetings, and a main-stage program spanning two full days.
Full-service creative technology agency founded in Tbilisi in 2010, offering digital marketing, AI solutions, UX/UI design, and web and mobile development. Leavingstone is the first agency in the Caucasus region to win Cannes Lions awards, claiming the distinction two years in a row (2015 and 2016), and has accumulated over 150 international awards including Webby and Eurobest prizes. The agency employs more than 100 people and counts Siemens, Visa, Netflix, and WHO among its clients.
LEVELS is a Stockholm-based venture studio that co-founds and builds technology companies from scratch, pairing its own operators and capital with founding teams to take ideas from concept to launch. It contributes hands-on product, design and go-to-market work in the earliest stages, then supports the resulting companies as they raise external funding and scale.
Chief Digital and Information Officer at Sandoz, a global generics and biosimilars company, with a career leading large-scale digital transformation across pharmaceutical and technology organizations. She is an announced keynote speaker at the 2026 #wetechtogether Conference in Zurich.
LocalGlobe is a London-based venture capital firm, part of the Phoenix Court group founded by Robin and Saul Klein, that focuses on seed-stage investments in the UK and Europe. It has been an early backer of companies such as Wise, Citymapper, Improbable and Zoopla, and runs a family of funds spanning seed through growth stages.
Lotfi Zadeh Technology Center (LTC) is a coworking space and shared-office provider with three branches across Baku, named after Azerbaijani-American mathematician Lotfi Zadeh. It offers hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, meeting rooms (6–60 person capacity), and virtual office services. Weekly networking events are held for the resident startup and professional community.
Global VP of Sales at DRYAD, driving commercial growth for technology products in international markets. He is an announced speaker at Eurasia Tech Week 2026 in Istanbul.
Luminar Ventures is a Stockholm-based seed-stage venture capital firm and one of the most active early investors in the Nordics, providing seed financing together with hands-on operational support. It focuses on digital technology startups, backing founders from the earliest stages and helping them build toward Series A and beyond.
President and CEO of Portugal Ventures for the 2025–2027 term, leading Portugal's state-backed early-stage venture firm within the Banco Português de Fomento group. He oversees the firm's pre-seed to Series A investments across technology, health and tourism startups nationwide.
Executive at CITEA, the Cyprus Information Technology Enterprises Association, supporting the country's tech ecosystem. She is an announced speaker at the 5th Digital Cyprus Conference 2026.
One of the world's leading trade-fair organizers, operating the Berlin ExpoCenter and running international events including InnoTrans, ITB Berlin, IFA and Fruit Logistica. It hosts hundreds of thousands of exhibitors and visitors annually across mobility, travel, technology and consumer sectors.
Milano Digital Week is a city-wide festival on digital innovation, AI and smart-city themes, with hundreds of largely free events across business, digital citizenship, technology, culture and education. The 2026 edition runs under the theme "La città generativa" (The Generative City), convening businesses, startups, citizens and institutions across Milan.
Molten Ventures, formerly Draper Esprit, is a London-based venture capital firm listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Dublin that invests in high-growth European technology companies from Series A onward. One of Europe's most active listed VCs, it backs and follows on in scale-ups across software, deep tech, consumer and fintech.
MWC27 Barcelona is the world's largest connectivity and mobile technology event, bringing together over 100,000 decision-makers, 2,900+ exhibitors, and representatives from 207 countries at Fira Gran Via. The 2027 edition continues the event's focus on 5G, AI, satellite connectivity, and adjacent industries, with a full ministerial programme running March 1-3. GSMA announced the 2027 dates immediately after closing MWC26.
NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) was originally established in 2007 as an Irish state-backed digital research and accelerator body affiliated with a consortium of Irish universities. From 2020 it transitioned to a new operator — Dogpatch Labs and regional partners — under a contract worth up to €17 million, delivering pre-seed funding and mentorship-driven accelerator programmes across Dublin, Galway, Cork, and Kerry. The programme has been extended to the end of 2026, with Enterprise Ireland planning a successor National Accelerator Platform starting in 2026.
Co-founder of Index Ventures, which he started in Geneva in 1996. A foundational figure in European venture capital, he backed early successes including Skype, MySQL, Last.fm and Supercell, and shaped Index's evolution into a transatlantic firm before stepping back from active partnership.
Niklas Zennstrom is a Swedish-born serial entrepreneur and investor, best known as the co-founder of Skype and Kazaa. After selling Skype to eBay for USD 2.6B in 2005, Zennstrom founded Atomico (listed separately as VC), one of Europe's most prominent growth-stage venture funds. Beyond Atomico, Zennstrom makes personal angel investments in early-stage European startups, particularly those working on climate tech, sustainability, and deep technology. He co-founded the Zennstrom Philanthropies and is a driving force behind efforts to position the Nordics as a global hub for impact-driven technology. His combination of entrepreneurial credibility, global network, and climate focus makes him one of Europe's most sought-after angel backers.
Nino Gvazava is the CEO of HT Solutions, a leading IT consulting and technology services firm headquartered in Tbilisi, Georgia. She delivered the opening keynote at Change Inspire 2026, reflecting her position as one of the most prominent technology leaders in the Georgian market. Under her leadership, HT Solutions has grown to serve 200+ enterprise and SMB clients while also organizing Georgia's flagship annual technology conference.
Nordic Makers is a Copenhagen-based collective of angel investors whose members are founders of companies including Just Eat, Zendesk, Momondo, Podio, Sitecore, Unity, and TAT. Formed to channel experienced founder capital and guidance into early-stage Nordic startups, the group invests in pre-seed and seed rounds and provides hands-on mentorship drawn from their own scaling and exit experience. Partners include Klaus Nyengaard (ex-CEO Just Eat) and Morten Nørregaard Andersen (co-founder of Zendesk), among others.
Nordic.js & Nordic.design is a Stockholm-based events company co-founded by Jonny Strömberg, Martina Elm, and Johannes Edelstam that organizes the Nordics' largest JavaScript conference, Nordic.js, which has run annually since 2014, as well as Nordic.design, a sister conference focused on digital design. The organization has attracted over 1,700 visitors from more than 30 countries across its events, with Nordic.js selling out for multiple consecutive years. The conferences are held each autumn in Stockholm and are known for their single-track format featuring both internationally renowned speakers and rising stars from the JavaScript and web development community.
Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at MCI Capital, where he leads investment strategy across the firm's expansion and buyout deals in SaaS, e-commerce, fintech and digital infrastructure throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
Peter Ivanov serves as Head of Caucasus and Central Asia at Google Cloud, overseeing the company's cloud business development and go-to-market strategy across these strategic emerging markets. He spoke at Change Inspire 2026, Georgia's flagship annual technology conference in Tbilisi, in its seventh edition. His senior regional leadership role at Google Cloud makes him a key figure driving enterprise cloud adoption and digital transformation across the Caucasus and Central Asia.
PreSeed Ventures (PSV) is a Copenhagen-area venture house rooted in the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and Denmark's most active pre-seed investor. It operates three vehicles: PSV Tech (early-stage software, AI and digital-infrastructure fund), PSV Hafnium (Denmark's first dedicated deep-tech fund) and PSV Foundry (DTU's investment and incubation arm). PSV provides the first institutional capital to university spin-outs and technical founders, typically at idea or prototype stage, writing tickets of roughly €0.1–1.5M. PSV Tech's first independent fund closed at DKK 412M (~€55M) in 2022, backed by Denmark's ATP pension fund, EIFO and Vækstfonden, with a €70M Fund II in fundraising. PSV Hafnium closed an oversubscribed €60M in December 2025, anchored by the European Investment Fund and EIFO, to back around 25 science-rooted spin-outs across quantum computing, cleantech, new materials, biotech and new space. PSV has backed early Danish successes including Trustpilot (LSE IPO, 2021), Glycom (acquired by DSM), Vivino, Lunar and Labster, and remains a crucial bridge from Nordic research to venture.
Prosus Ventures is the venture and growth investment arm of Prosus, the Amsterdam-listed international technology investor that was spun out of South African conglomerate Naspers in 2019 and today stands as one of the largest technology investors in the world, anchored by a historically ~25 percent stake in Tencent that funds the rest of the portfolio. Beyond Tencent, Prosus Ventures and its strategy teams actively invest in growth-stage technology companies across food delivery, fintech, edtech, classifieds, and AI, owning stakes in Delivery Hero, iFood, Swiggy, Stack Overflow, PayU, Udemy, and Brainly among others. With many billions of euros of investable firepower and an explicit willingness to lead USD 100M+ rounds, Prosus is effectively one of Europe's only indigenous late-stage growth investors that can compete at scale with US crossover funds on late rounds of European technology companies.
Curated AI conference in Berlin (Humboldt Carre) with an intimate in-person audience and virtual access, focused on the European AI ecosystem, policy, and commercialization. 2026 speaker highlights include Franziska Giffey, Prof. Antonio Krueger (DFKI), Carla Hustedt, and Dr. Ulli Waltinger; founder participation is often routed through Applied AI Stage and speaker submissions.
Investment Director at Vinthera, focused on venture investment and technology growth across emerging markets. He is an announced speaker at Eurasia Tech Week 2026 in Istanbul.
Ronny Fehling serves as Chief AI Transformation Officer at HTEC, a technology company specializing in AI-driven software engineering and digital transformation with offices across Europe and North America. In this C-suite role he is responsible for driving the company's artificial intelligence strategy and transformation programs across client engagements, and is a recognized speaker on enterprise AI adoption.
Seedcamp is a London-based pre-seed and seed fund founded in 2007, often described as Europe's seed fund, that backs founders building globally ambitious technology companies. Its portfolio includes some of Europe's best-known startups, such as Wise, Revolut and UiPath, and it provides founders with capital and access to an extensive expert network.
Sequoia Capital is a global venture firm that led ElevenLabs' $500M Series D round announced in February 2026 at an $11B valuation, with partner Andrew Reed joining the board. Sequoia also backs Bolt as it scaled its multi-vertical mobility platform across Europe.
Sherry Coutu CBE is a prominent angel investor and entrepreneur known for championing the UK’s scale-up ecosystem. Originally from Canada, Coutu moved to the UK and in 1994 founded Interactive Investor, an online brokerage, which she led to an IPO in 2000. After exiting that venture, she became a full-time angel in 2000 and has since invested in 50+ tech companies, focusing on consumer internet, education, and fintech startups. Coutu has been an early backer of notable UK startups like Zoopla and LoveFilm, and holds LP stakes in several venture funds. Beyond investing her own capital, Sherry Coutu is famed for her advocacy of “scale-ups” – mid-stage companies poised for high growth. In 2014, she authored the landmark Scale-Up Report for the UK government, highlighting the economic importance of helping startups grow into larger firms. This led her, alongside LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, to found the ScaleUp Institute in 2015 – a nonprofit that provides resources, mentorship, and policy advocacy for scaling businesses. Coutu also founded Founders4Schools and Digital Boost, initiatives connecting students and small businesses with experienced entrepreneurs. She remains an active non-executive director on multiple boards – past roles include serving on the boards of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the University of Cambridge Finance Board, and Pearson plc. In the angel community, Sherry Coutu is respected not only for her investments but for her mentorship and network: she often provides board-level guidance and operational mentorship to founders. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for services to entrepreneurship, Sherry Coutu is a pivotal figure helping UK tech startups navigate the jump from startup to scale-up.
Shilling (Shilling VC) is a Lisbon-based early-stage venture capital firm, running a fund of around 52 million euros that backs entrepreneurs from pre-seed and seed stages. Known for a founder-friendly model that shares fund profits with its portfolio founders, it invests primarily in Portuguese and Southern European technology startups and supports them as they scale internationally.
Silicon Valletta is an association founded in 2016 by Malta-based tech entrepreneurs to strengthen the local digital startup community. With more than 90 members — predominantly CEOs and founders — the organisation facilitates peer mentoring, investor introductions, and industry events. Collectively, its members employ over 1,500 people and generate more than €65 million in annual revenue.
Sofina is a Brussels-based investment holding company listed on Euronext Brussels that invests in growth-stage technology companies, consumer brands, and education platforms worldwide. With a heritage dating back to 1898, Sofina manages over $10 billion in assets and has backed major European and global companies including ByteDance, Delivery Hero, and Flixbus. The firm focuses on long-term holdings and typically invests from Series B through pre-IPO, bringing patient capital and a multi-generational investment perspective.
Major Madrid conference at La Nave with 20,000+ attendees, 2,000+ investors, and 6,000+ startups across fintech, energy, mobility, and health tech. Founder passes typically EUR 300-700 with free access for selected startups. Its selective startup competition awards EUR 100,000 prizes, a key bridge between European and Latin American markets.
StartupLab is Norway's largest technology incubator and most active early-stage investor, founded in 2012 at the Oslo Science Park in partnership with the University of Oslo. It operates six industry-specific programs including a dedicated Energy and Climate track, has supported over 450 tech startups, and has invested in more than 130 companies. Notable alumni include reMarkable, Kahoot, No Isolation, and Huddly. At ONS 2026 in Stavanger, StartupLab chairs the Scale-Ups committee, curating the dedicated exhibition and pitching venue in Hall 4 for energy startups and scale-ups at the Seed-to-Series-B stage.
Stefan Kollinger is Chief Innovation Officer at ORF, Austria's public broadcasting corporation, where he leads innovation strategy and digital technology initiatives. He is a key executive responsible for driving ORF's transformation in the face of streaming competition and AI disruption. He participated as a speaker at the 4GAMECHANGERS AI-Day 2026, representing ORF's perspective on practical AI adoption within public media workflows.
Also known as the Polish Business Angel Network, Sterling Angels is a community of private investors and some VCs who co-invest in early-stage companies. Based in Kraków, Sterling Angels not only provides capital but also mentoring and connections to help startups succeed. Notable focus: Southern Poland’s startup scene – tech startups in need of both funding and business expertise.
TAKEOFF is a business incubator operated by the University of Malta's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation (CEBI). It provides early-stage entrepreneurs with workspace, expert coaching, mentoring, and networking support at the Dar Ġużeppi Zahra building on the University of Malta campus. The programme works alongside Malta Enterprise and Business First to guide founders through a structured business-building process.
The Tallinn Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel) is a multidisciplinary innovation and creative space housed in a renovated former power plant on Tallinn's waterfront in the Noblessner district. Operated by the City of Tallinn, the hub brings together startups, creative professionals, cultural organizations, and tech companies in a shared environment designed to foster cross-sector collaboration. The venue hosts startup events, hackathons, design sprints, and cultural programming, serving as a bridge between Estonia's strong digital tech sector and its vibrant creative industries. For startups, the Creative Hub provides event space, short-term project offices, and connections to Tallinn's broader ecosystem including Garage48 events, Startup Estonia programs, and the city's e-governance innovation community. The hub has become a landmark venue for ecosystem events and international delegations visiting Estonia's digital society.
Tech.mt is a public-private partnership launched in 2019 by the Government of Malta and the Malta Chamber of Commerce to promote Malta as a hub for innovative technologies. It supports tech startups and companies through international promotion, R&D grant facilitation, talent development, and STEM education programmes. Tech.mt also acts as a licensed Further Education Institution and operates from the AM Business Centre in Zejtun.
Swiss non-profit promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in technology, building communities for women and underrepresented groups in tech. It organizes the #wetechtogether Conference, Switzerland's leading conference for diversity in tech, drawing developers, designers, product leaders, students and allies.
Technology Park Ljubljana (TP LJ) was established in 1995 and is one of the largest innovation ecosystems for the commercialisation of technology in South East Europe. It spans two locations with over 75,000 m² of workspace and hosts more than 300 companies and 1,500 employees, including notable Slovenian tech companies such as Cosylab and XLAB. The park provides incubation, mentoring, acceleration through its BALI programme, and networking for early-stage and growth-stage tech ventures. It is regarded as the foundational pillar of Slovenia's startup support infrastructure.
Technology Park Split (TPS) is Croatia's largest technology park, spanning approximately 18,500 square metres and managed by Split's Development Agency (RaST). It brings together startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs through incubation and acceleration programs, co-working facilities, and four conference rooms. The park is designed to support innovative micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in high-technology fields.
Thomas Madsen-Mygdal is a Danish entrepreneur, designer, and digital activist who co-founded Denmark's first internet company, Mondo, in 1995 and later created Podio, a widely-used workplace collaboration platform. He is co-founder and CEO of TwentyThree, a video marketing and communication platform, and the initiator of Techfestival Copenhagen, a major annual Nordic festival exploring technology's societal impact. He also serves as chairman of the Copenhagen startup community initiative #CPHFTW and co-founded Nordic Makers, an early-stage startup support network.
Founder, Managing Partner and CEO of MCI Capital, the Warsaw-listed digital private equity firm he started in 1999. A pioneer of Polish technology investing, he built MCI into the largest mid-market tech PE group in Central and Eastern Europe and has overseen landmark exits including iZettle (sold to PayPal) and Azimo.
Trondheim Tech Port is Norway's leading technology cluster organization, positioning Trondheim as the country's technology capital. The non-profit interest organization brings together over 100 member companies, universities, research institutions, and public bodies to drive innovation across four strategic sectors: ocean and maritime technology, healthcare, energy, and digitalization. It hosts major annual events including the Bridging the Gap conference and the Trondheim Tech Festival, and counts NTNU, SINTEF, Equinor, and several investment organizations among its members and partners.
Underline Ventures is a Romanian venture capital firm launched in 2020 by Bogdan Iordache, focused on pre-seed and seed investments in technology startups across Central and Eastern Europe. The firm invests EUR 100K-500K in software, SaaS, and digital platforms, targeting founders building from Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and the broader CEE region. Underline differentiates through deep local ecosystem knowledge and strong ties to the Romanian tech community, including How to Web, the region's leading tech conference. The firm aims to be the first institutional check for ambitious CEE founders with global ambitions.
Venionaire Capital is a Vienna-based boutique venture capital and advisory firm founded in 2012 by Berthold Baurek-Karlic. The firm manages venture funds focused on DACH-region technology startups, investing at seed and Series A in fintech, IoT, and entertainment tech. Venionaire combines direct fund investments with corporate innovation advisory services, helping connect startups with strategic corporate partners. The firm also organizes the ViennaUP conference track and provides M&A advisory for tech companies, positioning itself as a bridge between the Austrian startup ecosystem and international capital markets.
Verdane is a Nordic growth equity firm with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Berlin, and London that specializes in technology-enabled, sustainable growth companies. The firm invests at growth and late stage, typically in companies with $5-100 million in revenue, and manages over $6 billion in committed capital. Verdane focuses on digital consumer, software, and sustainable businesses, and is one of the largest dedicated growth investors in Northern Europe.
Verdane's Oslo office is the firm's original headquarters, anchoring its Nordic growth equity practice. From Oslo, Verdane sources and supports portfolio companies across Norway's technology and sustainability ecosystem, covering digital transformation, e-commerce infrastructure, and energy transition. The firm's Norwegian roots give it deep access to the region's founder network and LP base.
Vinnova is Sweden's innovation agency, responsible for fostering sustainable growth through research, development, and innovation. It distributes approximately SEK 3 billion annually in grants and co-funding to businesses, universities, research institutes, and public organizations across Sweden. Vinnova is a key government body enabling innovation in life sciences, digital health, and technology, and served as a Spotlight Panel Host at Nordic Life Science Days 2026.
Major global tech conference in Lisbon attracting 70,000+ attendees, featuring one of the largest French national pavilions and a dedicated French Tech lounge. Covers AI, climate tech, fintech, and deep tech across multiple stages. Essential for European startups seeking global investor access, media coverage, and corporate partnership opportunities.
Prague's premier web and digital technology conference attracting 1,500+ designers, developers, and product managers. Features world-class speakers on UX, frontend, and product development. Tickets range from EUR 200-400, making it one of the best-value tech conferences in Central Europe.
Xavier Niel is one of Europe's most influential tech billionaires and prolific angel investors. As the founder of Free (Iliad Group), France's disruptive telecom operator, Niel built a fortune that he has systematically reinvested into the startup ecosystem. Through Kima Ventures (listed separately as VC), he backs roughly 100 startups per year, but Niel also makes substantial personal angel investments in strategic companies. He founded Station F, the world's largest startup campus in Paris, and created 42, a tuition-free coding school with campuses worldwide. His personal angel portfolio spans hundreds of companies across fintech, AI, deep tech, and consumer internet, making him arguably the single most important individual supporter of the French tech ecosystem.