Sifted has acquired startup events business Onstage, adding its flagship Demo Day and Deploy events to the company's portfolio.
Founded in 2020 by Episode 1 general partner Hector Mason and DMG Ventures partner Taos Edmonson, who were later joined by cofounder Issie James, Onstage has built a reputation as one of Europe's leading startup Demo Days.
More than 2,000 founders apply to each cycle, with finalists pitching to a network of more than 330 VC firms, including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Balderton and LocalGlobe. Companies that have presented at Demo Day have gone on to raise more than £500m.
Onstage’s annual Deploy event also brings together leading VC firms and the LPs that back them.
The tie-up marks Sifted's first ever acquisition, in a deal designed to complement its annual Sifted Summit conference for scaleup founders, operators and investors.
"We've always been very deliberate about operating in the scaleup space. That's reflected in the journalism we produce, the events we host and the business we've built. But the timeline from startup to scaleup is getting much shorter. It's no longer a decade between one stage and the next," said Sifted CEO Florencia Schiavon.
"There's a real opportunity for Sifted to support founders much earlier: to write about them, amplify them and build a stronger community around them. This acquisition perfectly fits our mission to represent European tech all the way through the startup journey. "
James said joining Sifted would allow Onstage to expand its reach while preserving the model that had made it successful.
"This felt like the natural next chapter for Onstage. We'd built Demo Day and created a critical mass of VCs around it, but the missing piece was always the audience," James said.
"Onstage will remain the community people know and love, but now with that additional reach we've always been looking for. Sifted is the most natural partner to help us do that, so we're all pretty excited."
The acquisition will not change how Onstage operates. Demo Day will remain free for founders, with no fees or equity requirements, while an independent board will continue selecting participating startups.
The next Demo Day will take place as planned in October, with James staying on to oversee the transition.
“The reach Sifted has within the startup ecosystem means that, from day one, Onstage will have the attention of the best founders and the best investors. That's really the lifeblood of what we do. Everything flows from attracting high-quality companies,” said Mason.
“If founders know that applying to Onstage means being seen by the investors who could lead their next funding round, it becomes an incredibly compelling proposition. I'm really excited to see how much it can grow under Sifted’s stewardship over the next few years.”
The Onstage Fund and its associated special purpose vehicle activities are not part of the acquisition and will continue independently.
