Europe has tech and startup events a-plenty — including, of course, the annual Sifted Summit.
But, unless you want to make attending events your full-time job, it is unlikely you will be able to go to them all.
Luckily for you, Sifted’s team of reporters have tried and tested Europe’s biggest and best tech events, so you can make sure you pick the most relevant ones for you.
Here are the 20+ events we’ll be attending this year. Let us know which events we’ve missed but should definitely test run in 2024.
January
DLD, Munich
2024 dates: 11-13 January
DLD (Digital – Life – Design) is an annual conference that began in 2005 as a small gathering of friends, covering all things innovation.
Speakers include: Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, founding partner of La Famiglia; Dr. Gundbert Scherf, co-CEO of Helsing; our very own John Thornhill.
Who you might spot there: John and Miriam
Science for Industry, Madrid
2024 dates: 18-19 January
A deeptech conference organised by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and BeAble Capital, Science for Industry is focused on promising research projects innovating across verticals like medical devices, climate tech, industrial biotech and energy.
Speakers include: Diana Morant, Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain; Almudena Trigo, founding partner and chairwoman at BeAble Capital; Stéphane Ouaki, Head of Department in the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.
Who you might spot there: Cristina
February
GoWest, Gothenburg
2024 dates: 7-8 February
GoWest is an annual venture capital forum for startups and scaleups looking for pre-seed, seed and series A investments, and investors active in the Nordics.
Speakers include: Staffan Helgesson, partner at Creandum; Carl Svantesson, partner at EQT Ventures.
Who you might spot there: Mimi
The Tech arena, Stockholm
2024 dates: 22-23 February
Techarenan’s Tech Arena 2024 is offering four stages of talks, seminars for founders and networking opportunities for startups, investors and top-tier executives, plus a matchmaking platform to pair founders with interested VCs.
Speakers include: Steve Wozniak, founder of Apple; Elisabeth Sterner, head of Nordics at BlackRock; Johannes Schildt, CEO and founder of Kry
Who you might spot there: Mimi
Mobile World Congress and its associated 4YFN, Barcelona
2024 dates: 26-29 February
Mobile World Congress is focused on technology in the mobile connectivity and communications space.
Speakers include: Julia Sweet, CEO of Accenture; Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft.
Who you might spot there: Cristina
March
Hello Tomorrow Global Summit, Paris
2024 dates: 21-22 March
Hello Tomorrow’s deeptech conference focuses on founders leveraging tech to solve environmental and social problems across the globe. It’s expecting over 3k attendees, and has talks and panels spread across four stages. Sectors in focus include clean energy, sustainable food systems and innovations towards accessible healthcare.
Speakers include: Inka Mero, founder and managing partner of Voima Ventures; Seth Bannon, founding and managing partner of Fifty Years.
Start Summit, St Gallen
2024 dates: 21-22 March
Start Summit, an annual student-run conference run by non-profit organisation Start Global, is being held in Switzerland for its next instalment. Last year, speakers included professional footballer and business angel Mario Götze, cofounder and CTO of Duolingo Severin Hacker and Julian Teicke, founder and CEO of wefox.
May
Rejuvenation Startup Summit, Berlin
2024 dates: 10-11 May
This conference, which had its first instalment in 2022, is focused on startups and investors looking at longevity and rejuvenation solutions to help people live longer and healthier lives.
Speakers include: Alexander Leutner, managing director of Cellbricks and Marc P Bernegger, founding partner at longevity company builder Maximon.
Who you might spot there: Mimi
June
ViennaUP, Vienna
2024 dates: 3-6 June
A tech conference curated by the Vienna Business Agency, ViennaUP brings together startups, investors and tech enthusiasts for a range of networking opportunities, workshops and exhibitions.
Money 20/20, Amsterdam
2024 dates: 4-6 June
Fintech conference Money 20/20 is focused on all things cash, and attracts relevant people from startups, investment firms and banks. Last year, it says it saw more than 8.5k attendees. 2023 speakers included Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, Julia Hoggett, CEO of London Stock Exchange plc and Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK.
Lead Today. Shape Tomorrow, Vienna
2024 dates: 5-6 June
Lead Today, Shape Tomorrow is a conference focused on making the startup and tech ecosystem more inclusive and diverse. It invites startups at pre-seed to Series A stage, investors and angels and institutions to attend, and also holds a pitch event showcasing female-led or gender-diverse companies. Previous speakers have included Johnny Boufarhat, founder and CEO at Hopin, serial founder Anna Alex and bestselling author Florence Given.
Bitz and Pretzels Healthtech
2024 dates: 6-7 June
A healthtech specific version of the larger, sector-agnostic Bitz & Pretzels conference, this event saw over 2.5k attendees last year and aims to bring startups, investors and manufacturers together. Previous speakers include Doccla's founder Martin Ratz and former actor Michael J. Fox.
Founders Forum, London
2024 dates: 11-13 June
The annual London-based Founders Forum event includes a gala dinner, CEO breakfast and a main day of panel discussions and fireside chats.
HackSummit, Lausanne
2024 dates: 13-14 June
A climate tech event focused on impact startups, HackSummit boasts panel discussions, a pitch competition and pitching competitions — plus demos of the planet-friendly food of the future. In 2023, speakers included Pippa Gawly, founders partner of Zero Carbon Capital, CEO and cofounder of IQM Quantum Computers Jan Goetz and Clea Kolster, partner at Lowercarbon Capital.
Brilliant Minds, Stockholm
2024 dates: June
Founded by Spotify founder Daniel Ek and serial entrepreneur Ash Pournouri, Brilliant Minds is focused on showcasing the best of Sweden’s startup ecosystem. Previous names on stage include former US President Barack Obama, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and model Naomi Campbell.
September
TechBBQ, Copenhagen
2024 dates: 11-12 September
TechBBq is a startup conference focused on the Nordics, which says it saw over 7.5k attendees last year. 2023 speakers included Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of MakeLoveNotPorn and Marjut Falkstredt, chief executive at the European Investment Fund.
Who you might spot there: Mimi
Bitz and Pretzels
2024 dates: 29 September-1 October
The company’s flagship event hosts 5k founders, investors and operators during Munich’s Oktoberfest — former speakers include former US First Lady, Michelle Obama, actor, entrepreneur Arnold Schwarzenegger and cofounder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman.
October
Sifted Summit, London
2024 dates: 2-3 October
The European startup event of the year (not that we’re biased) — Sifted Summit brings together over 3k attendees for two days of panel discussions, roundtable sessions and networking opportunities. Last year, speakers included Stripe cofounder John Collison, cofounder and CEO at Entrepreneur First Matt Clifford and Sujata Bhatia, chief operating officer at Monzo. For the early birds ready to secure their place, pre-registration is now open.
Who you might spot there: the whole Sifted team, gathered in one place. Like in 2023's event, we'll have a booth where you can come meet the journalists directly.
WVC:E, Paris
2024 dates: 7-8 October
An annual conference dedicated to platforming female founders, WVC:E saw over 350 attendees last year. Speakers included Eileen Burbidge, partner at Passion Capital, Sarah Drinkwater, general partner at Common Magic and some familiar faces from Sifted moderating the panels.
SaaStock, Dublin
2024 dates: 14-16 October
The largest conference in Europe dedicated to SaaS startups, SaaStock brings founders and investors together for three days of talks and networking, ending in the pub crawls and afterparties of Nightstock. 2023 speakers included Victor Riparbelli, cofounder and CEO of Synthesia and April Dunford, who it says is “the world’s leading expert on product positioning.”
TechBio UK, London
2024 dates: October
TechBio UK brings together founders, investors and operators from sectors like drug discovery, alternative foods and personalised therapies. Over 400 people attended in 2023, and speakers included Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK, Jim Ajioka founder and chief science officer at Colorfix and Paul Ashley, director at J&J Innovation.
Who you might spot there: Sadia
November
Slush, Helsinki
2024 dates: 20-21 November
A not-for-profit organisation, Slush boasts over 13k attendees, which includes founders, operators, investors and press. 2023 speakers included Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland, Asha Sharma, COO of Instacart and cofounder of Discord, Stan Vishnevskiy.
This article was last updated on January 4 2024.
