Early 2026 is a practical time for founders. It’s when many teams start fundraising conversations, look for partners, and bring their products into real industry and investor environments.
Below is a curated selection of six startup and tech events across Europe happening in Q1 2026 – focused on where founders can meet investors, have real conversations, and move their companies forward.
Stockholm, Sweden — 11–12 February 2026
Techarena is Scandinavia’s largest tech and business event, bringing together more than 12,000 founders, investors, executives, and innovators. The 2026 edition runs under the theme “New Era. Next Mindset.” and focuses on how Europe is entering a new cycle of technological, industrial, and societal transformation.
The agenda spans AI and responsible innovation, deep tech, global megatrends, industrial reinvention, defense, leadership, and the next generation of startups.
Speakers include: Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Steve Wozniak (Apple), Marc Randolph (Netflix), Al Gore (Former US Vice President), Sanna Marin (Former Prime Minister of Finland), Jessica Meir (NASA Astronaut), Ulf Kristersson (Prime Minister of Sweden), Martin Lundstedt (CEO, Volvo Group).
For startups, Techarena combines scale with structured opportunity: investor matchmaking, startup exhibitions, pitch competitions, investor office hours, and a dense program of side events.
Why it matters: a strong entry point into the Nordic and broader European ecosystem, particularly relevant for founders in AI, industrial tech, deep tech, and climate-focused innovation.
Barcelona, Spain — 2–5 March 2026
4YFN is one of Europe’s most important startup platforms and takes place alongside MWC Barcelona, opening access to more than 100,000 global tech and business attendees across both events.
The 2026 edition introduces the theme “Infinite AI,” exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping products, markets, and entire industries. The program brings together startups, venture funds, corporates, and public innovation bodies.
Speakers include: Cristina Fonseca (General Partner, Indico Capital Partners), Itxaso del Palacio (General Partner, Notion Capital), Hendrik Brandis (Founding Partner, Earlybird), Eynat Guez (CEO, Papaya Global), Carmen Palacios-Berraquero (CEO, Nu Quantum), Jordi Romero (CEO, Factorial).
4YFN is built around startup showcases, pitch stages, investor programs, and curated networking.
Why it matters: one of the strongest European platforms for early fundraising, international visibility, and corporate partnerships.
Barcelona, Spain — 2–5 March 2026
MWC Barcelona is the world’s largest and most influential connectivity and technology event, bringing together global tech companies, telecom leaders, policymakers, investors, and startups.
The 2026 edition is built around the theme “The IQ Era,” focusing on the convergence of human insight and connected intelligence. The program covers AI, connectivity, digital infrastructure, mobility, IoT, enterprise tech, and emerging technologies.
While not a startup-only event, MWC plays a major role for founders building in deep tech, AI, hardware, infrastructure, and platform technologies.
Why it matters: a major environment for enterprise partnerships, corporate innovation programs, and large-scale business development conversations.
Berlin, Germany — 17 March 2026
SET Tech Festival is one of Europe’s leading events dedicated to energy transition, climate tech, and sustainable innovation. The 2026 edition marks the 10th anniversary of the festival.
The event brings together climate-focused startups, investors, corporates, and policymakers working across renewable energy, mobility, sustainable infrastructure, and industrial transformation.
Why it matters: a key meeting point for founders building in climate, energy systems, and industrial sustainability, with direct access to decision-makers shaping Europe’s transition agenda.
St. Gallen, Switzerland — 19–20 March 2026
START Summit is one of Europe’s most startup-centric conferences, strongly focused on early-stage teams, venture capital, and structured meetings.
The format emphasizes curated 1:1 investor meetings, vertical-specific pitch competitions, and dedicated startup fair formats.
Speakers include: Thomas Clozel (CEO, OWKIN), Felix Ohswald (Co-founder, GoStudent), Dirk Hoerig (Founder, commercetools), Philipp Schröder (CEO, 1KOMMA5°).
Why it matters: particularly relevant for early-stage founders building their first serious investor pipeline and preparing for seed or pre-Series A rounds.
Riga, Latvia — 25–27 March 2026
TechChill has grown into one of the leading startup events in the Baltics and the wider CEE region, positioning itself as a bridge between emerging European markets and global tech ecosystems.
The agenda spans AI and big data, fintech and venture, resilience and defense, and early-stage growth. The event brings together startups, international investors, operators, and media.
Speakers include: Chris Cunningham (Founding Member, ClickUp), Chris Woods (VP Operations, Prelude), Ramona Miglāne (Partner, Sorainen).
Why it matters: a strong entry point into the CEE and Baltic ecosystems, with a founder-focused atmosphere and high concentration of early-stage teams and investors.