"With 12 months full of potential ahead of us, this may be the perfect time to open your planner and mark some must-attend startup events throughout 2023. We’ve made the ultimate list of events for Latvian startuppers – local, Baltic and European gatherings included," says Labs of Latvia.
January
TechHub Riga’s monthly meetup #1
When & where: January 19, Riga, Latvia
Monthly meetups by TechHub Riga are must-attend gatherings for the local startup community. Open to everyone interested in the startup ecosystem, entrepreneurship and tech, these meetups are a great place to chat with fellow startuppers and discover what’s new in town.
The January meetup by TechHub Riga has already been announced, and it’s the perfect first startup event to attend in 2023 if you’re looking for one. Besides casual networking, you’ll hear insights on employee stock incentives, learn best practices for implementing and running stock incentive programmes, and more.
No registration required. The event is free of charge.
BiSMART Forum 2023
When & where: January 24, Riga, Latvia
BiSMART Forum is a local event dedicated to business and technology, bringing together senior management from Latvian companies and organisations. Even though it’s not a startup-specific event, the forum covers the hottest business topics on both international and local scales.
Buy your pass here. The ticket price is EUR 45 + VAT.
Startup Days at the International Green Week
When & where: January 24-25, Berlin, Germany
The International Green Week in Berlin is one the most well-known trade fairs in Germany, hosted since 1926. The fair organises Startup Days for innovative agtech and food startups, allowing them to showcase their solutions and products, pitch business ideas, and exchange experiences with other startups from these sectors.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from EUR 15.
February
DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival
When & where: February 1-3, Tel Aviv, Israel
If you’re looking for some innovation inspo and would love to hear the latest novelty news from CEOs and founders worldwide, you might as well book a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. The DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival is an annual event that celebrates knowledge and provides a glimpse into the future of technology.
The Festival gathers companies, startups, investors and entrepreneurs and has a comprehensive agenda filled with discussions, keynote speeches, meetups and, of course, parties.
Apply here to attend the event.
GoWest
When & where: February 7-8, Gothenburg, Sweden
GoWest is an annual Nordic Venture Capital Forum, ongoing since 2014. “Fundraising is the answer to WHY we meet,” says the event’s team. Besides talks and panels, GoWest offers a matchmaking platform that enables startups and investors to find connections and engage online and live during and after the event.
Moreover, GoWest organises a pitch session, where six pre-seed, seed, and series A phase startups are selected to pitch in front of invited investors and an on-site audience.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from SEK 2995 + VAT.
World AI Cannes Festival
When & where: February 9-11, Cannes, France
The ultimate gathering of AI industry players – established businesses, startups, innovators, and more. If you’re a startup operating in the AI field, World AI Cannes Festival is undoubtedly a must-attend event for you.
Hear the latest industry updates from AI experts and industry players, join workshops, attend companies’ exhibitions, hear startup pitches from 50 founders, and above all – network.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from EUR 620 + VAT (a free pass option is available).
Sthlm Fintech Week
When & where: February 13-17, Stockholm, Sweden
Sthlm Fintech Week is Sweden’s largest fintech event, taking place for the fifth year. In 2023, the event aims to move from a locally-focused fintech community gathering to a global event. Sthlm Fintech Week’s agenda includes a two-day conference on February 15-16 and several side events, networking and matchmaking all week long.
There are several ways you, as a fintech startup, can join the Sthlm Fintech Week. Set up an exhibition stand, participate in the pitch battle or attend the event with a startup ticket and join other 750 attendees from 20+ countries.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from SEK 2500 + VAT.
March
Deep Tech Days
When & where: March 7-10, Paris, France
Deep tech innovators and startups – annual Europe’s deep tech startup industry gathering, organised by Hello Tomorrow, is calling you! Over four days, you’ll be able to connect with key people in deep tech, investors and innovators.
Attendance information hasn’t been published yet. Stay tuned!
sTARTUp Day 2023
When & where: March 15-17, Tartu, Estonia
The first Baltic startup festival of 2023 is taking place in Tartu, Estonia. If you want to know what’s happening in the Baltic startup universe, sTARTUp day is THE event to attend this March.
Expect two stages with 150+ speakers, a Demo Area for Baltic startup innovations, side events such as sTARTUp Night, Investor Day, and Executive Day, and, of course, the sTARTUp pitching competition offering an equity-free cash prize.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from EUR 149.
Big Data Technology Warsaw Summit
When & where: March 29-30, Warsaw, Poland & online
The main Big Data event in Central and Eastern Europe goes hybrid in 2023. Panel discussions, plenary sessions, and keynote speeches with the participation of 90 speakers – all gathered to discuss Big Data from a purely technological angle. Despite not being strictly startup-oriented, the Big Data Summit in Warsaw is an excellent opportunity to spot ideas and find partnerships.
Buy your pass here. Prices start from EUR 150 + VAT.
Deep Tech Ignition Event
When & where: March 31-April 1, online
A satellite event by the Deep Tech Atelier team, matching scientific talent with the entrepreneurial spirit to create new deep tech startups on the spot. Successful matches can access pre-acceleration support from Commercialization Reactor and become eligible for the acceleration program, with up to EUR 50K of pre-seed investment and follow-up seed funding available.
Pre-registration is already open.
April
ECOM’21
When & where: April 12-13, Riga, Latvia
ECOM’21 is the premier international conference for eCommerce and fintech, discussing the future of the two tightly interconnected industries. Hear experts in lively panel discussions, attend workshops, and meet fellow industry professionals. In 2023, expect speakers from Printful, Huntli, OX Drive, KPMG Consultations, and more.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 329.
Deep Tech Atelier
When & where: April 20-21, Riga, Latvia
Deep Tech Atelier is Baltics’s largest deep tech industry and science commercialisation event. It offers the whole package for deep tech startups ranging from a comprehensive speaker agenda to a deep tech startup pitch competition and B2B matchmaking.
The pitch competition, organised by the Commercialization Reactor and LIAA, is aimed at early-stage deep tech startups eager to fight for recognition and a prize fund provided by Amazon Web Services, Growth Studio, Bosch and others.
Registration will open soon.
EU-Startups Summit
When & where: April 20-21, Barcelona, Spain
EU-Startups Summit gathers 2000+ startup founders, ecosystem players, corporates, VCs, and angel investors from the region. The Summit is organised by one of Europe’s leading startup media outlets – EU-Startups – and offers all the essential startup event components.
In the 2023 edition, you’ll have fireside chats and keynotes with founders, vast networking opportunities, and a pitch competition for startups with a prize package worth EUR 125K. The Summit has also announced an exhibition hall ready to host 75+ innovative startups.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 165.
TechChill Riga
When & where: April 27-28, Riga, Latvia
Grown from a small movement of like-minded tech enthusiasts into the leading tech and startup event in the Baltics, TechChill doesn’t need explaining to the Baltic startup community. In 2022, the startup event in Latvia was sold out and was visited by 362 startups from 32 countries and 260 investors from 140+ funds, among other attendees. In case you missed it – don’t make the same mistake twice.
And, of course, stay tuned for news about this year’s Fifty Founders Battle – TechChill’s annual pitch competition. If you’re a seed or early-stage startup ready to take the stage with a pitch and win a no-strings-attached money prize, one word – a p p l y.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 79 (EUR 49 for students).
May
Startup Fair
When & where: Date TBA, Vilnius, Lithuania
Startup Fair is the leading annual startup ecosystem event in Lithuania. While its primary target audience is Lithuanian startups, the event has a friendly international vibe to it – in 2022, it welcomed more than 1500 attendees from 25+ countries. Moreover, it’s THE place to hear Lithuanian startup success stories.
Startup Fair in Vilnius delivers all the essentials of a good startup conference – talks and sessions on stage discussing all things startups, B2B networking, matchmaking, and a pitch battle with a prize fund.
Nordic Fintech Summit
When & where: May 11, Helsinki, Finland
Gathering all of the Nordic fintech and finance people in one place – that’s what this Summit is about. In 2023, the event’s team promises two stages with 40+ international speakers talking about banking engineering, business design, financial trust, and future commerce. Additionally, you can expect 25+ fintech exhibitors and 500+ attendees – regulators, fintechs, financial institutions, and other industry experts.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 595 + VAT.
Latitude59
When & where: May 24-26, Tallinn, Estonia
Latitude59 is Estonia’s flagship startup and tech event and the place to go if you’re looking for inspiration from our northern neighbor’s startups and unicorns. It has a cosy yet festive atmosphere, gathering 3K+ attendees every year.
In 2023, Latitude59 will have three main points on its agenda – the tech sector’s response to the global chaos, the importance of mental health, and synergy and cooperation. It has also already opened applications to the Latitude59 pitch competition with a prize fund of EUR 1M from top funds and investors.
Buy your pass here (only 2K on sale). Prices start at EUR 149.
Tech.eu Summit
When & where: May 24, Brussels, Belgium
All eyes on European tech innovations and the region’s startup ecosystems – yes, we’re talking about the annual Tech.eu Summit. Organised by one of the major European tech and startup news outlets – Tech.eu – the Summit is somewhat a newcomer to the events’ party as it was first held in 2022.
In 2023, the Summit will focus on the sustainable growth of the European startup ecosystem and has already announced speakers from companies such as Basecamp, Kry / Livi, Crypto.com, and more.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 395 + VAT.
June
Arctic15
When & where: June 1-2, Helsinki, Finland
Arctic15 is another annual Nordic startup event worth your attention (and attendance). What makes this conference different from its colleagues is that it focuses on value-based matchmaking more than on other event components. In 2022, Arctic15 offered speed dating for startups and investors sorted by industries, talks on the main stage, side events, workshops, and more.
Thus far, Arctic15 has announced several preliminary agenda topics for 2023, such as health tech, fintech, food tech, scaling, B2B SaaS, and Web3. Stay tuned for a more detailed agenda.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 337,28.
London Tech Week
When & where: June 12-16, London, UK
In 2023, London Tech Week will celebrate its 10th anniversary. “A global celebration of tech” is how the event describes itself. Thus, if you’re up for five days of huge crowds of likeminded enthusiasts, London Tech Week could be your destination in June 2023.
The event offers a dedicated startup zone with two stages and a startup marketplace besides the main stage that usually hosts speakers from world-leading tech companies and organisations.
TNW Conference
When & where: June 15-16, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The Next Web (TNW) Conference is another major European tech festival. Organised by a media company, The Next Web, it gathers industry pioneers, startups, scale-ups, international tech executives and policymakers from 120+ countries for a fabulous mix of festival fun and business.
Every year TNW Conference manages to bring global superstars to its stage, and, while the team hasn’t announced anyone yet, we can only guess what surprise awaits the attendees in 2023.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 525 + VAT.
July
No major startup events have been announced for July 2023 so far. Stay tuned for local meetups and gatherings.
August
SHIFT Business Festival
When & where: August 23-24, Turku, Finland
“A festival for people and innovations, not a conference”. SHIFT Business Festival in Finland may not be your traditional startup event but rather a place to bring your startup’s R&D team and decision-makers to. The event focuses on sustainable business growth and unites those startups and entrepreneurs who put great efforts into ensuring their businesses are future-ready. You’ll find futurologists, researchers, development directors, sustainable startup founders, and more among SHIFT speakers.
Buy your pass here. Prices start at EUR 180 + VAT.
September
Startup Day & Startup BBQ
When & where: Date TBA, Riga, Latvia
Startup Day, followed by the Startup BBQ, is one of the Latvian startup community’s largest gatherings of the year. The event is organised and hosted by the Latvian Startup Association, and, in 2023, it plans to host it at the beginning of September, spanning over two days.
During Startup Day, Latvian startup voices deliver ecosystem status updates, trends, and future outlooks to the local community, Latvian startups share their stories, and more. For anyone part of the startup world in Latvia, this is a gathering not to miss.
Startup Day is followed by Startup BBQ – a less formal evening part of the gathering. Networking, drinks, actual grilling – BBQ is not just a fancy title part. It’s your best chance to catch that VC representative or a fellow startupper for a quick informal chat.
TechChill Milano
When & where: Date TBA, Milano, Italy
In 2022, TechChill announced an expansion to Italy, bringing its expertise to a new startup ecosystem in Europe. Seeing many similarities between the Baltic startup ecosystem and the Italian one, TechChill’s team rolled up their sleeves to put Italian startups on the global map.
In Milano’s edition of the event, you can expect all of the best TechChill components – startup founder stories, ecosystem tendencies and overview, networking, and startup pitch battle – only with a little twist of la dolce vita.
TechBBQ
When & where: September 13-14, Copenhagen, Denmark
TechBBQ in Copenhagen is a very well-known startup event in the Nordics. Uniting the famous Danish hygge with some tech startup vibes, TechBBQ gathers the Nordic and Baltic startup community and brings world-class speakers to the stage.
Coming to TechBBQ in 2023, you can expect talks on several stages, side sessions and workshops in the Garden, startup showcase, pitching and loads of networking powered by an AI-driven matchmaking platform.
Bits & Pretzels
When & where: 24-26 September, Munich, Germany
Bits & Pretzels is one of Europe’s leading startup founders’ festivals. What started as a small founders’ gathering over breakfast in 2014 has now become an annual celebration of entrepreneurship.
Over the years, the Bits & Pretzels stage has been taken by global leaders and celebrities such as Barack Obama, Jessica Alba, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reid Hoffman, Drew Houston, and many more. Moreover, on the last day of Bits & Pretzels, attendees can enter Munich’s famous Oktoberfest. Startup founders, celebrities, and beer – sold?
Currently, there are no tickets available. But you can register here to grab hold of new tickets.
Oslo Innovation Week
When & where: September 25-29, Oslo, Norway
Oslo Innovation Week (OIW) offers 60+ events – panels, talks, seminars, themed networking events, and a startup pitch competition. It’s also the place to meet the most innovative startups from the Nordic and Baltic regions, as well as investors interested in widening their investments portfolio.
OIW is also well-known for its 100 pitches competition, highlighting early-stage startups and offering a generous prize fund.
October
Sifted Summit
When & where: October 4-5, London, UK
Organised by one of the leading publications covering the European startup scene, Sifted, the Sifted Summit delivers cutting-edge conversations on the future of startups and tech. In 2022, the Summit had panels and talks on four stages, alongside deep-dive workshops and roundtables.
While the 2023 agenda and lineup are TBA, pre-registration for the event is already open. You can expect to hear exciting founder stories and discussions hosted by Sifted editors and journalists.
Pre-register for the event here.
November
Web Summit
When & where: November 13-16, Lisbon, Portugal
It’s safe to say that Web Summit is Europe’s biggest tech conference. The event gathers more than 70K attendees, 2000+ startups, and 1000+ speakers, delivering speeches on 15+ stages. Although, because of Web Summit’s scope, it may be way harder to randomly bump into some investor or startupper you’ve been dying to meet, it may be easy to (really) randomly meet someone that could take your startup story to a whole new level.
Anyhow, Web Summit always delivers a top-notch conference experience, gives one a lot of inspiration, and paints a picture of Europe’s tech and startup scene in its entirety.
Pre-register for the event here.
Slush
When & where: November 30-December 1, Helsinki, Finland
A must-attend startup event to lighten our dark Nordic-Baltic winter – Slush – has already announced its 2023 dates. This celebration of entrepreneurship has grown from a local startup gathering to a global-scale event while still keeping the Nordic startups in the spotlight. Slush has it all – fabulous speakers, matchmaking, pitch competition and a stylish vibe.
Besides the annual Slush conference in Helsinki, its team organises smaller events throughout the year, hosts an online community, and covers all things startups in a dedicated startup media outlet.
Pre-register for the event here.
December
No major startup events have been announced for December 2023 so far. Stay tuned for local meetups and gatherings.
