Europe's Largest Startup Conference

Startups have been at the heart of Web Summit since the very beginning. Now Europe’s largest startup conference, it’s the ideal place to make connections, secure funding and woo the press. Just look at SmartThings, winners of last year’s startup competition, who closed a $3 million round after their success.

  • Investors Investors
  • Networking Networking
  • Media Media
  • Competitions Competition

Investors

Web Summit offers startups an amazing opportunity to connect with leading investors, from global, multi-billion dollar funds to highly-specialised early stage angels. Attendees at last year’s Web Summit included partners from Atomico, Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures and Index Ventures.

Networking

Web Summit is built for networking. From speed networking with investors and roundtable discussions with expert voices to an exhibition stand at the heart of the event, it is about making sure you meet the people most relevant to your future success.

  • Neworking at Web Summit
  • Neworking at Web Summit
  • Neworking at Web Summit

Opportunities to connect don’t end at 5pm. Web Summit By Night, a series of dinners and parties, will take over Dublin city centre for two days of networking Irish-style.

Media

A truly global event, Web Summit attracts significant media attention from both the tech and mainstream media providing a perfect launch pad for startups. Regular press attendees include the New York Times, the BBC, The Guardian, TechCrunch and the Wall Street Journal.

  • Press Attendees
  • Press Attendees
  • Press Attendees

Startup Competition

This year’s startup competition, PITCH, will pit 150 competitors from around the world against each other in a battle of pitching prowess at the Web Summit. Our finalists will come face-to-face with an incredible panel of judges made up of investors, journalists and established international entrepreneurs. Previous judges have included Michael Birch, Esther Dyson and Shak Khan. We are dividing applicants into 2 competition tracks. Both tracks will be kept separate with one winner being crowned in each.

PITCH Alpha

Startups less than 3 years old with no more than $500k in funding

Register Interest
PITCH Beta

Startups less than 3 years old with up to $3 Million in funding

Register Interest

Three rounds of pitching will take place in each track during the event, with the grand finals playing out on the Main Stage in front of an audience of thousands. Previous winners; Datahug, Redeem&Get and SmartThings, all went on to attract significant investment and press attention on the back of their successes, and this year will prove more of a focal point than ever before.