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Sir Richard Branson. Photo by Chatham House.

10 Startup Events you Should Attend

Founders of startups face all kinds of hurdles as startups go through many ups and downs before they become financially sustainable.

To enable startup founders, navigate the turbulent operating environment, there is a large community of successful entrepreneurs, professionals, management consultants and the like who are willing to provide mentorship to start-up founders.

Attending events is one of the best ways to engage with the business community, make new connections and find out the best insights and advice from the experts on how to survive in the ever-changing operating environment.

There is a wide range of events, conferences, summits, and expos out there for startups and entrepreneurs to attend and interact with this community.

Leading entrepreneurs  such as Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson;  a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate are usually invited to be keynote speakers to inspire upcoming startup founders. 

The 10 startup events which you should attend include the following.

1. The First Startup Event to Attend Is CES

Las Vegas Convention Center. Photo by Michael Gray.

Organized by Consumer Technology Association, CES is an annual trade show held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre in Nevada, United States in January of every year.

During the event, players in the consumer electronics industry such as manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware host presentations of new products and technologies.

The conference program usually includes occasions where world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers address the industry’s most relevant issues usually of interest to startups in the industry.

Startups are allowed to exhibit in the Eureka Park Hall which gives the entrepreneurs amble time to interact among themselves.

Some of the leading speakers in the 2022 CES event included Pete Buttigieg the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Jong-Hee (JH) Han the Vice Chairman & CEO, Samsung Electronics.

2. The Next Ideal Event for Entrepreneurs Is Viva Technology

Publicis Groupe. Photo by Ferdinando Scala.

Viva Technology, or VivaTech is an annual technology conference which is dedicated to innovation and startups in the technology space.

VivaTech was founded in 2016 by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos in 2016.

The event gathers some of the world’s brightest minds, talents, and products and as such has been called the world’s rendezvous event for startups and leaders to celebrate innovation.

The event offers a great opportunity to network, meet top business leaders and celebrate newest technology.

Every year Viva Technology publishes the”Top 100 Next Unicorns” i.e.  a list of the 100 most promising scale-ups in Europe, United Kingdom and Israel which is posted in its website.

Some of the leading corporation who partner in this event include Google, Huawei, Amazon etc.

3. The Next Event to Attend Is Bits & Pretzels

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Photo by Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/.

Bits & Pretzels is quoted as one of the leading founders festival in Europe.

For three days the festival receives 5,000 founders, investors and startup enthusiasts who spend the time getting inspired, learning and networking.

The festival has grown to a full-blown festival where the world’s leading companies and the most inspiring speakers join together to share insights and network.

The festival grew from a small founder’s breakfast held back in 2014 to the its current size of receiving over 5,000 founders annually. 

The festival offers entrepreneurs a perfect opportunity to network with other founders and be part of a community that share ideas, insights and stories on how to grow their startups.

One of the leading speakers in the 2022 event held in Munich Germany included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Actor, Businessman, Investor, Environmentalist and former Governor of California.

4. Slush Is the Next Ideal Event for Entrepreneurs to Attend

Doug Leone. Photo by TechCrunch.

Every year in November, Slush brings the global start-up ecosystem under one roof in Finland. Slush’s main mission is to help the next generation of ground-breaking entrepreneurs to survive and also create new ones.

The concept of Entrepreneurship Redefined is the pillar of Slush currently and into the future.

With every event hosted under Slush, the focus is to tackle diversity & inclusion in technology and the startup ecosystem.

One of the leading speakers in the event in 2022 was Doug Leone, Partner at Sequoia Capital.

Sequoia Capital invested in the start-up WhatsApp Inc. and saw its investment grow by 50 times by the time the company was acquired by Facebook.

5. Web Summit Is Another Event for Startup Founders

Paddy Cosgrave, CEO & co-founder, Collision. Photo by Collision Conf.

Held in Lisbon in Portugal, Web Summit is an annual technology conference founded in 2009 by Paddy Cosgrave, David Kelly, and Daire Hickey.

The event brings together over 70,000 people and companies mainly in the technology industry to network, share ideas and interact.

Various topics of interest to entrepreneurs are discussed during the event such as  internet technology, emerging technologies and venture capitalism. Startup founders, CEOs of technology companies and fast-growing startups among others attend the event.

Many times, heads of states and policymakers attend to network and discuss the tech industry’s future.

One of the key note speakers in the most recent event was Arthur Hu, Global CIO of Lenovo.

6. Shift Is Another Event That Entrepreneurs Should Attend

Another business festival event which brings together growth-oriented businesses to set their eyes on the future is Shift. The event provides insights and tools to create futuristic startups.

Shift encourages change by providing businesses everything they need to rethink their future within the business operating environment. During the event, visitors reconnect and challenge their thinking regarding the future.

Entrepreneurs should attend to learn new things within the industry and how business can grow with the knowledge and insightful programmes in the market.

7. Oslo Innovation Week Is Another Important Event for Entrepreneurs

Oslo Innovation Week is another event for start-up founders, scaleup professionals, researchers, and investors to link up, interact and network.

During the Oslo Innovation Week investors get an opportunity to gain valuable insight on topics such as investment, talent attraction, and global expansion dynamics.

Oslo Innovation Week is surrounded by Oslo’s abundant cityscape and hosts over 60 events during which you can build your own network.

Start-up founders are encouraged to attend because the expo includes over 80 events which ensures there is something of interest for everyone.

The keynote speaker during the most recent event was Lars Sudmann who is an author, advisor and the former executive of Procter & Gamble.

8. The Next Event Is Disraptors Summit

 Disraptors Summit is an annual event which upcoming start-up founders should plan to attend.

In 2022 the event was scheduled to be held in Prague, the Czech Republic in October.

The event brings together renowned investors and business executives such as Steve Wozniak, Esther Wojcicki and Kyle Corbitt.

The event attracts over 50 mentors and over 500 start-ups from all over Europe. The event is attended by over 1,500 prospective start-up founders.

The last event had an investment prize of $500, 000 US dollars and offered a ticket to the world finals which was to be held in Silicon Valley to select the winner.

9. The Next Event Ideal for Start-ups Is One Giant Leap

The One Giant Leap event brings together start-up founders in edtech, fintech, future energy, retail, smart cities, and many more.

The most recent event was held in February, 2022 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event attracted keynote speakers from Huawei, Nokia, Dell Technologies, and Palo Alto Networks and many aspiring entrepreneurs.

Attendees to this future-forward start-up conference were addressed by Ballon d’Or-winning football player Luis Figo who spoke about the future of tech in sports.

The event is ideal for networking and connecting with aspiring entrepreneurs.

10. Collision Event Is the Next Ideal Event for Start-up Founders

The next ideal event for start-up founders is Collision Summit which in 2022 was held in Toronto, Canada as from 20^th to 23^rd June.

The event attracted a list of internationally recognized stars from various fields including Ryan Reynolds, David Beckham, Nicole Kidman, and Mark Ruffalo.

Various topics were covered during the event such as commerce, lifestyle, data, and developers among others.

The Collision Event is ideal for any start-up founder looking to take the next steps in the world of entrepreneurship and related business interests.