Why go
A conference can complement the investment opportunities that come through your own network. Weigh the ticket, travel and time against the people you can meet. Three reasons to consider going:
- Compare companies. Hearing several pitches helps you compare teams, markets and asking valuations. Use those comparisons as a starting point for further investigation.
- Meet co-investors. Investor gatherings and meeting areas can help you get to know people you might later invest alongside.
- Meet follow-on funds. Learn what venture funds look for before they invest in a later round. A prepared introduction can be the start of a useful relationship.
Avoid committing because a meeting creates a sense of urgency. Take the pitchdeck home and run the first screen. Complete the appropriate due diligence before committing; the conference itself does not replace it.
Three habits help you use the trip well:
- Compare ticket categories. Check investor eligibility, meeting-tool access and whether investor days or side events need separate registration. An investor pass is not necessarily cheaper.
- Book meetings when the organiser opens its meeting tool. Contact relevant founders and investors before you travel.
- Choose for your sector and investment stage. A focused event may give you more useful conversations than a larger general conference.
Norway
Use this as a guide to the events, rather than a calendar. Dates, locations, programmes and admission rules can change between editions. Check the linked organiser before booking travel, including any separate pitch sessions and investor gatherings.
| Event | Location | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic Investment Day | Tromsø | Invitation-only investor event by Norinnova and DNB NXT, with company pitches and investor meetings. |
| AI+ Investors Day | Halden | The linked 2026 programme describes applied-AI pitches and arranged meetings. Look for a new announcement before assuming the same format will return. |
| The Foundry | Kristiansand | Formerly Mandal Slush’D. Applied AI, robotics, defence, space and ocean technology, with opportunities to meet investors. |
| Innovasjonsuken OPP | Western Norway | Regional innovation events. Check each event’s programme and registration. |
| Demo Day Vestlandet | Bergen | Selected companies from Western Norway meet investors. Check admission and the current programme. |
| Trondheim Tech Festival | Trondheim | Technology festival. Choose the startup and investor sessions relevant to your interests. |
| Oslo Innovation Week | Oslo | Events across the city. Check the investor programme and the separate listings for DNB NXT and 100 Pitches. |
| ICE Kirkenes | Kirkenes | An innovation community and local event calendar, useful for contacts in the Barents region. Use its calendar to find upcoming gatherings. |
Industry fairs can also help you meet customers, partners and potential buyers of portfolio companies. Consider ONS in Stavanger for energy, Nor-Shipping in the Oslo/Lillestrøm area for maritime industries, and Aqua Nor in Trondheim for aquaculture. Check the next edition’s dates and whether its startup activities fit your purpose.
For media technology, look at Future Week in Bergen. Use the organiser’s latest programme to decide which sessions matter for your portfolio.
The Nordics and the Baltics
Compare the Nordic and Baltic events by participants, investment stage and opportunities to arrange meetings. Size, prices and pitch-competition awards vary between editions; a published investment pool is not a guaranteed prize for every finalist.
| Event | Location | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| sTARTUp Day | Tartu | Startup festival with investor activities and a meeting tool. |
| Techarena | Stockholm | Startups, investors and established businesses; investor meetings and the TOP46 competition. |
| TechChill | Riga | Baltic startups and investors, pitch competitions and arranged meetings. |
| GoWest | Gothenburg | Venture and angel investors, fund investors and deep-tech companies, from pre-seed to Series A. |
| Iceland Innovation Week | Reykjavík | Innovation conference with side events across the local business community. |
| TONIK | Faroe Islands | Technology and creative industries, with opportunities to meet the Faroese business community. |
| Latitude59 | Tallinn | Startup and investor conference with a pitch competition. Check the separate terms for any investment offer. |
| Arctic15 | Helsinki | Startup and investor meetings, with a focus on arranging relevant introductions. |
| TechBBQ | Copenhagen | Startup summit with investor activities. Check which meetings and side events your ticket includes. |
| Startup Fair | Lithuania; see the current venue | Startup pitches and Investor Camp. Check the edition-specific programme and investment conditions. |
| Slush | Helsinki | Founders and investors, an investor day and a meeting tool. Check investor-pass eligibility and separate registrations. |
For more focused programmes, consider NORDEEP for deep tech, Nordic Fintech Week and Stockholm Fintech Week for financial technology, and Nordic Tech Week. Also check the FiBAN and DanBAN angel-network calendars and Nordic Innovation’s events.
Europe
EBAN’s congress and angel investment summit focus on angel investors and their networks. NorBAN’s EBAN affiliate membership is included from the Angel Investor level and above; check your membership benefits and activate the affiliation before using it. Affiliation does not guarantee free admission: each event sets its own registration and ticket conditions. SuperReturn focuses on funds, while broader technology conferences may have a separate investor programme.
| Event | Location | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| EBAN Annual Congress | Rotating host city | Angel investors and angel networks across Europe. Check member ticket terms for the current edition. |
| European Angel Investment Summit | See the announced host city | Cross-border angel investing. Check registration, programme and networking access separately. |
| SuperReturn International | Berlin | Private-capital fund managers and fund investors. SuperReturn Venture focuses on venture capital. Relevant if you also invest in funds or manage family wealth. |
| 4YFN | Barcelona | Startup event alongside Mobile World Congress, with an investor programme. |
| Hello Tomorrow | Amsterdam | Science-based startups, industrial companies and investors in deep tech. |
| VivaTech | Paris | Broad technology event bringing together startups, investors and established companies. |
| Bits & Pretzels | Munich | Founder festival with investor meetings and networking activities. |
| Sifted Summit | London | Founders and investors in European technology and growth companies. |
| Web Summit | Lisbon | Broad technology conference. The current investor ticket page offers a free standard pass only upon acceptance; premium investor tickets are paid. Recheck before booking. |
For other angel gatherings, use UKBAA’s event calendar, including announcements for its Early-Stage Investment Summit and partner events such as the Angel Investor Summit. ESIL’s 2026 event is an example of an angel and deep-tech meeting; a past listing does not confirm the next edition.
How to choose
Start with an event relevant to your region, sector and investment stage. List the people you want to meet, check whether they are attending, and compare the total cost with the likely value of those meetings. If you want a broader Nordic network, consider Slush alongside the other events above. For a sector focus, prioritise the relevant industry gathering. For syndicate-building, look at EBAN and national angel-network events. Returning to a useful event can help you develop relationships over time.