BE INSPIRED. BE BOLD
BE INSPIRED.
BE BOLD
BE INSPIRED.
BE BOLD
at START Summit 2026
Get Tickets
Get Tickets
Meet the next
BIG thing
7 Pitching competitions
showcasing diverse industries
1'000+ investors from firms like
Sequoia, Accel or Lightspeed.
80+ selected startups at START Fair
booths ready to connect
Investor track &
side events
Dedicated spaces to connect with
peers and top founders
Exclusive side events designed
for meaningful networking
Curated sessions focused on
investors' key interests
Unique insights &
access
Access first-hand perspectives that
shape tomorrow's opportunities
Hear from global leaders and
pioneering founders on stage
Learn about emerging tech trends
and new investment verticals
EXPLORE YOUR FUTURE
EXPLORE
YOUR FUTURE
Open new doors
12000+ meetings where each one could launch your career
Meet recruiters from leading firms like UBS and Microsoft
Explore exclusive internship and job opportunities
Learn how to found
30+ workshops and 4 content stages with actionable insights
Hear first-hand stories from founders and investors
Gain practical skills to launch your own venture
Get inspired by speakers
Hear from icons like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer
Join private "Ask me Anything"-Sessions and meet your idols
Walk away with insights you won't find in any classroom
Join the community
Connect with thousands of students and young founders
Join Europe's most driven next-generation innovators
Build networks that last beyond the conference
Join the community
Connect with thousands of students and young founders
Join Europe's most driven next-generation innovators
Build networks that last beyond the conference
Here's what others say
about START Summit
Here's what others say
about START Summit
Andreas Goeldi
Partner
b2venture
START Summit is an unparalleled platform for fostering innovation and connecting the brightest entrepreneurial minds in Europe. It’s the best place to meet incredible early-stage startups, future unicorn founders and fellow investors.
Eric Schmidt
Former CEO, Chairman
Google, KBE
Don’t forget that the way you win is by having the smartest people on the project. And a lot of them are in Europe, and a lot of them are here at this conference.
Sofia Dolfe
Partner
Index Ventures
The idea that you can build a world-class company out of Europe has already been proven - just look at Supercell, Adyen, or Spotify. There’s no shortage of ambition and talent here.
Samantha Anderson
Co-Founder & CEO
DePoly
Massive. Intense. But well focussed. You can find anybody here that you’re looking for. From VC’s to other Startups that you can collaborate with. Theres also some very good coffee here which is very nice on a long day.
Jan Goetz
Co-Founder and CEO
IQM Quantum Computers
START Summit is a great event it's driven by students I think it's full of energy you meet great people here new people but usually also old friends so every time I'm coming I'm actually super excited because I know I will see familiar faces but I also will see a lot of very motivated and highly skilled students and this is a great mix for me.
Nimrod Malinas
Founder and CEO
Robonnement
START Summit it's a really cool place to meet with different founders, investors, people so you really get this cool energy that motivates you, that hypes you, that gives you the power to move on. […] You can meet investors, they can tell you their vision and their perspective of the world so I really love this ecosystem that is created here at this event.
Daniel Dippold
Founder & CEO
EWOR
START Summit is the best student-led founder conference I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Each year, I’m amazed by the scale and quality of the event, as well as the outstanding connections it fosters. At START Summit '24, I even invested in a founder I met there just two weeks after the conference
Stefan Jeschonnek
Co-Founder SumUp
Angel Investor
Discovery Ventures
My time at START Summit was a very entrepreneurial experience and laid the foundations for much of what I later achieved as an entrepreneur and investor. In fact, I am still working together with some of the amazing people I met at START Summit.
Dalith Steiger
Co-Founder and CEO
SwissCognitive
START Summit to me is one of the nicest and most vibrating events in the year. I would recommend to everyone from corporate to SME’s from students to family members to come here and to see what the new generation is able and capable to do.
Adrian Locher
Founder & General Partner
Merantix Capital
"START Summit really was the starting point of my entrepreneurial career. It’s where I found my first co-founders, learned leadership in real-time, and drew inspiration from successful founders."
Filip Dames
Founding Partner
Cherry Venture
It's coming from the student community, lots of young people, the next generation of founders. That's why we're here. That's also the generation that we want to support with Cherry and our job is to make them more ambitious, to have them work on the important stuff and the big ideas and that's why we're supporting START Summit.
Hector Gonzales
Co-Founder
SpiNNcloud Systems GmbH
I consider START Summit to be the only event that truly inspires on every level. this event is undoubtedly my favorite for connecting with groundbreaking early-stage startups, future industry leaders, and a dynamic network of changemakers shaping the future of business and technology.
Andreas Goeldi
Partner
b2venture
START Summit is an unparalleled platform for fostering innovation and connecting the brightest entrepreneurial minds in Europe. It’s the best place to meet incredible early-stage startups, future unicorn founders and fellow investors.
Stefan Jeschonnek
Co-Founder SumUp
Angel Investor
Discovery Ventures
My time at START Summit was a very entrepreneurial experience and laid the foundations for much of what I later achieved as an entrepreneur and investor. In fact, I am still working together with some of the amazing people I met at START Summit.
Daniel Dippold
Founder & CEO
EWOR
START Summit is the best student-led founder conference I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Each year, I’m amazed by the scale and quality of the event, as well as the outstanding connections it fosters. At START Summit '24, I even invested in a founder I met there just two weeks after the conference
Eric Schmidt
Former CEO, Chairman
Google, KBE
Don’t forget that the way you win is by having the smartest people on the project. And a lot of them are in Europe, and a lot of them are here at this conference.
Samantha Anderson
Co-Founder & CEO
DePoly
Massive. Intense. But well focussed. You can find anybody here that you’re looking for. From VC’s to other Startups that you can collaborate with. Theres also some very good coffee here which is very nice on a long day.
Sven Kruck
Co-CEO
Quantum Systems
START summit is a great event for bringing ideas together and getting an understanding of where technology is now at the moment, where technology will be in 5 years or in 10 years and finding the right energy the right power together to get this [ __ ] done.
Dalith Steiger
Co-Founder and CEO
SwissCognitive
START Summit to me is one of the nicest and most vibrating events in the year. I would recommend to everyone from corporate to SME’s from students to family members to come here and to see what the new generation is able and capable to do.
Sofia Dolfe
Partner
Index Ventures
The idea that you can build a world-class company out of Europe has already been proven - just look at Supercell, Adyen, or Spotify. There’s no shortage of ambition and talent here.
Jan Goetz
Co-Founder and CEO
IQM Quantum Computers
START Summit is a great event it's driven by students I think it's full of energy you meet great people here new people but usually also old friends so every time I'm coming I'm actually super excited because I know I will see familiar faces but I also will see a lot of very motivated and highly skilled students and this is a great mix for me.
Adrian Locher
Founder & General Partner
Merantix Capital
"START Summit really was the starting point of my entrepreneurial career. It’s where I found my first co-founders, learned leadership in real-time, and drew inspiration from successful founders."
Filip Dames
Founding Partner
Cherry Venture
It's coming from the student community, lots of young people, the next generation of founders. That's why we're here. That's also the generation that we want to support with Cherry and our job is to make them more ambitious, to have them work on the important stuff and the big ideas and that's why we're supporting START Summit.
Nimrod Malinas
Founder and CEO
Robonnement
START Summit it's a really cool place to meet with different founders, investors, people so you really get this cool energy that motivates you, that hypes you, that gives you the power to move on. […] You can meet investors, they can tell you their vision and their perspective of the world so I really love this ecosystem that is created here at this event.
Hector Gonzales
Co-Founder
SpiNNcloud Systems GmbH
I consider START Summit to be the only event that truly inspires on every level. this event is undoubtedly my favorite for connecting with groundbreaking early-stage startups, future industry leaders, and a dynamic network of changemakers shaping the future of business and technology.
OUR 2025 SPEAKERS
OUR 2025 SPEAKERS
Sofia Dolfe
Partner at
Index
Matt Cohler
Partner at
Benchmark
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
Founding Partner at
La Famiglia VC
Cornelius Menke
Partner at
Sequoia Capital
Laura Modiano
Head of Startups EMEA at
OpenAI
Eric Schmidt
Former CEO & Chairman of
Google, KBE
Carsten Maschmeyer
Founder of
Maschmeyer group
Melanie Gabriel
Co-Founder of
Yokoy
View the full list
Enhance your beneftis
Enhance your
beneftis
Ask me anything
Ask me anything
Connect with our speakers in an intimate and private setting to ask your questions directly to the founders, investors and operators who are shaping the future.
Connect with our speakers in an intimate and private setting to ask your questions directly to the founders, investors and operators who are shaping the future.
Workshops
Workshops
Dive deeper into practical insights and get hands-on experience in our expert-led workshops.
Collaborate with founders, investors and industry leaders to build actionable skills and tackle real-world challenges.
Dive deeper into practical insights and get hands-on experience in our expert-led workshops.
Collaborate with founders, investors and industry leaders to build actionable skills and tackle real-world challenges.
Recruiting
Recruiting
Connect directly with recruiters from leading companies like UBS and Microsoft, opening doors to exclusive internships and career opportunities across industries. With more than 12,000 meetings taking place in two days, every single conversation offers the potential to spark new ideas, build valuable connections, and even launch the next step in your professional journey.
Connect directly with recruiters from leading companies like UBS and Microsoft, opening doors to exclusive internships and career opportunities across industries. With more than 12,000 meetings taking place in two days, every single conversation offers the potential to spark new ideas, build valuable connections, and even launch the next step in your professional journey.
Afterparty
Afterparty
After two full days of learning, growing, connecting and experiencing the world of startups, you deserve to cool off with the biggest party in St. Gallen
After two full days of learning, growing, connecting and experiencing the world of startups, you deserve to cool off with the biggest party in St. Gallen
Get Tickets
Get Tickets
Book 1:1 meetings
with investors, founders & talents instantly
Apply for exclusive Side Events
and unlock hidden opportunities
Stay on top of the schedule
and never miss a session that matters
Connect with everyone
Thousands of participants at your fingertips
All in one place. Easy. Fast.
Designed to make networking effortless.
All in one place. Easy. Fast.
Designed to make networking effortless.
