EMBRACE NEW HORIZONS
EMBRACE NEW HORIZONS
19.-20. March 2026, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Participants
7000+
Meetings
12000+
Investor AUM
573 BN CHF
EUROPE'S LARGEST EARLY-STAGE
STARTUP CONFERENCE
EUROPE'S LARGEST EARLY-STAGE
STARTUP CONFERENCE
OUR 2025 SPEAKERS
OUR 2025 SPEAKERS
Matt Cohler
Partner at
Benchmark
Sofia Dolfe
Partner at
Index
Cornelius Menke
Partner at
Sequoia Capital
Carsten Maschmeyer
Founder of
Maschmeyer group
Eric Schmidt
Former CEO & Chairman of
Google, KBE
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
Founding Partner at
La Famiglia VC
Laura Modiano
Head of Startups EMEA at
OpenAI
Melanie Gabriel
Co-Founder of
Yokoy
Francesco Sciortino
Co-Founder & CEO at
Proxima Fusion
Carsten Koerl
Founder & CEO of Sportradar,
Founder of Bwin
Michael Baum
Founder & CEO of Splunk,
The Yope Foundation
Dr. Klaus Hommels
Founder/Chairman Lakestar &
NATO Innovation Fund
Matt Cohler
Partner at
Benchmark
Sofia Dolfe
Partner at
Index
Cornelius Menke
Partner at
Sequoia Capital
Carsten Maschmeyer
Founder of
Maschmeyer group
Eric Schmidt
Former CEO & Chairman of
Google, KBE
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
Founding Partner at
La Famiglia VC
Laura Modiano
Head of Startups EMEA at
OpenAI
Melanie Gabriel
Co-Founder of
Yokoy
Francesco Sciortino
Co-Founder & CEO at
Proxima FusionCarsten Koerl
Founder & CEO of Sportradar,
Founder of Bwin
Michael Baum
Founder & CEO of Splunk,
The Yope Foundation
Dr. Klaus Hommels
Founder/Chairman Lakestar &
NATO Innovation Fund
View the full list
View the full list
View the full list
Learn and
succeed
30+ hands-on workshops led by founders & experts
4 content stages with actionable real-life insights
Global leaders like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer on stage
Find out more
Startup
Investor
Corporate
Attendee
Student
Level up your startup
Exhibit for free along 80+
pre-selected startups
Connect with 7000 participants across the ecosystem
Build lasting partnerships with corporates, investors, and peers
Meet worldclass
investors
1,000+ investors from leading VCs (Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed…)
12,000+ meetings booked easily via our event app
7 different pitching competitions in different focus-areas
Learn and
succeed
30+ hands-on workshops led by founders & experts
4 content stages with actionable real-life insights
Global leaders like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer on stage
Find out more
Startup
Investor
Corporate
Attendee
Student
Level up your startup
Exhibit for free along 80+
pre-selected startups
Connect with 7000 participants across the ecosystem
Build lasting partnerships with corporates, investors, and peers
Meet worldclass
investors
1,000+ investors from leading VCs (Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed…)
12,000+ meetings booked easily via our event app
7 different pitching competitions in different focus-areas
Corporate
Student
Attendee
Investor
Startup
Meet worldclass
investors
1,000+ investors from leading VCs (Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed…)
12,000+ meetings booked easily via our event app
7 different pitching competitions in different focus-areas
Learn and
succeed
30+ hands-on workshops led by founders & experts
4 content stages with actionable real-life insights
Global leaders like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer on stage
Level up your startup
Exhibit for free along 80+
pre-selected startups
Connect with 7000 participants across the ecosystem
Build lasting partnerships with corporates, investors, and peers
Find out more
Corporate
Student
Attendee
Investor
Startup
Meet worldclass
investors
1,000+ investors from leading VCs (Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed…)
12,000+ meetings booked easily via our event app
7 different pitching competitions in different focus-areas
Learn and
succeed
30+ hands-on workshops led by founders & experts
4 content stages with actionable real-life insights
Global leaders like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer on stage
Level up your startup
Exhibit for free along 80+
pre-selected startups
Connect with 7000 participants across the ecosystem
Build lasting partnerships with corporates, investors, and peers
Find out more
Find out more
Startup
Investor
Corporate
Attendee
Student
Level up your startup
Exhibit for free along 80+
pre-selected startups
Connect with 7000 participants across the ecosystem
Build lasting partnerships with corporates, investors, and peers
Meet worldclass
investors
1,000+ investors from leading VCs (Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed…)
12,000+ meetings booked easily via our event app
7 different pitching competitions in different focus-areas
Learn and
succeed
30+ hands-on workshops led by founders & experts
4 content stages with actionable real-life insights
Global leaders like Eric Schmidt and Carsten Maschmeyer on stage
WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU
HEAR OUR PREVIOUS VISITORS
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.
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.
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Switzerland has always stood for balance - between ambition and humility, precision and imagination.
Here, progress climbs steadily upward, crafted with purpose and driven by vision.
Across the DACH region, this spirit connects founders, engineers, and dreamers, those who look beyond what is and see what could be.
Embrace New Horizons is a call to rise higher,
to keep exploring, and to shape the future together.
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Investors attending year after year