Battlefield showdowns, German beer gardens, plank walks, and a prime minister. Our list of the top ten coolest, craziest and most inspiring startup events from around the world has it all covered.
Did we miss your favorite conference? Let us know what amazing events to include in our next conference roundup.
10. Thought For Food Summit
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Thought For Food Summit is a melting pot of big, bold ideas from industry leaders, next-generation innovators, investors and more. The TFF stage showcases thought-provoking keynotes that leave attendees with a deeper understanding of the latest food and ag innovations, game-changing ideas and realizable actions for a better, more sustainable future.
9. Hustle Con
San Francisco, California
Hustle Con is a one-day startup event where founders of the world’s fastest-growing companies to give 20-minute keynotes that tell their origin stories, teach the practical tactics they used to start and grow their startup and share behind the scenes insights on their wins and losses.
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8. Myriad
Brisbane, Australia
Once a year, the world’s most influential thinkers and tinkerers, entrepreneurs and experts, rebels and renegades gather in Brisbane to push the world forward, one essential question at a time. The hunt is always on for next brilliant person or project to invest in, and Myriad creates a direct link from Australia’s finest to the Silicon Valley.
7. SXSW
Austin, Texas
The SXSW Entrepreneurship & Startups Track brings together founders and funders of all stages to talk about current best practices as well as the most exciting new companies and services across industries. Session topics include establishing and growing businesses; strategic investment and the future of venture capital; as well as emerging markets and services.
6. TechChill
Riga, Latvia
Set during the freezing cold Latvian winter, the ultimate goal for TechChill Foundation is to support and empower the hottest startups from the Nordics, Baltics and beyond. TechChill also aims to bring out the human side of tech, like real-deal founder talks that don’t shy away from the harsh and demanding realities of startup life.
5. Bits & Pretzels: The Founders Festival
Munich, Germany
Bits & Pretzels is an application-only, three-day festival that takes place in a unique setting around Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest. The festival connects 5,000 of the most successful founders, investors, startup enthusiasts, and startup ecosystem decision-makers from around the world.
4. TechCrunch Disrupt SF
San Francisco, California
San Francisco nabs a second spot on the list with Disrupt, a unique conference that features a renowned Startup Battlefield competition, a virtual Hackathon, hundreds of startups in Startup Alley, workshops and legendary networking at after parties. At Disrupt, everyone is a startupper––no matter if they’re a founder, investor, hacker or tech leader.
3. Collision
Toronto, Canada
Collision, the fastest growing tech conference in North America, is leaving the states in 2019 and heading to Canada for the first time. The event, which has grown to over 25,000 attendees in five years, builds on the Toronto region’s momentum as a hub for technology and innovation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even gets in on the Collision action.
2. PIRATE Summit
Cologne, Germany
PIRATE Summit is Europe’s largest invitation/application-only conference for early-stage startups, investors and corporate executives. The summit, held at a scrapyard turned outdoor art gallery, is a grassroots entrepreneurship conference with the focus on connecting startup founders. And yes, it’s pirate themed.
1. Big Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Call us biased, but we think Big Omaha is a can’t-miss event that provides a platform for big thinkers to engage, connect, inspire, and be inspired. The event is a showcase for the cultural capital of the Midwest community, and this year’s tenth Big Omaha celebrates the energy and passion of the past while putting a stake in the ground for the future.
