Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

Spotlighting sustainable growth

We’re big believers in sustainable growth & love that it’s the main theme at Tech.eu Summit. Why was this theme chosen particularly?

It’s due to the realisation that the European Tech innovation ecosystems are growing by leaps and bounds, and yet in every private conversation we have with entrepreneurs and investors alike there’s almost always a part of the chat that revolves around how we should be careful not to celebrate too much. That’s inherent European caution at play, of course, but it’s also a sign we need to have earnest discussions about what lies underneath all the growth and cheerleading. What are the risks, the structural problems, etc. and what can we do, if anything, to mitigate those?

We’d really like to host those conversations on our stages, and dive into the topic of ‘sustainable growth’ from different perspectives (ecosystem, community, company, governmental, as a team, as an individual leader or investor, etc.) but also highlight a number of sectors that we think are crucial for Europe to support and nurture to take the collective ecosystems to another level.

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For a 1st edition event, Tech.eu Summit has quite an impressive lineup of speakers. Who are you most looking forward to welcoming on stage?

There will be something for everyone of course, but topics I care deeply about personally is the blatant problem of lack of diversity and inclusion in our industry, so I’m looking forward to what people like Ladi Greenstreet, the CEO of Diversity VC, European Women in VC founder Kinga Stanislawska and others have to say about that.

I’m also keen on taking deeper dives into mobility/transportation and sustainability tech, where Europe will be playing a huge global role I believe. With leaders like Fredrik Hjelm (CEO of Voi Technology), entrepreneurs like Michelle You (Supercritical) and Lubomila Jordanova (Plan A) but also investors such as Daria Saharova (World Fund), those will be interesting conversations no doubt. Eager to see what knowledge they’ll be dropping.

I’m also keen to learn more about the ‘new web’ from metaverse leaders like The Sandbox CEO Sébastien Borget, and VC turned NFT artist Marguerite de Tavernost.

Is there anything special or unique about the networking opportunities you’re planning for attendees?

Post-pandemic, I think we’re all just happy that we can meet each other in person again. Speaking of, check out our profile on Sesamers to see who else is attending, start chatting & easily request meetings in advance. We sincerely hope everyone has a chance to learn, gets inspired and of course, has fun.

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What should investors be the most excited about at Tech.eu Summit?

The caliber of entrepreneurs we’re putting on stage is extraordinary, and that means investors will be able to take lessons from their journeys to pass on to their own portfolio companies. And of course there will be several of Europe’s leading investors on stage to take about the current funding and exit landscape, so there’s that.

Topping things off, there will be an undoubtedly interesting session on marketing and PR for VC firms, with leading voices such as Joanna Kirk (founder of JKPR), Marie Fabiunke (ex-Target Global, FoodLabs) and James Clarke (Molten) sharing their insights on stage.

Do you have any special deals for founders thinking about attending this year’s event?

We’re proud that we kept the ticket prices low considering the line-up of speakers we’ve managed to secure for a first-time event, and the resources we’re putting towards delivering an amazing Tech.eu Summit.

Startup founders can always get in touch with me personally to negotiate a discount, however 😉 My email address is robin@tech.eu.


Get your tickets ASAP to join Team Sesamers in Brussels smrs.link/Tech.eu

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Events 2 days ago

Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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New Materials 3 days ago

Lios Group, the Irish startup behind SoundBounce, was a winner of JEC Composites Startup Booster 2018, and has been making significant strides since taking home the award.

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New Materials 1 week ago

Tree Composites aims to accelerate the energy transition with innovative composite joints.

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