Is Start Summit worth your carry-on?
Two from our team packed their bags, crossed couple borders, and headed to St. Gallen, Switzerland, for Start Summit: one of Europe's biggest student-run startup conferences. The mission: figure out if this is an event worth putting on your radar. Spoiler: it depends on who you are. But let's get into it.
What is Start Summit?
Organised by Start Global and hosted at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Start Summit is a two-day whirlwind of founders, investors, corporates, and students packed into one campus. The 2026 edition drew around 7,000 attendees, including 1,300 investors and 1,500 startups.
The crowd: who shows up?
The event skews heavily pre-seed and seed stage. So if you're a Series B company hoping to close a commercial deal, wrong room. But if you're an early-stage founder looking to get in front of investors and make connections across Central Europe, this is your people.
The dominant sectors? AI, Deep Tech & Robotics, Medtech/LSH, Cleantech, WaterTech, and Space & Defense. There's a noticeable concentration of deep tech startups, which gives the event a more serious, substance-heavy feel compared to your average startup event.
One thing that genuinely stands out: the Brella matchmaking platform. Investors actually respond and accept meeting requests at unusually high rates. For founders, that's rare and genuinely valuable.
The investor landscape
We looked at the full list of 370 investors who attended. A few things jumped out:
- Most are based in the DACH region: Zurich, Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart.
- The focus is firmly early-stage: Pre-Seed through Series A.
- AI accounts for over 21% of all sector mentions among investors: nearly double the next category - Deep Tech, FinTech, and SaaS follow behind.
The most represented firm on the floor was S2S Ventures (10 reps), followed by EWOR, SICTIC, Anker Capital, and b2venture, all Swiss or DACH-focused early-stage funds.
So... is it relevant for Northern Dutch startups?
It could be perfect for some of you.
The event's geographic and investor pull leans strongly toward the alpine region. The student-driven atmosphere is fun, but it's not a trade mission format.
Who should actually consider going?
Start Summit is worth your time if:
- You're pre-seed or seed stage
- You're in hardtech, deep tech, medtech, cleantech, or AI
- You're actively looking to connect with DACH-based investors
- You're open to (or already eyeing) the Central European market
If that sounds like you, the matchmaking platform alone could make the trip worth it.
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