startup-events
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eChai Ventures makes a business of showing up
From Ahmedabad chai meetups to a founder network across 25+ cities, eChai makes a patient bet: the people you meet before you need them may matter most.
ruhrHUB put six cities in the same room. Then the money changed.
For years, ruhrHUB helped the Ruhr’s startups find companies, capital and one another. After its state funding expired, the regional connector put its future into ruhrSUMMIT - now a business festival with a matchmaking wheel.
Startup Moldova is making introductions worth investing in
A €40,000 deal began with an introduction. Startup Moldova is building the programs, paperwork and international connections that help more founders get to that conversation.
Startupfest puts your pitch to the grandmother test
In Montréal, a startup festival pairs investor access with a jury that has little patience for jargon. Its real product is the carefully arranged encounter.
FOUNDERS LEAGUE turns three minutes into a warmer introduction
A German pitch show puts founders in front of people who can help. Its more interesting business begins when the applause stops.
TechShake Knows Who You Should Meet Next
From startup stories in Manila to a new office in Tokyo, TechShake has built a business around useful introductions. The real test comes after the handshake.
Hamburg Startups knows who you need to meet
A local newsroom became a club, a food-industry meeting place and a stage for women founders. Hamburg Startups has spent more than a decade turning attention into introductions - while learning what those introductions should cost.
TiE Rajasthan brings the investor meeting to Jaipur
At SmashUp, founders get a shot at the people who write the cheques. Behind the event is a nonprofit network teaching entrepreneurs how to make that meeting count.
4YFN sells startups a shorter walk to their next big customer
Barcelona’s startup event puts founders within reach of MWC’s corporate crowd. The attraction is proximity; the test is what happens after the introductions.
Startup Grind
Startup Grind is a global community for entrepreneurs, running founder-focused local events in hundreds of cities and a flagship annual conference in Silicon Valley. Started in 2010 as a small gathering in the founder's office and now powered by Google for Startups, it connects early-stage founders with investors, operators, and mentors through chapters, memberships, and online content.
Step
Step is a new-media and events company that runs one of the largest technology festivals in the Middle East and North Africa. Founded by Ray Dargham in 2011, it stages the annual Step Conference in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, publishes tech newsletters and social platforms like StepFeed, and connects founders, investors and builders. From a first edition of roughly 100 people, it has grown to draw more than 8,000 attendees, with startups featured on its stages collectively raising billions in funding. In 2026 the company extended its model to San Francisco with an AI-focused edition.