Startups in the spotlight: European initiatives

Webinar

10 April 2025

By Platform

Startup pitching event and festival EU initiatives

On 8 April 2025, the Policy Learning Platform hosted a webinar on festivals and pitching events to increase the attractiveness of local startup ecosystems for investors.

The webinar showcased practices on awareness-raising and promotional activities such as startup festivals, pitching events, and award competitions. Such initiatives play a critical role in promoting and improving venture capital and equity investment in technology-based startups.

Key messages shared by the speakers

Ieva Felmena (Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, SKALE2CT project, Latvia) presented the commitment of the City of Riga to the development of a strong startup ecosystem to make Riga a start-up-friendly city. She underlined the need to act with a long-term perspective, in transparent and trustful collaboration with all actors, to achieve sustainable results.
Vaiva Kelmelyte (Kaunas Science and Technology Park, VIADUCT project, Lithuania) explained the importance of highlighting and providing wide public outreach to both successful startups and role models promoting tech-based entrepreneurship in order to raise awareness to the topic.
Mary Ryan (WestBIC, UnicornQuest project, Ireland) explained a practical and efficient approach on how to make high potential startups ready for attracting investment in the seed funding phase. She highlighted the necessity for entrepreneurs to get fully committed to the process and the impact of thorough cohort-based delivery of support.

Webinar recording

Watch the webinar recording and discover how festivals and pitching events can boost startup investment in your region.

Webinar agenda

Navigate the webinar agenda below and jump to your topic and question of interest.

00:01:03 Introduction by Luc Schmerber to the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform services and topic

00:19:30 Presentation by Ieva Felmena (Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, SKALE2CT project) on Support program for startup ecosystem activities

00:33:30 Q&A: You mentioned that one of the evaluation criteria is the impact on local startup ecosystems and the city of Riga. How do you measure it?

00:36:24 Q&A: Are you planning on making any changes or adding other areas to the programme?

00:39:42 Presentation by Vaiva Kelmelyte (Kaunas Science and Technology Park, VIADUCT project) on Kaunas Startup Awards

00:54:30 Q&A: Are the nominates and awards only given to deep-tech startups or do you accept all types of startups?

00:57:57 Q&A: What type of awards do you reward to winners?

01:00:09 Presentation by Mary Ryan (WestBIC, UnicornQuest project) on Prep4Seed Investor-Readiness Programme for High-growth Start-ups

01:14:29 Q&A: Is the programme participation in your accelerator free of charge?

01:15:35 Q&A: As this is a national programme, is it only open to Irish startups?

01:16:34 Q&A: How do you motivate participants who are not very motivated?

Key learnings for startup investment initiatives

Take a look at the key learnings that European policymakers can take-away to boost startup investment through festivals and pitching events in their region.

Trust is a pre-requisite for successful ecosystem building

Trust facilitates open communication, collaboration, and information sharing among startups, investors, support organizations, and public institutions. Without it, ecosystems remain fragmented, and partnerships or funding opportunities are hindered.

In Riga, support to ecosystem-building events as well as a memorandum of cooperation among startup ecosystem actors foster recurring, trust-based networking opportunities among startups and stakeholders. Such trust lowers the entry barrier for new stakeholders and encourages existing players to stay engaged long-term.

Long-term commitment to community building is key

Developing a steady flow of new startups needs more than a one-off event; startups and support organizations thrive in a consistent environment of mentorship, visibility, and support. Sustainable funding, continuous programming, and institutional backing ensure that ecosystems mature over time.

The Kaunas Startup Awards, by being recurring and institutionally embedded, demonstrate a persistent commitment to startup visibility and validation. In Riga, municipal support for multiple events and networking initiatives throughout the year reinforces continuity.

Market validation remains at the core of investment readiness

Investors prioritize real market traction over ideas or prototypes. Programs that coach startups to demonstrate customer validation, revenue potential, and scalability increase the chances of securing private capital.

Prep4Seed in Ireland directly targets market validation by preparing startups to demonstrate product-market fit and pitch effectively. Trial pitches and hands-on investor feedback are critical for converting public support into private investment leverage.