The Europas

What The Europas does

The Europas is a London-headquartered, privately held events and editorial company (legally Bites Media LTD, registered in the Netherlands; founded 2009) that operates the annual Europas Awards, a curated recognition event for European early-stage technology startups. The company runs a tiered application cycle with fees between £395 and £495, a two-week public voting gallery that produces social media exposure for longlisted entrants, and a gala lunch plus rooftop afterparty in Lisbon, timed adjacently to the Web Summit. The judging panel comprises 50+ venture capital investors (Accel, Balderton, Index, Seedcamp, LocalGlobe, Lakestar, Octopus, Plural, EIB, and others) and the editorial vision is led by founder Mike Butcher (TechCrunch Editor-at-Large) and co-founder Dianne See Morrison (Editorial Director), with curation logistics run by partner Pathfounders. Eligible applicants must be headquartered in Europe, Israel, or the Middle East (or have a European founder with original European launch) and range from pre-seed to Series B, plus bootstrapped companies with over £500K in revenues.

The business model is event-driven and operates on three monetization layers: (i) one-time startup application fees; (ii) curated gala and afterparty ticket sales via the lu.ma platform for a 300-person headliner event; and (iii) corporate sponsorships from law firms (Orrick, Baker McKenzie, Mishcon), enterprise technology (AWS), and consumer/automotive brands (Volkswagen), plus in-kind support from media partners. Core products are the Europas Awards ceremony and the Europas 100 List — a 2024 relaunched single-format curated list that replaced traditional 16+ sector categories. No proprietary technology stack or platform is disclosed beyond a standard website and ticketing integration; the asset is the editorial brand, the investor judging network, and the recurring Lisbon event. Operationally, the company has 1–10 employees, no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, and the public website indicates the next event is scheduled for 2026 following a 2025 pause.

Name

The Europas

Legal name

Bites Media LTD

Website

https://theeuropas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Europas is a London-based events company (Bites Media LTD, founded 2009) that runs the annual Europas Awards, curating and recognizing Europe's early-stage tech startups through application fees, VC judging panels, public voting, and a Lisbon gala. It serves early-stage startups seeking visibility, VCs sourcing deal flow, and corporate sponsors seeking ecosystem access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Awards and Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Tech startup awards
• Startup recognition events
• Venture capital networking
• Startup ecosystem conferences
• European startup awards

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Startup Application Fees: Startups pay application fees to enter the awards competition. The fee covers administration, marketing of the public voting gallery, social media exposure for longlisted entrants, and entrance to the gala awards lunch if shortlisted. Fee schedule: £395 standard, with early bird pricing at £420, £445, £470, £495 at various deadlines.
2. Event Ticket Sales: The company sells tickets to the awards gala and afterparty. Two ticket options: (1) Gala lunch only and (2) Gala lunch plus rooftop afterparty at Ferroviário. 300-person curated guest list targeting founders, investors, and tech ecosystem players.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Europas runs an annual tech startup awards program for European early-stage startups, combining a curated judging process, a public voting gallery for visibility, and a ticketed gala awards ceremony plus afterparty held in Lisbon, Portugal. The company also produces the Europas 100 List, an annual curated ranking of top early-stage European startups. Revenue is generated through startup application fees (starting at £395), event ticket sales, and corporate sponsorships from VC firms, law firms, and technology companies.

Product overview

The Europas is an annual tech startup awards event and conference platform that identifies and celebrates Europe's most promising early-stage startups. The core offering consists of The Europas Awards gala event and the Europas 100 List, which together provide recognition, visibility, and networking opportunities for European tech startups. The event features VC judges, panel discussions, innovation pitches, and networking sessions held annually in Lisbon, Portugal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Europas Awards Annual tech startup awards event celebrating Europe's most innovative early-stage startups, featuring a judging panel of leading VCs and investors, networking opportunities, and award ceremonies held in Lisbon, Portugal.
• Europas 100 List Annual curated list identifying and celebrating the top 100 early-stage startups across Europe, featuring sector-specific special award winners.
• Gala Awards Tickets

Quantifiable outcome

• Visibility boost through weeks of social media exposure in public voting gallery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PathfounderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPathfounders curates The Europas Awards, which has been an annual event for over 10 years. Pathfounders is a platform that supports the European startup ecosystem and partners with The Europas for event curation and management.
• TechCrunchminorOthersThe Europas was originally formed in 2009 by Mike Butcher, who is Editor-at-Large at TechCrunch. TechCrunch provides editorial affiliation and credibility to the awards.
• Sponsors (Orrick, Baker McKenzie, AWS, Volkswagen)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple sponsors support The Europas including legal firms (Orrick, Baker McKenzie), technology companies (AWS), and corporate partners. These sponsors provide funding, in-kind support, and networking opportunities in exchange for brand visibility.
• Community PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partners collaborate with The Europas to reach and engage with the European startup ecosystem, providing mutual promotional benefits.
• Media PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partners receive coverage and promotional opportunities in exchange for helping spread awareness of The Europas awards and nominated startups.
• MishconminorOthersMishcon is a law firm that sponsors the networking drinks and canapes at the awards event.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TechCrunch Disrupt: Operated by TechCrunch (AOL/Yahoo), TechCrunch Disrupt is the largest global tech startup conference and awards competition. It targets the same audience of early-stage founders, VCs, and media, and is run by the same organization that employs The Europas founder, making it the closest direct peer in terms of format, audience, and editorial pedigree.
• The Next Web (TNW) Conference: TNW Conference is an Amsterdam-based tech event that combines startup showcases, awards-style programming, and investor networking for the European tech ecosystem. It is highly comparable to The Europas in mission, audience, and editorial-driven positioning.
• Tech Open Air (TOA): TOA is a Berlin-based tech festival that combines startup showcases, expert talks, and networking for the European tech ecosystem. It targets a comparable audience of founders, investors, and media and competes for the same curated, festival-style event positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Web Summit is the largest tech conference in Europe, held annually in Lisbon - the same city and time window as The Europas. It targets the same investors, founders, and media with a much larger scale and broader agenda, positioning it as the dominant incumbent competing for the same audience attention and travel budgets.
• Slush: Slush is a major European-origin startup conference and event brand with strong VC and founder participation. It targets the same early-stage startup and investor audience as The Europas but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple geographies.
• South Summit: South Summit is a leading European startup conference held annually in Madrid, featuring startup competitions, VC matchmaking, and ecosystem programming. It directly overlaps with The Europas in serving early-to-growth stage European startups seeking investor exposure.

Regional players

• NOAH Conference: NOAH is a long-running European internet and tech conference focused on connecting founders with capital providers. It serves a similar curated European startup-investor audience, particularly in the DACH and UK markets where The Europas judges are also active.
• GITEX Global / GITEX Europe: GITEX is a large global tech event with an expanding European edition that includes startup pitch competitions and investor programs. It is comparable as a regional platform connecting early-stage startups to capital and media across Europe and MENA.

Emerging players

• Seedstars: Seedstars runs a global startup competition and competition-based events with a strong presence in emerging markets. While broader geographically, it shares The Europas' format of application-driven startup selection, public voting, and investor exposure.
• Pioneers: Pioneers (formerly Pioneers Festival) is a Vienna-based tech event platform focused on early-stage startups and investor matchmaking. It is comparable in mission and audience to The Europas and has historically competed for the same European founder-investor community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theeuropas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqvfg-iN9Nj8-kQ7b6dfqAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/info
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-europas
• Instagraminstagram.com/theeuropas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Europas