Startup Europe Week

What Startup Europe Week does

Startup Europe Week (SEW) is a grassroots entrepreneurship initiative founded in 2015 and promoted by the European Commission. It is not a commercial enterprise but rather a distributed movement that connects local entrepreneurs to regional startup ecosystems through annual, free-to-attend events held simultaneously across more than 300 cities in approximately 50 countries. SEW serves aspiring entrepreneurs, students, industry professionals, and mentors, as well as local ecosystem support organizations such as co-working spaces, accelerators, incubators, chambers of commerce, and government innovation programs. Local execution is carried out by 250+ volunteer Co-Organizers who curate workshops, panel discussions, and pitching competitions in their respective cities.

SEW's core product is the SEW Annual Events series, supported by a Co-Organizer Program that recruits and onboards local ecosystem leaders, and an editorial blog featuring founder interviews and ecosystem stories. The underlying technology is a web-based platform (startupeuropeweek.eu) that handles event discovery, registration, Co-Organizer applications, and content publishing. There is no native mobile app, no disclosed API, and no AI/ML infrastructure. The platform is essentially a WordPress-based marketing and coordination site, with operational logistics (venue selection, speaker outreach, sponsor coordination) handled off-platform by volunteer organizers.

SEW operates on a non-commercial funding model. Events are free for participants. Revenue, in the form of operational support, comes from two streams: (1) institutional funding from the European Commission, which launched and underwrites the initiative, and (2) event sponsorships from corporations, banks (e.g., BCR), investment firms (e.g., Vitosha Venture Partners, Innovation Capital, Fund of Funds), and professional services firms (e.g., Deloitte Bulgaria). SEW has no disclosed headcount, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity. It is structurally a movement, not an investable company.

Name

Startup Europe Week

Legal name

Startup Europe Week

Website

https://startupeuropeweek.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Startup Europe Week (SEW) is a European Commission-promoted grassroots initiative that organizes free annual entrepreneurship events across 300+ cities in 50+ countries, connecting local entrepreneurs to regional ecosystems through a network of 250+ volunteer Co-Organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. European Commission Funding: SEW is an initiative of the European Commission, which provides funding and institutional support to animate and strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems across European regions.
2. Event Sponsorships: Local SEW events are sponsored by various organizations including corporations, banks (e.g., BCR), investment firms, and local government entities. Sponsors provide financial or in-kind support for event operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Startup Europe Week (SEW) is a grassroots entrepreneurship initiative that organizes annual, locally-hosted events across 300+ cities in 50+ countries to connect entrepreneurs with regional resources, advisors, co-working spaces, grants, and open innovation opportunities. Events are coordinated by a network of 250+ volunteer Co-Organizers who activate their local startup ecosystems through workshops, panel discussions, and pitching competitions. The initiative is promoted and funded by the European Commission.

Product overview

Startup Europe Week (SEW) is a grassroots entrepreneurship movement and event platform that operates as a single unified offering: the SEW Annual Events series. This initiative connects local entrepreneurs across 300+ cities in nearly 50 countries to their regional ecosystems through locally-organized events. The SEW Co-Organizer Program enables local leaders to serve as coordinators who bring together resources (advisory services, co-working spaces, grants, open innovation opportunities) and connect regional networks of entrepreneurs, businesses, investors, and institutions. The SEW Blog provides supplementary editorial content including founder interviews, startup stories, and insights on entrepreneurship topics. SEW was founded in 2015 and is promoted by the European Commission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Europe Week (SEW) Annual Events Annual events held simultaneously across multiple cities worldwide that connect local entrepreneurs to their regional ecosystems through workshops, panel discussions, pitching competitions, and networking. Organized by local Co-Organizers and featuring access to advisory services, co-working spaces, grants, and open innovation opportunities. Free to attend.
• SEW Blog Editorial content covering entrepreneurship topics, including interviews with founders, startup stories, corporate news about the SEW initiative, and insights on distributed innovation, startup ecosystems, and entrepreneurial talent.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150,000+ entrepreneurs attended SEW events during 2016-2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The European Commission launched and funds SEW as a key initiative to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems across Europe. The Commission provides institutional backing, funding, and promotion of the initiative, while SEW operates autonomously to execute its mission of supporting local entrepreneurs.
• Fund of FundsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFund of Funds supported SEW Sofia 2024 as a contributing partner, participating in the funds panel and providing visibility for financing opportunities for entrepreneurs.
• Innovation CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInnovation Capital participated in SEW Sofia 2024 events as a panelist on funding opportunities, helping connect entrepreneurs with investment resources.
• Vitosha Venture PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVitosha Venture Partners participated in SEW Sofia 2024 as a panelist on the funds panel, discussing investment opportunities for startups.
• BCR (Erste Bank Group)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBCR (second largest bank in Romania) participated in SEW Brasov 2024, presenting financing solutions for businesses and supporting entrepreneurship in the local ecosystem.
• Deloitte BulgariaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeloitte Bulgaria supported SEW Sofia through their crisis 4U Helpdesk, providing guidance to the entrepreneurial community and organizing informative webinars on business topics.
• University of Western MacedoniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Western Macedonia is a key Co-Organizer of SEW Kozani events, coordinating with local ecosystem actors to deliver panels on digital innovation, European Digital Innovation Hubs, and funding opportunities.
• Diputación de ValenciacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiputación de Valencia (Valencia Deputy Council) is a Co-Organizer of SEW Valencia events, working together with the European Commission to support the Valencian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• ProAfaceri RomaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProAfaceri Romania is a key organizer of SEW events in Romania, including SEW Brasov and SEW Bucharest. They coordinate with local partners including BCR, Junior Chamber International, and the Brasov Chamber of Commerce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Mass Challenge: Global accelerator and entrepreneurship programs running cohorts and events across multiple countries; overlaps with SEW in supporting early-stage entrepreneurs through structured programming and partnerships with corporates and governments.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator operating structured founder programs in many cities worldwide; shares SEW's grassroots, locally-coordinated model of activating entrepreneur communities across multiple countries.
• European Innovation Council: EU-backed flagship innovation funding and support body; comparable to SEW as another European Commission initiative targeting the European startup ecosystem, though focused on direct funding rather than events.
• Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneurship support organization selecting and mentoring founders across dozens of countries; comparable to SEW in its geographic reach and mission to strengthen local entrepreneurship ecosystems.
• Startup Europe (European Commission initiative): The overarching European Commission initiative under which SEW was launched; a direct parent-level program and the most structurally comparable peer in terms of mandate, funder, and pan-European entrepreneurship goals.

Others

• StartupBlink: Global startup ecosystem mapping and rankings platform; comparable to SEW in its focus on documenting and supporting regional entrepreneurship ecosystems, though StartupBlink operates as a data/ranking service rather than an event organizer.
• CoFoundersLab: Platform connecting early-stage entrepreneurs with co-founders, advisors, and talent; adjacent to SEW's mission of linking entrepreneurs to local resources and people, though delivered as an online matching service.

Direct peers

• Startup Weekend (Techstars): Time-boxed (weekend) entrepreneurship events organized through a distributed network of local facilitators; shares SEW's event-driven, volunteer-coordinated model for activating local startup ecosystems.
• Startup Grind: Global community-driven startup event platform operating local chapters in many cities; directly comparable to SEW in event-led, grassroots entrepreneur support and free community engagement, though Startup Grind operates as an independent for-profit entity.

Emerging players

• Seedstars: Emerging-markets entrepreneurship platform running regional competitions and events; comparable to SEW in its focus on activating startup ecosystems outside of Silicon Valley, though Seedstars layers in a venture competition and venture fund.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/startupeuw
• Facebookfacebook.com/startupeuropeweek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startup-europe-week

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Startup Europe Week