Last Call: 550+ Startups Compete for Growth, Funding, and Visibility at the How to Web Conference

The How to Web Conference is one of the largest tech and entrepreneurial events in Europe and will take place on October 1-2 in Bucharest. This year, over 550 startups will get access to growth and funding opportunities. These programs are designed to support early-stage startups by offering valuable know-how for growth, investor connections, and showcasing their innovations. But applications for the startup programs are closing soon.

“Our goal is to provide startups with practical tools and connections that can have a real impact on their growth. These programs create incredible opportunities to meet global investors, learn from industry experts, and present their ideas to a relevant audience”, said Alexandru Agatinei, CEO of How to Web.

Now let’s tackle the different programs and what’s in store for the startups.

Spotlight: The flagship program

Spotlight is the flagship program and competition for startups in Eastern Europe, offering ambitious founders a launchpad toward global investors. Applications close on August 31.

In 2025, the focus is on creating real opportunities for founders: direct access to investment funds and business angels managing over €10 billion, in a setting designed for business validation, meaningful meetings, and applied discussions. The finalist startups go through a rigorous selection process and get to present their business ideas directly in front of some of the most important investors in Europe. In this way, How to Web builds a platform where founders receive immediate feedback and get on the radar of top European investment funds, which are present in the region exclusively for the conference.

The Spotlight program includes opportunities to present on the Startup Stage, a dedicated expo space, and targeted media coverage. Startups also benefit from one-on-one mentoring sessions with renowned experts, scheduled meetings with potential investors, and multiple chances to pitch to the international audience at How to Web. This intensive mentorship, combined with exposure to investors, can significantly accelerate a startup’s growth trajectory, providing founders with personalized guidance to refine their business models and pitching strategies.

Dealflow & Demo Area: Brings founders and investors together

Through the Dealflow platform, How to Web provides direct connections between founders and investors, enabling an extensive series of high-value meetings that would otherwise take months to arrange. This dedicated matchmaking format can open doors to funding opportunities that have the potential to shape the future of a startup.

Over 200 top investors, including representatives from renowned funds such as IVP, Northzone, Cherry Ventures, Credo Ventures, Creandum, Angular Ventures, Balderton, Seedcamp, 20VC, OTB, and Inovo VC, will be present to evaluate and discover the next generation of promising startups.

Additionally, the Demo Area offers startups a dynamic platform to showcase their products and engage with potential customers and partners. Startups can choose from flexible booth options, including half-day presence or full two-day exposure.

The interactive demo spaces allow companies to present their innovations in front of over 3,000 participants, including industry leaders and potential investors. This setting encourages networking and provides startups with immediate feedback on their products or services.

Startup Showcase for Sustainability Projects

In partnership with BRD – Groupe Société Générale, this program highlights startups developing technology-driven sustainability solutions. Selected startups receive an exclusive package of opportunities, including conference tickets, the chance to present on the Startup Stage, and personalized promotional videos produced and published by BRD – Groupe Société Générale.

This collaboration guarantees participants significant exposure and market validation. The initiative promotes innovations addressing urgent environmental and social challenges and offers a unique platform for sustainability-focused startups to gain recognition within the business community.

“Since 2022, when we joined this event, we have committed to supporting entrepreneurs in bold and impactful projects. At BRD Groupe Société Générale, we strongly believe in the potential of startups to bring positive changes to society and recognize the importance of offering not just targeted solutions, but an entire ecosystem of support and acceleration. This includes products and services tailored to the needs of early-stage entrepreneurs, as well as mentorship, visibility, and connections that create value,” said Anca Nuțiu, Executive Director of Retail Customers Value Management at BRD Groupe Société Générale. “We look forward to seeing entrepreneurs on the How to Web Conference 2025 stage who are rising to the sustainability challenges of today and the future.

Dedicated strategies for sales and fundraising

Beyond unique access to top investors, How to Web offers founders intensive applied learning sessions designed to accelerate their business growth. Two exclusive bootcamps will be hosted on the Focus Stage of the conference:

• Sales Bootcamp: A two-hour interactive session dedicated to advanced sales techniques, led by renowned experts such as Zoltan Vardy (author of The Launchcode), Andrei Dănescu (founder of Dexory), and Alexandre Dewez (Partner at 20VC). Participants will benefit from live analyses of their pitch decks and sales processes, with valuable insights shared by these industry leaders.
• Fundraising Bootcamp: A two-hour intensive session focused on fundraising strategies, facilitated by Nikola Yanev, fundraising consultant. Gregor Rebolj (Silicon Gardens), Raya Yunakova (Launchub), and Karol Lasota (Inovo) will provide direct feedback and real-time analyses of participants’ pitch decks.

Founders will have the opportunity to engage directly with investors featured on stage in the more intimate Q&A Stage setting. Here, they can dive deeper into the topics covered and ask questions to speakers such as Tobias Winczer (Target Global), Alexander Agureev (Northzone), and Julius de Gruyter (Cherry Ventures).

How to Web Conference 2025 is organized in partnership with BRD – Groupe Société Générale, Underline Ventures, Google Romania, with the support of Infobip, Bitdefender, Inovo, PPC, BrightCap Ventures, Lead Ventures, Siena Secondary Fund, Cytowski & Partners, South Central Ventures, and Endeavor Romania.