Denmark

TechBBQ 2026: Copenhagen Startup Conference Expects 10,000 Attendees

Jakob Steinschaden12. August 2026, 08:18

TechBBQ returns to Bella Center Copenhagen on August 26–27, 2026. Under the theme “Emerging from Agency,” founders, investors and policymakers will debate how much decision-making power humans retain in an age of agentic AI systems. Trending Topics will be on site.

What started in 2013 as an informal gathering in a Copenhagen park has become one of Europe’s larger startup conferences. Organizers expect more than 10,000 participants from the startup, investment and policy worlds, including over 2,000 representatives of venture capital funds. The Founders BBQ Showcase will feature 100 European startups.

The theme: “Emerging from Agency”

This year’s edition centers on the notion of agency — the question of who actively steers technological shifts and who merely reacts to them. As AI, quantum computing, robotics and physical AI reshape industry standards, the organizers argue that autonomous tools may accelerate execution, but human judgment, ethical governance and founder grit remain a company’s real moat. The announcement also frames technology explicitly as a field of diplomacy.

The top speakers

Meredith Whittaker — President, Signal
Howard Wright — VP Startup Ecosystem, NVIDIA
Max Welling — Co-Founder, CuspAI
Paul Rippon — Founder, Rippon Capital, and co-founder of Monzo
Hedda Båverud Olsson — CEO & Co-Founder, Lassie
Philipp Schröder — CEO & Co-Founder, 1KOMMA5°
James Hawkins — Co-Founder, PostHog
Luke Pappas — Partner, NEA
Bastian Hasslinger — Partner, Index Ventures
Fabrizio Del Maffeo — CEO & Co-Founder, Axelera AI
Maxim Romain — CEO & Co-Founder, Dott
Rob Huckin — VP of Sales, Hebbia

The full program and additional speakers are listed at techbbq.dk/speakers.

An expanded life science and deep tech area

Pointing to the Nordics’ strength in healthcare and biotechnology, TechBBQ is expanding its Life Science & Deep Tech Area. Located directly next to the main tech hall, it brings together health, medtech, therapeutics and planetary well-being.

The program includes facilitated matchmaking sessions connecting biotech, healthtech and deep tech founders with specialized VC funds and corporate partners — among them Alba Health founder Nora Cavani and AIRMO CEO Daria Stepanova. There will also be live demos and pitch sessions from Nordic scaleups working in clinical research, aerospace and advanced computing, plus a track on the intersection of deep tech, bio-engineering and climate resilience.

Dedicated tracks for fintech, defense and capital markets

Beyond the main stages, several vertical programs run in parallel:

Future of Fintech & AI-Native Fintechs, co-hosted by Flatpay CEO Sander Janca-Jensen, focusing on embedded finance, scaling and agentic banking
Nordic-Africa and Nordic-India Startup Summits, aimed at cross-border capital and talent flows
Defense & Dual-Use Summit on sovereignty, security and critical infrastructure, with policymakers and military innovators. It is accompanied by a Royal Defense & Dual-Use Reception with Prince Joachim of Denmark.
Investor and governance formats including the TechBBQ Investor Day, the LP Forum, the Policy Stage, the European Growth Pension & Insurance Summit and the Board Summit
Ecosystem formats such as the Hero Academy and IPO & Stock Market Day

Trending Topics will report from the conference in Copenhagen.