amsterdam

with Victor Knaap (Co-Founder, Media.Monks)

Intimate lunchtime session with Victor Knaap, co-founder of Media.Monks — the Dutch creative production company that scaled globally as part of S4 Capital. Knaap shares how he approached brand-building at the intersection of technology, creativity and content, and how early-stage founders can think about narrative, positioning and distinctive identity. Hosted by Startup Village at Amsterdam Science Park as part of The Nursery programme. Small format — sign up early.

Demo Day for the eighth cohort of the AMS Startup Booster — AMS Institute's 20-week urban-tech accelerator. Ten ventures present what they have built after months of customer discovery, prototyping and testing, working on circular materials, climate resilience, digital infrastructure for cities and social inclusion. Audience includes corporate innovation leads, public sector partners, academic researchers and investors looking for Amsterdam-grounded urban-tech deal flow.

The Benelux Regional final of the Startup World Cup — a global pitch competition with regional rounds in 100+ countries feeding into a Silicon Valley grand finale with a $1M investment prize. Selected Benelux startups pitch to a panel of investors at AI House Amsterdam (powered by Prosus), with the regional winner advancing to the global final in San Francisco later in 2026. A high-quality evening for founders, investors and operators interested in the strongest deep-tech and AI-driven companies coming out of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

An unofficial Hello Tomorrow side event held at the STRAAT Museum, pulling in the international deep tech community arriving in Amsterdam that week. Curated showcase of ventures emerging from the DT Launch Pad — a year-long European programme that supports research-based teams from leading universities through training, mentoring and early commercialisation. Short pitches followed by structured networking. No Hello Tomorrow ticket required — this is an open evening for investors, founders and operators who want early visibility on the strongest research-driven deep tech companies in Europe.

Practical morning session for early-stage AI founders at Startup Village Amsterdam. Sira Incentives — a Dutch consultancy specialising in public funding for innovation — walks through which EU and Dutch grant schemes AI startups can realistically apply for, what the application process actually looks like, and case studies of companies that have successfully secured non-dilutive support. Run as part of The Nursery programme.

One-day Amsterdam edition of the AfricArena Tour — the long-running African tech ecosystem accelerator that culminates each year in the Grand Summit in December. Held at Google Amsterdam, the programme features curated pitches from African startups raising in Europe, keynotes from senior investors and corporates active across the continent, and structured networking with LPs, GPs and founders. Strong fit for European VCs looking at African deal flow and for diaspora founders connecting back to the continent.

Third edition of Finder — Amsterdam's structured co-founder matching event — and the opening event of Amsterdam Tech Week. Designed for two audiences: joiners looking for a 16+ hour role in an Amsterdam-based startup (as co-founder or early hire), and founders looking for business or technical talent to add to a young team. A structured Finder Session 16:00–17:30 walks participants through guided introductions, followed by open drinks 17:30–19:00 at AMS Institute. Hosted by AMS Institute, Venture Centre HvA, Demonstrator Lab and Startup Village Amsterdam.

Afternoon pitch competition and networking at TNW City run by ACT | The App Association to open Amsterdam Tech Week. Eight European startups from the App Association's Scale Lab cohort pitch live to a panel of mentors, policymakers and industry insiders — with the angle that regulatory intelligence (AI Act, DSA, compliance-as-moat) is becoming a real competitive edge for early-stage tech companies, not just a tax. Programme includes opening remarks, a policy-leader keynote, a panel on Compliance as a Competitive Edge, the lightning pitches, a winner announcement (with a spotlight slot at the App Association's TNW Conference booth), and networking that flows into the larger TNW opening party. Free to attend, registration required.

Grand finale of Innovators Arena 2026 at the E|SPORTS TECH CAMPUS (H20 Esports Stadium) in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Eight selected startups pitch on stage to a room of investors, corporate innovation leads and partners; all programme participants — including teams not pitching — showcase live demos and real-world applications from 18:30. Notable because the venue itself is a Living Lab — innovations are tested in operation, not just on slides.

Headline event of Amsterdam Tech Week: a 45-hour AI builder tournament at The HUBB bringing together 500+ vetted founders, engineers and designers to ship real startup work, not weekend toys. Mentors and operators from Codex, Mollie, Miro, Peak Capital, Visa, Wispr Flow, Tulip Ventures and BabyVC are in the room throughout the weekend; €100K+ prize pool. Hosted by TAG — the Amsterdam builder community behind weekly ship sprints and demo nights. Applications vetted; free tickets via the public video-pitch route.

Ascent Valley's recurring Amsterdam tech and AI networking evening, this month at Side Quest Bar in the city centre. Founders, operators and investors from across 23 cities in Ascent Valley's network; a credible alternative if you're looking for a smaller-room conversation during Dutch Blockchain Week. Light pitching plus structured intros.

Flagship two-day Web3 summit at Johan Cruijff ArenA, anchoring Dutch Blockchain Week (Jun 22–28). 5,000+ attendees, 40+ side events around the city. Bitvavo, bunq, Visa, Kraken, OKX, Mastercard, Deloitte, Fireblocks and Worldpay all confirmed; deep-dives on institutional adoption, regulation, payments, and digital assets. Best week of the year to be in Amsterdam if you work in or around crypto, payments or Web3.