Top Entrepreneurship Conferences of 2017
Want to find out the top conferences for 2018? We’ve got the list right here!
Entrepreneurship conferences can provide a wealth of resources for your startup. They provide entrepreneurs with a number of tools such as expert panels, workshops, and networking events where you can meet possible investors or influencers. It’s also a wonderful place to meet other passionate entrepreneurs who are going through the same process that you are. As we’ve experienced here at Bridge for Billions conferences have helped us make a bunch of new entrepreneur friends around the world (shoutout to ChangemakersXchange and EVPA Summit to name a couple :) ), who are passionate about their own products. The entrepreneurship community is also very willing to help each other out, and are a wonderful support system to have. We’ve made a number of our partnerships because of people we’ve met at various conferences such as Towards Collaborative Practices in Lecce, Italy.
Another very important reason to attend entrepreneurship conferences are the network opportunities that are invaluable to new startups. Not only do you get to network with inspiring entrepreneurs, but you can also network with investors, and industry professionals. Some of these people can be interested in investing in your company, and others can be great mentors for your startup. It’s always a good idea to be on the lookout for people who can help you, and who want to help you succeed! These conferences are also a chance for you to learn from these professionals. Most conferences are littered with talks by CEOs of big companies, successful startup founders, and investors. Take advantage of all of their knowledge! It can help you figure out what you need to improve in order to have your venture succeed. They can give you valuable insight as to what investors are looking for when they’re deciding whether to invest in a company or not. It can also give you ideas about what your next steps should be.
Conferences are also a great way of reaching a new audience. They introduce you to a whole new group of people who have probably never heard about your startup! Take advantage of this, and tell everyone about your product or service. You never know when or where you’ll meet a new client. Always make sure to bring business cards you can easily pass along to people who are interested, and tell everyone about your product. Even if they themselves aren’t customers if they think your idea is cool they’ll tell their friends about you. This word of mouth is a powerful tool in expanding the number of people who know about your product. You’d be surprised to know how many entrepreneurs and mentors are referred to our program by friends who have met us at conferences and have told their friends about us.
While attending these conferences can be an investment of time and money, we have always found the conferences we’ve attended to be invaluable to our startup. However, since they do cost entrepreneurs both time and money, it’s important to research the conferences you’re considering attending in order to ensure that they time and money is well spent. We’ve compiled a list of some entrepreneurship conferences for you to check out!
Europe
1.SeedStarSummit- April 6th- Lausanne, Switzerland
An entrepreneurship forum for emerging markets. This conference includes the opportunity to win 1,000,000$ in equity, and connect with investors from around the world.
2. Startup Olé- 26&27 April — Salamanca, Spain
Startup Olé features matchmaking between startups and relevant players in the ecosystem such as investors, accelerators, policy makers and more! There will be a chance to learn from panels, pitch your project, and participate in a startup fair. We’re a partner with Startup Olé and the winner of the pitch contest gets our incubation program!
North America
1. Disrupt NY- May 15–17- NYC, USA
Disrupt NY hosts a Startup Battlefield where entrepreneurs can win 50,000$ and the attention of media and investors. They also host a startup fair, and a matchmaking between startups and investors. This conference also hosts a 24 hour Hackathon, where entrepreneurs form groups in order to come up with new and innovative ideas.
2. Startup+Fest- 12–15 July- Montreal, Canada
This startup conference takes place in Montreal and allows entrepreneurs to win over 200,000$ in funding. It also provides for expansive access to investors. The best part is that they allow really small startups to apply to have their trip funded; allowing bootstrapping entrepreneurs the chance of attending this conference!
Asia
1. Slush Tokyo- March 29–30- Tokyo, Japan
This conference combines over 500 startups with over 200 investors, media and tech talent allowing for networking opportunities and exposure for startups. There are a number of demo booths, as well as fire-side chat opportunities to get to know founders and investors.
2. Echelon Asia Summit- June 28–29- Singapore
This conference divides up its offerings based on the startup’s stage: Create, Build/Reach, and Future. It offers a number of workshops and masterclasses for you to learn from industry and technology experts. They provide multiple networking opportunities as well as a platform through which to showcase your venture.
Africa
1. Global Entrepreneurship Conference- March 13–16- Johannesburg, South Africa
The Global Entrepreneurship Conference offers a wide range of workshops including ones on Design Thinking and Base of the Pyramid Technologies. There are various points where entrepreneur can practice pitching their project while receiving feedback on their execution.
2. Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum- 5–6 October- Johannesburg, South Africa
This conference is centered on women in entrepreneurship. The conference is focused on women entrepreneurs and features many successful female CEOs. They’re given the opportunity to speak with investors, and media specialists in order to gain investment or publicity.
South America
1. FINNNOSUMMIT- 14 March- Bogota, Colombia
This conference focuses on Fintech, and includes a variety of workshops including: Don’t scale too early, and The key to validating and scaling a Fintech startup. They also provide startups the opportunity to pitch their ideas with the chance of winning the FINNOSUMMIT Challenge Award.
2. Haiti Tech Summit- 6–7 June- Port-au- Prince, Haiti
This conference focuses on technological innovation. It gathers tech innovators, influencers and entrepreneurs with the goal of addressing humanity’s greatest challenges. They put together presentations showcasing technological advancements. Their goal is to further their 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Australia
1. CeBIT Australia- May 23–25- Sydney, Australia
This conference allows entrepreneurs to generate awareness about their products. They also give you the opportunity to learn from industry leaders through their Keynote speakers and Strategic Panels. They have an annual PitchFest, that allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ventures to a panel of expert judges, where they can both receive feedback and possibly win the competition.
2. SparkFest- October 13–22- Sydney, Australia
This entrepreneurship festival organizes a number of entrepreneurship events throughout their week-long fest. They have panels on social enterprises, as well as hackathons for various themed projects. They also provide panels for job hunters who want to work for startups, as well as a number of networking events.
Whether you’ve been inspired to start your own venture, or you’re in the process of developing your business a conference can be a good springboard to impulse you forward. At Bridge for Billions, we’ve found them to be a wonderful tool to get the word out about our product. However for pitch competitions and when talking to investors you have to be prepared for tough questions about all aspects of your business. A strong business plan is needed if you are approaching conferences as a way of gaining investment, and we can help with that! We match our entrepreneurs with mentors who help them develop a well-rounded business plans through our online platform. Learn more about us here!
