May 20, 2027
Connecting startups, capital and opportunities
What is Upstream Festival? Upstream is where early-stage startups find capital and opportunities. Founders and investors are invited to join us in Rotterdam to spark growth through funding opportunities, strategic partnerships and peer-learning. Upstream brings in some special focus on three industry tracks being, Port & Maritime, Health & Wellbeing, and Climate & Energy, while continuing to welcome innovations from all sectors. Whether you’re raising, investing, or looking to connect with peers, this community-driven festival is your gateway to meaningful connections. Save the date: May 20, 2027
This was Upstream 2026
2000+
attendees at the main and side events
Over 2000 startups, investors and ecosystem builders connected across 4 different industry tracks over the entire Upstream week. If you'd like to dive deeper into the numbers, download our full impact report. Want to join us next year? Save the date for May 20th, 2027.
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2026
2025
Speakers
Check out some of the speakers of previous Upstream Festivals.
Why attend?
Founders
- Connect with other founders
- Meet investors
- Grow and scale your business
Investors
- Find new deals
- Meet (co-)investors
- Showcase your expertise
Change Makers
- Meet curated startups
- Learn from other innovators
- Highlight your impact
Updates
View all updates
Not every startup needs to feel like a family: Liselotte Graas on building a high-performance culture
How do you keep moving quickly when a startup becomes a scale-up?
Unlocking Venture Capital in the Netherlands: A guide for startups
Raising venture capital can feel like a world of its own. There are rounds, terms, decks, introductions, valuations, partner meetings, due diligence processes and a lot of advice that sounds confident until it starts contradicting the next
Founder turned investor: Thijn van Helvoirt on building with data and raising with purpose
What makes someone a better investor? For Thijn van Helvoirt, the answer was to become a founder first.
Partners
