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Upstream festival 2022

From 31 May until 2 June 2022, the Rotterdam Metropolitan Region transformed again into the place where startups, scale-ups, investors, bold corporates, policy makers and students come together to make a positive impact on the world.

KEY FACTS

Upstream provided access to capital, new markets and talent for entrepreneurs who want to scale their business. Through a plethora of events, carefully curated and focusing on individual topics with a common goal: providing the founders of our regions' fastest growing and most innovative startups and scale-ups with better access to talent, markets and capital.

• 3 days

• 45 events

• 2000+ visitors

• 42 co-creators

• 22 speakers and panelists

• 42 partners.

"Like an annual reunion, each year I get to hang out with my friends, colleagues, mentors, go to's on the 'my life feels like a sh*t show days.... this crew have been with me through the high highs and the low lows.."– Esther O'Callaghan OBE, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at hundo.xyz
Photo galleryDownload Impact Report 2022
Aftermovie 2022Press release Upstream 2022

Access to Capital

• €2.5+ billion in assets under management.

• 127 curated investor meetings with 22 investors in software, deeptech and impact.

• 32 investors across all investment stages, including Antler, Cottonwood Technology Fund, Endeit Capital, SpeedInvest, Graduate Entrepreneur, ICOS Capital, IQCapital and more.

• Investment stage breakdown: Seed (58.6%), Series A/B (34.5%), Growth (6.9%).

"When I walk out with a smile, which I do now, is because I also get inspired again from other people’s stories.”– Duncan Stutterheim, co-founder ID&T

Access to MARKETs

• 175 speed dates, 114 serendipity meetings.

• 23 corporates, including KPN, Dell, Rabobank, Microsoft, Albert Heijn, TBI.

• Welcomed 35 start-up visa facilitators.

• 141 startups and scaleups participated in curated market access matchmaking events.

“We are astronauts of spaceship Earth with limited resources, and with the capital we can create better food technology, better ways of energy, better ways of transportation and make it a beautiful place.”– André Kuipers (Astronaut & Earth Ambassador)

Access to TALENT

• 1.086 start-up and scaleup jobs promoted (HackYourCareer.com).

• 25 scale-ups at career fair, International talent (67.4%), Dutch talent (32.6%). Breakdown: EMEA (61.6%), APAC (25.8%), LATAM (9.4%), NAM (1.9%).

"Hosting a business event in a night club, why not? Upstream Festival pulled it off once again and we have to admit: the vibe is vibing."– ImpactCity

Marketing Metrics

• Visitor demographics: Founders (37.5%), Students (17.4%), Corporate (11.3%), Other (10.9%), Investor (8.7%), Government (6.3%), Employees (4.5%), Academia (2%). 42% start-ups and scaleups.

"Last week I was invited to a CEO dinner organized by Upstream Festival in Rotterdam thanks to Tech Netherlands Advocates and I was happy to see that the room was filled with more diversity (gender, ethnicity, age, and sexuality."– Anieke Lamers, Founder of Peekabond

PARTNERS

City of Rotterdam, Gemeente Delft, Gemeente Schiedam, Rabobank, ICOS Capital, RVO, KPN, InnovationQuarter, 42Workspace, Arches Capital, BlueCity, Builders Studio, CCI France Pays-Bas, CIC Rotterdam, College Life, De Investeerders Club, Dutch Basecamp, Dutch Fresh Port, ECE, ECE Students, Erasmus Alumni Club, Erasmus Enterprise, Fortify, Gemeente Schiedam, ICOS Capital, iTanks, KPN, Leapfunder, Lunatech, Microlab, No Such Ventures, Phi Factory, Rabobank, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, RVO, ScaleUpNation, Startup Roulette, TNW, Varias, Venture Café, Voorgoed Agency, Yes!Delft, Zuid-Holland AI Startup Academy, BNR.