Upstream festival 2026
From May 18 until May 22, 2026, the Netherlands – and specifically Rotterdam – once again became a meeting point for founders, investors, ecosystem builders, corporates, students, and partners from across the Netherlands and beyond. Across a week of community-led side events and a main festival day at Van Nelle Fabriek, Upstream brought startups, capital, and opportunities together. The focus was clear: meaningful connections that help founders move forward.
KEY FACTS
Upstream Festival is a community-driven startup event with a clear dedication to curation and collaboration. The 2026 edition combined inspiring talks, practical workshops, startup pitches, investor meetings, founder meetups, and side events shaped together with partners across the ecosystem.
- 5 days
- 23 side events
- 2,000+ visitors in total
- 26 countries represented
- 28 speakers and workshop hosts
- 2 stages
- 2 workshop hubs
- 29 exhibitors
- 41+ co-creation partners
- 2,850 connections made
“Yesterday at Upstream Festival, we hosted a power hour in the Founder Lounge with one goal only: fueling real conversations. We knew Upstream Festival was the right place for this, but yesterday they proved it all over again. Really putting founders first, fostering real connections, and bringing the perfect vibe and energy to the Van Nelle Fabriek.” Wouter de Bruijne, RSLNC Inc.
Access to Capital
Upstream brought together early-stage founders and investors looking for relevant opportunities. Through scheduled speeddates, on-site introductions, and conversations throughout the festival, startups had the chance to connect with investors who understood their stage, solution, and ambitions.
“Throughout the day, we spoke with ambitious early-stage founders working on innovations in AI, Life Sciences & Health, and Maritime. Some were looking for funding, others for strategic partners, feedback, co-founders, or simply the right conversation to move forward.
And that’s what makes events like Upstream Festival so valuable: bringing together founders, early-stage investors, and ecosystem partners in one place, where ideas can quickly turn into meaningful connections.”
Uniiq, Finance for the Future
Access to MARKETs
Relevant introductions do not stop at funding. Upstream also connected startups with corporate buyers, ecosystem organisations, and potential strategic partners.
The meeting area brought together 29 exhibitors, while the programme created space for conversations across a wide range of sectors. Upstream remained open to startups from every industry, with a special focus on three tracks:
- Climate & Energy
- Health & Wellbeing
- Port & Maritime
The startups and investors attending Upstream represented a broad mix of industries, including clean tech, climate tech, health, enterprise software, biotech, robotics, transportation, food, semiconductors, space, security, and engineering and manufacturing equipment.
“For our startups, this is exactly the environment where ideas continue to grow: new collaborations arise, feedback is collected, and valuable connections are made that help to further accelerate ambitions.”
Sabrina Cobben-Bösch, Community Manager, Brightlands Smart Services
Access to TALENT
The value of Upstream is not only found in the scheduled meetings. It is also in the conversation that starts over coffee, the unexpected introduction at a side event, or the founder who meets someone facing the same challenge.
Throughout the week, attendees joined breakfasts, dinners, workshops, panels, Q&As, networking mixers, and sport experiences. The side events were created together with partners across the region and offered something for founders, investors, corporates, students, and ecosystem builders.
At the main event, the Founder Lounge provided an exclusive space where startup and scale-up founders could connect with peers, share experiences, and join focused power hours. The Speeddate Area and Connector Desk helped attendees find relevant investors and arrange meetings on-site.
- 23 side events
- 2,850 connections made
- 26 countries represented
- Founder Lounge with focused power hours
- Investor meetings scheduled through the platform and on-site Connector Desk
“Looking back at all the connections and interactions from last week, I can only confirm how important events like this are for our ecosystem. The side events, the energy, the people in the room: it doesn’t happen by accident.”
Stef Traa, Founder, Droppie
Marketing Metrics
• 13.7K page views of upstreamfestival.com
• 3K page views of the ticket page
• 1.9 million social media and search engine impressions
• 580 publications
Visitor demographics: Startups (47.8%), Investors (17.1%), Attendees (28.6%), Students (6.5%)
“Today Upstream Festival in van NelleFabriek: amazing how one can have so muchfun while doing business!Great edition of Upstream! Your positiveenergy is inspiring! So many inspiringfounders, new investors, and ecosystemplayers. Looking forward to next year.” Emmie vanHalder, Angel Investor
PARTNERS
Main Partners: Rabobank, Provincie Zuid-Holland, Port of Rotterdam / PortXL, and Gemeente Rotterdam.
Program Partners: Windt Le Grand Leeuwenburgh Advocaten, Gemeente Delft, and Den Haag.
“What is so special about Upstream Festival?Founders first, building meaningfulconnections, sharing knowledge, experiencefuxups network, unlimited energy, greatspeakers, interesting side events, beststartup festival, perfect matchmaking,curated like-minded community… yes ! All ofthe above. Thanks all, for making Upstream2026 amazing.“ Ohad Gilad, Entrepreneur, Investor & Changemaker