Investor to startup meetings are a series of pre-scheduled, 15-minute meetings between tech’s most influential investors and the most promising startups in our startup program.

Investors select startups they want to meet with based on their startup profiles and pitch decks. Based on feedback from our attending investors, pitch decks play a huge role in the selection process, so make sure yours stands out. With this in mind, we have put together a page on pitch decks and created a sample deck for you to use as a reference here.

If you’re selected to take part in investor to startup meetings, you will be contacted by your startup success manager with the times and dates of your meetings closer to the event.

Please note: You cannot apply to take part in investor to startup meetings. When your profile is complete, the information is entered into the investor to startup meetings database. Investors will then select the startups they would like to invite for a meeting. If you would prefer not to take part, please fill in the opt out form here.

You don’t have to wait for a meeting to come to you. We recommend that you review the investor section of the Web Summit website and use the filters in the app to do some smart outreach.

Not all startups will be selected to meet with an investor. However there are other ways to increase your startup visibility with investors at Web Summit.

• Apply for PITCH. Not only are some of our judges investors, if you progress to the group stages or semi-final of the competition your startup will be pitching on stage at Web Summit in front of a crowd. If you make it to the final, you'll be pitching on Centre Stage – Web Summit's main stage – to an audience that includes investors from across the world.

• Apply for Mentor Hours. During Web Summit, Mentor Hours alone will host up to 120 meetings between more than 1000 attendees. We work with our investors and data science teams to match startups to mentors. The pool of mentors includes a selection of attending investors.

• Make the most of your exhibition day. Your exhibition day, which will be confirmed with you by October 21, is a perfect opportunity to not only meet with investors but to network with any passing attendees. You can check out more tips for making the most of your exhibition day here.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Get to know the investors joining us at Web Summit before the event, do your research and prepare accordingly.

How do I contact investors and media at Web Summit?

Do some smart outreach and contact investors and attending media using the chat feature on our app.

What do investors want to know?

They want your story, so be able to tell it quickly. Focus on the size of the potential market, the problem you’re solving, and why your team is equipped to tackle it.

Practise your pitch

Be able to pitch your company in one-sentence, 30 secs, 2 mins, and 5 mins. Tailor your pitch for different types of people you’ll meet at Web Summit.

Do your research

Every investor has a focus, whether it’s industry, stage of development or geography. Be selective about those you approach, and don’t pitch blind.

Build relationships

Your goal is to build confidence in your product and stay on investors’ radar. Be patient and keep the door open. A connection you make now may benefit you in years to come. You may not receive investment this time, but you can build on what you’ve learned.

Take all advice on board

Learn from everyone you meet. Not every investor you talk to will be relevant to your business, but their experience can be invaluable.

Cold Dm’s

Engage with the investors' content. Think of it as pre-sales. Leave comments, respond, and generally add value to the community before you ask for a sale.

Show your talent within the message. Remember, all the investor knows about you is what’s in your message. For artists and illustrators, don’t tell an investor what you can create. Show them! Attach something creative and relevant to your message.

Web Summit is a busy three days and we’ve found the most successful startups are those that have done their due diligence. Do as much research as you can on the companies/attendees/investors you’d like to meet to maximise your time at the event, meeting the right people for your company.

Grab their attention

An investor gets hundreds of DMs every day, so each one only gets a few seconds of their time. Start with a strong personalised opening – something that will catch their attention.

When you slide into someone’s DMs, make it personal. Your message should be about them, not you.