Upstream Festival to hold its sixth edition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, at the venue Annabel. The event focuses on startup development by gathering over 45 partners, along with founders, investors, companies, and policymakers from across Europe.
Taking place on the 21st and 22nd of May 2025, the programme includes more than 50 exhibitors, over 35 main events, 30 side events, and a group of renowned speakers. Tickets are available here. Use code “SiliconUpstream” to receive a 15% discount.
Why must you attend the event?
Upstream Festival, launched in 2020, is a community-focused event for startups. Each year, it gathers over 2,000 founders, investors, and industry participants with a shared focus on building impactful companies.
The 2025 event aims to provide startups with content that supports them in working toward a better future, across all sectors. The event’s broader purpose is to contribute to building a resilient economy by focusing on digital systems, reduced emissions, waste reduction, and social participation.
Key sessions such as deep dives, fireside chats, pitches, speed dating, and roundtables will offer practical insights and encourage professional connections.
Partners supporting Upstream Festival 2025
This year’s event includes returning partners, including the City of Rotterdam, Rabobank, the City of Delft, and the City of Zoetermeer.
Confirmed investors include Volta Ventures, 4ImpactVC, Arches Capital, Innovation Quarter, Graduate Entrepreneur Fund, and Smarter Ventures.
Lars Crama, one of the initiators of Upstream, highlights the European focus of this year’s Upstream Festival. Crama says, “Mario Draghi’s message is clear – Europe must rethink its competitiveness. That’s exactly what Upstream is about.”
“We bring together startups and scale-ups driving sustainable growth, connecting them with investors, customers and policymakers. If we want a future-proof economy, we need to back the entrepreneurs shaping it.”
Insights from startup leaders
Hear from speakers including Kiki Lauwers (Thorizon), Ida Tin (Clue), Clare Jones (Polarsteps), Elise de Reus (Cradle), and Deniz Wiedhaup (Yoni). They will share experiences on startup leadership, tech innovation, and building society through entrepreneurship.
Kiki Lauwers, who has over 15 years of experience in technology strategy and scale-up management, says, “Leading a startup feels like running an obstacle mud race-you have to embrace the mess. It’s a challenging ride, but you’re not in it alone.”
“Events like this, with fellow founders, are when things get truly real. No need to sugarcoat it.”
Deep tech breakfast and meeting new co-founders
The Upstream Festival programme includes various side events, such as the Deep Tech Breakfast and Meet Your Co-founder session.
The Deep Tech Breakfast, organised by Quantum Leiden and Quantum Delft, gathers deep tech founders and innovators to discuss fields like fintech, biotech, AI, and quantum computing. It provides a chance to exchange ideas and create connections.
The Meet Your Co-founder session at YES!Delft offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to network, pitch their startups, and find potential co-founders or team members.
Other popular side events from past editions, such as the Scale-up CEO Dinner by Up!Rotterdam, the Unconference by the Dutch Societal Innovation Hub, and Builders Investor House by the Builders Studio, will also be part of this year’s programme.
More information and tickets for Upstream Festival can be found here.
Looking back: Milestones from past Upstream Festivals
In 2024, the fifth edition of Upstream Festival was held in Rotterdam, bringing together a wide mix of founders, investors, corporate leaders, SMEs, and policymakers from across Europe.
The event featured sessions and activities focused on advancing digital, sustainable, circular, and inclusive economic models. Participants engaged in networking and collaboration to drive shared progress across the startup ecosystem.
In 2023, the festival drew investors managing over €12B in assets. It also served as a launchpad for strategic partnerships—such as the connection between Tim Houter of Hardt Hyperloop and investor Peter Goedvolk—that helped accelerate business growth through collaboration.
Tim Houter, co-founder of Hardt Hyperloop, mentioned, “During Upstream, I got to know Peter Goedvolk, a renowned entrepreneur from Rotterdam and founder of investment firm First Dutch. We kept in contact ever since, and in our investment round last year, we partnered up with Peter and his investment firm to accelerate the hyperloop developments together.”
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