13 Start-up conferences entrepreneurs can’t miss in 2024

Is there anything budding entrepreneurs, venture capital moguls, and angel investors enjoy more than a global conference focused on tech startups? Probably not. With more events cropping up every year, it's time for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to whip out their agenda and start planning their conference trip. 

Whether you're an aspiring fintech founder, a superstar artificial intelligence developer, or just an aficionado of the startup community, here's a list of the top entrepreneurship and startup events to attend in 2024:

Lauded as the most influential tech event in the world, CES 2024 promises to bring back all of the learning and networking opportunities for which it has become known. The conference will cover a range of topics, from 5G and the Internet of Things to digital marketing, self-driving cars, cryptocurrency, space technology, food technology, and more. This global expo promises to bring together some of the greatest minds in tech from around the world. You won’t want to miss it!

Also known as a “Digital Davos,” this is the world’s largest tech event with over 172,000 attendees. 2024 is the third edition of One Giant Leap, and promises everything from fintech, future energy, retail, smart cities, and more.

With keynote speakers from Relativity Space, West Ham United, Ericsson, Mastercard, Nokia, and more, entrepreneurs will want for nothing at this future-forward startup conference. You’ll even have the chance to hear from Anthony Joshua MBE, Tim Draper, Robby Yung, and Borje Ekholm!

Four Years From Now, or 4YFN for short, is the

Mobile World Congress

' unmissable startup conference. 4YFN’s partnership with MWC means that it is one of the most popular and influential connectivity events, bringing together founders and investors from around the world. 

Hosted within the broader tech summit, this event includes a startup competition aimed at finding the best startups and scale-ups from around the world. Learn from international thought leaders and attend networking events both at 4YFN and at the MWC itself at one of the largest tech conferences on the continent. With an audience of nearly 90,000, it’s a stadium-sized event just brimming with opportunity. 

Canada’s original startup event, Startupfest, is the annual gathering at which entrepreneurs, investors, industry veterans, and startup communities that chart the course of technology come together to exchange ideas. 

Going for 13 years, Startupfest is an increasingly popular event for startups and investors alike. The emphasis is on communication, and so the conference is geared to creating meaningful interactions at every opportunity. It’s a must-attend, not only for Canadians but for international visitors too. 

The ultimate conference for digital creatives, this event focuses on the most innovative breakthroughs that are happening in the world of technology, film, culture, and music. This year, new sessions are being introduced to focus on design, the tech industry, and food! 

This year’s featured sessions will cover the most critical breakthroughs in tech, film, culture, and music, bringing together a wide variety of experiences. Stand-out tracks include AI, Advertising & Brand Experience, and “2050.” If you're building a startup in the world of glitz and glamor and want to be surrounded by stars, influencers, investors, and all-around entertainment industry experts, this is the place to go.

Attend in-person or join as an online event, Startup Grind’s Global Conference is one of the most renowned startup conferences worldwide. Thousands of large-scale and early-phase startups will have the opportunity to come together, meet investors, exchange ideas, and participate in workshops. Past speakers have included business leaders from international companies like Alphabet, Zoom, Bloomberg, Y Combinator, Slack, Google, WhatsApp, and many more. This year’s conference promises to offer no less!

Looking to be on the cutting edge of business, science, and technology? The World Summit AI Americas is the place to go to meet some of the brightest minds in the world of artificial intelligence and big data to discuss relevant topics like ethics, trust, privacy, and scalability. They’re back in 2024 for the sixth iteration of the Summit, expecting coverage by CNN and some of the biggest names in AI and tech today. 

Listen to speakers from Google Brain, Coursera, and AWS, to name a few. You’ll even get the chance to listen to a Professor of Psychology and Neural Science from New York University! It's a must-attend event for anyone hoping to make it big in North America's AI world.

London Tech Week is back for its 10th anniversary! This year, it’s going bigger and relocating to London Olympia, where it’ll enjoy double the space, double the opportunity, and double the impact. This week-long festival celebrates technology and is an excellent opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to immerse themselves in how technology is transforming business development.

With over 30,000 participants and over 300 speakers, the event is supported by some of the industry's leading companies, including Channel 4, Snap Inc., Microsoft UK, Amazon, Calm, Metam, and many more. What are you waiting for? 

One of Europe’s biggest tech events, VivaTech is the place to be at the intersection of business and innovation. Each year, business leaders, startups, investors, researchers, and innovators fly to Paris to ignite positive change. It’s a particular hotspot for startups, matching entrepreneurs with investors and presenting the VivaTech Awards and StartUp Challenge prizes.

With countless keynote speeches, seminars, and networking opportunities, VivaTech is a catalyst for digital transformation and startup growth. Book your tickets early—or you’ll miss the opportunity!

Home to the European HQs of companies like Google and Facebook, Dublin's Grand Canal Docks have been renamed the Silicon Docks for good reason. The Irish capital is awash with tech companies, and it's no surprise that the city now boasts one of Europe's most influential tech and entrepreneurship conferences. Whether you're building a SaaS company, developing the latest product or service in IoT, or have a great idea to rock the world of e-commerce, this is the place that’ll bring it to life.

If you're trying to figure out what the coolest technology conference with a focus on startups is, look no further.

hub.berlin

is all about turning digitisation into reality through exciting workshops, live tech exhibitions, and networking events, all set against the backdrop of mind-bending digital art. Focus topics for 2024 include sustainability, security, policy, and digital transformation. 

This event is more than just a top startup conference. It's also a great place to go for a good time! Side events include pub crawls, tech playgrounds, escape rooms, and more. Not to mention that you get the chance to have one-on-one chats with speakers from some of the world's most renowned technology companies. It's definitely one for the books.

Undoubtedly one of Europe's most prominent tech conferences, Web Summit returns to the Portuguese capital each year, bringing together 70,000+ tech enthusiasts in the process. Dubbed “the world’s premier tech conference” by Politico, The Wall Street Journal called this three-day event the place where "the giants of the web assemble," so you can safely assume that any startup founder or CEO worth their salt will want to be there. With industry leaders from companies like Apple, Mars, Facebook, and Spotify, this event represents a world of opportunities to learn from the best in the business.

Celebrated as the world's leading event for the startup ecosystem, Slush brings together founders and investors for two days of networking, keynotes, demo showcases, roundtables, mentor sessions, and an epic afterparty. 

The event takes networking to the next level through its Matchmaking Tool, where you can browse who will be attending in advance of the event and organise meetups with them. Don't forget to explore Soaked by Slush, the event's online publication offering the best advice and tips for entrepreneurs in the modern world. 

Whichever conference you’re most looking forward to, get ahead of the game and reserve your travel today. Whatever the size of your company, conferences are brilliant team-building trips, with plenty to inspire and boost innovation. If it’s just you, even better! The networking opportunities are second to none at these events. 

An entrepreneur's life is full of admin and juggling. To avoid unnecessary stress, you can use TravelPerk to book your next trip quickly and efficiently using the all-in-one platform, with access to the best rates on the market. With 24/7 customer support,

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