About Upstream
CONNECTING STARTUPS, CAPITAL AND OPPORTUNITIES.
Upstream is where (pre)-seed startups find capital and opportunities. Whether you’re raising, investing, or looking to partner with the next generation of entrepreneurs, this community-driven festival is your gateway to capital, cutting-edge ideas, and meaningful connections.
Upstream 2026 will happen on May 21 in Rotterdam at the Van Nelle Fabriek. You can pre-register for your ticket here.
Upstream connects startups, capital, and opportunities. Launched in 2020, the festival brings together the very best of the startup ecosystem – spotlighting ambitious founders and forward-thinking investors. It’s a celebration of collaboration, powered by co-creation partners from across the Netherlands.
Yes, you will be able to pre-book meetings with investors in the speeddating area via our event platform. In addition, the NL Startup Competition hosts their yearly pitch competition, check out their website to sign-up.
We have pre-registration open for startups and investors. The startup tickets are for founders and employees of an incorporated startup or scale-up, with an innovative and scalable business model. IMPORTANT: If you're a service provider, agency, it-firm, studio, accelerator, etc please choose attendee pass. We will review your details and hold the right to cancel your ticket if you don't meet the criteria.
Side events will happen all week, from May 18-20. Your Upstream ticket will give you access to the main event on May 21 and the online community. Side events are independently organized and handle their own registration, allowing you to also sign up without a ticket for Upstream.
We'll be exchanging scale for depth at Upstream. Less is more. Quality over quantity. Depth over breadth.
Because when every attendee in the room is relevant, all you need to do is make sure they know how to find each other. We don't just want to create a 'sit and listen' event. Startup events have a massive potential of adding value by creating (serendipitous) connections. However: that requires participation, not attendance.
We're cutting back on the number of stages and talks and swapping them for smaller-scale tipi-sessions where experts will be hosting hands-on workshops on topics that every startup needs. A much larger part of the venue will be dedicated to the facilitation of both spontaneous and pre-booked meetings. We're making it easier to find the right people both on- and offline.