The 2026 Theme

From Challenger to Champion: How Europe's next giants will be built

The question isn’t whether Europe can build tech giants. It’s how many - and what's getting in the way.

Sifted Summit 2026 is where founders, operators and investors unpack what it takes to go from challenger to champion and turn growth into lasting market leadership.

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to compete, scale and win at the highest level.

 

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The 2026 Programme

Two stages. Operator-level depth. High-trust conversations.
Built for scaleup founders and operators scaling real businesses.

Challenger Stage

Big decisions. Real scale. Category leadership.

For founders, operators and investors building at European and global level.

This is where you hear from the companies that have crossed the line and those about to.

What to expect:

  • Founders who’ve scaled to £100m+ ARR and beyond
  • Strategic debates on AI, regulation and competitive advantage
  • Honest conversations on IPOs, secondaries and late-stage growth
  • What changes when you stop being the challenger — and start leading the category

You’ll leave with a clear view of how European tech companies actually become global leaders.

Next Stage

For operators.
By operators.

Practical sessions for the people doing the work of scaling.

No theory. No recycled playbooks. Just what’s working inside high-growth companies right now.

What to expect:

  • Hiring, retaining and structuring teams at scale
  • Capital efficiency as a growth lever, not a constraint
  • Applying AI across product, growth and operations
  • Scaling without breaking culture or execution

You’ll leave with frameworks you can apply immediately.

Workshops

Practical. Closed-door. Immediately useful.

Expert-led sessions designed for scale-stage complexity.

Topics include:

  • Hiring and retaining A-players
  • Running secondary rounds
  • Building thought leadership in an AI-first world

Tools, templates and tactics you can use the next day.

Roundtables

Off the record. Peer-level. High trust.

Curated discussions for founders, operators and investors.

Topics include:

  • Partnering with AI giants: compete or collaborate?
  • Navigating regulation as a growth lever
  • Founder transition moments at scale

Designed for candour, nuance and serious conversation.

Sifted Summit is for

Founders

Building companies that can compete with incumbents — and win.

Operators

Scaling teams, systems and performance without losing speed or control.

Investors

Identifying and backing the companies most likely to become Europe’s next category leaders.

Policymakers & corporates

Shaping the conditions, partnerships and infrastructure that enable Europe’s next generation of tech champions.

Built for Europe's Next Giants

Sifted Summit is where Europe’s future category leaders come together.

A more focused audience.
A higher bar for entry.
A stronger signal to be in the room.

Because Europe doesn’t need more startup noise.
It needs honest conversations about what it takes to scale.
 

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a roundtable discussion taking place at Sifted Summit