The Deals, Hires, and Partnerships That Came Out of One EU Startup Event

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-24

You know those conference conversations that feel like they could lead somewhere, but you're never quite sure? Well, for a bunch of founders at the EU-Startups Summit in Malta, they actually did. What started as handshakes and hallway chats turned into real contracts, new hires, and even a padel partnership. Here's a look at what happened when the talking stopped and the real work began. ### From Handshake to Contract One of the most immediate wins came from Noctra Labs. Founder Apeganan Elangeswaran met a Luxembourg-based angel investor who had only bought his ticket 30 hours before the event. After a quick chat at the Summit, they ended up having dinner together. Now, the investor is interested in putting in up to $27,000 (converted from EUR 25k) into the startup. The contract has already been sent. "This deal wouldn't have happened without EU Summit," Apeganan said. Liberbyte's founder Tero Salomaa also found his match. He met an investment adviser who's now helping shape the company's pitch to investors. And the managing partner of FINANCIERING+ connected with a Dutch BioTech firm. They picked up the conversation in the Netherlands after the Summit and are still talking about future funding. Ravencourt Capital's Rohan Kapoor has made the Summit a regular stop. Over multiple years, he's built relationships with founders and general partners that have led to deals on both sides of the table. "I've already secured my ticket for next year's conference," he said. ### Big Money Moves Some connections take a bit longer to ripen, but when they do, they're substantial. After last year's event, 3TS Capital's Pekka Mäkki met the team behind Wamo, a neobank for small and medium businesses based in Finland and Malta. In April 2026, 3TS Capital announced a $10.8 million (converted from EUR 10 million) investment in the company. Mäkki even came back to this year's Summit with Wamo's CEO to introduce the startup to the wider community. ### Customers and Partners Close to Home Not every win is about big checks. Some are about finding the right partner or customer. - Coraltalk AI's CEO Melissa Morgan met an Italian distribution partner and landed a customer from the University of Malta. She also made a new friend from Australia. They played padel together later. - Fleece AI's founder secured Elevated Leads as a client after a Summit connection. The startup now handles the client's SEO and AI-powered content creation, plus automated invoicing. - Implex found a cloud provider for a major project, met potential clients, and identified partners to help them expand into Switzerland and the EdTech space. - Detelio connected with fellow Barcelona-based entrepreneurs who could become future clients. Sometimes the best opportunities are right in your own backyard. As Detelio's co-founder put it: "It's been a great event with great conversations and great panel discussions." ### The Numbers Game Durana Tech Park Ecosystem racked up over 30 B2B meetings at the Summit, followed by 17 follow-up discussions. One memorandum of understanding is currently in progress. ### What This Means for You If you're a founder or investor wondering whether these events are worth your time, the answer is pretty clear. Real deals happen. Real relationships form. And sometimes, the person you meet in a crowded hallway ends up being your next investor, partner, or co-founder. The key is showing up ready to talk, listen, and follow up. Because the real work doesn't start when the event ends. It starts when you pick up the phone the next week.