The EU-Startups Summit Deals That Kept Paying Off Long After the Event

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-24

You know that feeling when you attend a conference, collect a bunch of business cards, and then... nothing happens. Most events are like that. But the EU-Startups Summit in Malta? That's a different story. For many attendees, the conversations that started in Malta didn't end when the venue closed its doors. They turned into contracts, hires, collaborations, and business relationships that spread across Europe and beyond. Let's look at what actually happened after the handshakes stopped. ### Real Investments Took Shape One of the most immediate results came from Noctra Labs. Founder and CTO Apeganan Elangeswaran met a Luxembourg-based business angel who expressed interest in investing up to $27,000 in the startup. The contract has since been sent out. Pretty good for a single conversation. The meeting was also a bit of luck. According to Elangeswaran, the investor had booked his ticket just 30 hours before attending. They met at the Summit, then continued their talk over dinner. "This deal wouldn't have happened without EU Summit," said Apeganan. Liberbyte's founder and managing director Tero Salomaa also met an investment adviser who became key in shaping the company's investment story. And the managing partner of FINANCIERING+ connected with the managing director of a Dutch biotech company. After meeting in Malta, they kept talking in the Netherlands and are still in touch about future funding. Ravencourt Capital's founder and principal Rohan Kapoor has used multiple Summits to build relationships with founders and general partners. "I've already secured my ticket for next year's conference and am looking forward to being back," he said. ### A $10.8 Million Deal That Started Here The Summit also turned introductions into big money. After last year's event, 3TS Capital managing partner Pekka Mäkki first connected with Wamo, an SME-focused neobank licensed in Finland and operating mainly from St Julian's, Malta. In April 2026, 3TS Capital announced a $10.8 million investment in the company. Mäkki returned to the Summit alongside Wamo founder and CEO Yanki Önen to introduce the startup to the wider community. ### Customers, Partners, and New Markets Several attendees turned Summit introductions into direct sales. Coraltalk AI co-founder and CEO Melissa Morgan met an Italian distribution partner and landed a customer from the University of Malta. She also made a personal connection, meeting a new friend from Australia with whom she later played padel. Fleece AI founder Loc Jan secured Elevated Leads as a new client after a Summit connection. The startup implemented AI-powered automations for SEO and answer engine optimization content creation, plus automated the client's invoicing. Implex made connections across several areas. The startup found a cloud provider for an upcoming project with specific infrastructure needs, met potential clients, and identified partners for expansion into Switzerland and the EdTech sector. Detelio met fellow founders who became collaboration partners. The company connected with other Barcelona-based entrepreneurs who could become future clients. "It's been a great event with great conversations and great panel discussions," said Sergiu Frasineanu, Detelio's co-founder. Durana Tech Park Ecosystem recorded more than 30 B2B meetings, followed by 17 follow-up meetings. One memorandum of understanding is currently in progress. ### Why This Matters for Your Startup If you're thinking about attending a startup event, here's the takeaway: the real value isn't in the sessions or the keynote speeches. It's in the random conversations you have over coffee, the dinner invites, and the follow-ups you actually send. - **Be specific** about what you're looking for before you go. - **Follow up within 48 hours** while the connection is fresh. - **Keep the conversation going** even if it doesn't lead to an immediate deal. The EU-Startups Summit shows that with the right approach, a single event can lead to investments, customers, and partnerships that last for years. And sometimes, you might even find a padel partner along the way.