Startups look for investors in Lisbon. Founders Night is an opportunity to find business support

The Founders Night initiative is being held for the eighth time. Its main organizer is the Startup Founders Foundation from Wrocław, and this year's partners also included the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency (ARAW), which runs the Startup Wroclaw project.

"As the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency and Startup Wroclaw, we primarily deal with connecting startups with investors. Web Summit in Lisbon is a place that attracts a multitude of founders who come here looking for partners to cooperate with. We hope that Founders Night will give Wrocław's ideas a chance to develop and that capital from investors from all over the world will flow into our market." 

Paulina Muszyńska, Head of Startup Wroclaw

The highlight of the event was the so-called pitchings – 3-minute sessions during which individual startupers had the opportunity to present their business ideas. It was not only a chance to interest new potential investors in their activities but also to get practical feedback from industry experts.

"One of our foundation's goals is to respond to the so-called founder's loneliness, where often being a founder or CEO of a startup, you have no one to talk to about your problems because your friends are not startupers. The Founders Night event in Lisbon is a place where we meet in a relatively small group compared to large conferences, where you can establish deeper relationships that give birth to very good collaborations."

Kamil Paśko, President of the Startup Founders Foundation, main organizer of the event

Monday's event was attended, among others, by representatives of Kogito Ventures – a Polish fund investing in early-stage startups. "For many years I avoided Web Summit; after 10 years of running the fund, we are here for the first time because we thought we hadn't tested this channel yet, so it's about time," says Łukasz Obuchowicz, partner at Kogito Ventures.

Many tech startups from Poland appeared at the Lisbon event, including ContractSpot, which builds software for the public procurement and military government contracts market, supporting contractors in analyzing documentation and the market environment. "With the new ContractSpot module, we are at a point where we are looking more for 'rocket fuel' than a standard investor," admits Alicja Ziemlińska from ContractSpot. "You come to events like this to meet other people who have a similar approach and to be in an environment that shares the same values and a similar startup mindset. This support from the ecosystem is very important," the founder adds.

Jakub Wyrwał from the Wrocław-based electronics design company Grinn came to Web Summit as part of the "Going Global 5.0" economic mission organized by the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (UMWD).

"This is not our first mission; we know how many benefits participating in this type of event brings. It's not only an opportunity to acquire clients but, above all, to build relationships with local entrepreneurs and connect businesses. Web Summit itself aligns with what we do, which is why we see this visit as a chance to gain valuable contacts."

Jakub Wyrwał, representative of Grinn

The rooftop party at the Cavo Rooftop building in Lisbon was attended by about 300 people, including investors, entrepreneurs, and creators of innovative solutions. The meeting was an opportunity to make new contacts and exchange experiences in a relaxed atmosphere.

"The whole Web Summit is about meeting all kinds of people. We meet not only during official events but also at various side events, on the street, or in the queue for a pastel de nata... Beautiful projects later emerge from such accidental meetings," adds Paulina Muszyńska from ARAW.

The 8th edition of Founders Night takes place on the opening night of the international Web Summit Lisbon 2026 technology conference. It is one of the world's largest tech conferences, annually attracting around 70,000 IT and startup industry representatives, potential investors, and politicians from around the world. Among the exhibitors, you will find a strong representation from Wrocław and Lower Silesia – presentations will be given by the Startup Wroclaw project and entrepreneurs who came to Lisbon as part of the "Going Global" economic mission organized by the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The event will run until Thursday, November 12.