From curated founder stories and hands-on workshops to investor breakfasts and other side events across Rotterdam, Upstream releases the full program for its seventh edition

ROTTERDAM, NL / ACCESS Newswire / April 16, 2026 / Upstream Festival has unveiled the full program for its 2026 edition, alongside a broad line-up of side events taking place across Rotterdam during Upstream week. On May 21, 2026, founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from across Europe will gather at the Van Nelle Fabriek for a highly curated, founder-first festival designed around practical connections, honest conversations, and growth-focused opportunities. The newly released program puts even more emphasis on interaction, with more workshops, fewer stages, curated matchmaking, Startup Roulette, and dedicated spaces for founders to connect.

The main program brings together experienced founders, (inter)national investors, and organizations for a day focused on learning by doing. Upstream's Main Stage is centred on real stories from people who have built, scaled, pivoted, raised, and grown companies across sectors and stages. The wider festival program also includes the Startup Stage, where the NL Startup Competition finals will return to Upstream for the third year in a row, this time in partnership with Draper University. The Funding Hub and Growth Hub will host practical sessions on fundraising, early sales, team building, storytelling, and long-term growth, while Startup Roulette offers curated 20-minute speeddate meetings between startups, scale-ups, angel investors, and VCs. A dedicated founders-only lounge adds another layer of curated founder interaction on site.

Among the speakers featured in this year's program are Barbara Barend, Director New Business and co-founder of HERA United, Matthijs Welle, CEO of Mews, Vicky Kuang, investor at Draper Associates, Siete Hamminga, CEO of Robin Radar Systems and Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy at Techleap. Together, they reflect the mix of founder, investor, and ecosystem perspectives that defines the Upstream experience.

Alongside the festival day itself, Upstream's side events are now also live, extending the experience across the region throughout the week of May 18 2026. There are 25+ side events that are organised by Upstream's co-creation partners and are designed to help participants get even more out of the ecosystem through focused sessions, informal networking, and smaller curated gatherings. According to the festival website, the side events span everything from CEO dinners and networking moments to sportive activities and informative sessions.

For founders, some of the side events not to miss include Scaling on the Green, Scaling with Diverse Talents, Founders' Speakeasy: Cocktails, Confessions, Liberations & Libations, and Conquering Regulated Markets: Unlocking True Customer Value While Meeting Regulations. Another founder-focused highlight is the Funded Founders Breakfast. If that sign-up is not yet publicly available at the time of sending, this can be replaced with Ultimate Website Roast: Why Your Startup Website Doesn't Convert. Together, these side events add another dimension to Upstream's founder-first approach by creating room for deeper peer exchange, practical learning, and targeted introductions beyond the main festival program.

For investors, the side-events line-up includes the VNTR Investor Breakfast, VC Investor Breakfast, and The 14th Builders Investor House. These gatherings offer investors a more intimate setting to connect with peers, meet selected founders, and continue the conversations started on the festival floor.

Lisette Braakenburg van Backum and Robbin Hoogstraten, co-founders of Upstream Festival, say:

"Upstream has always been about helping founders make the right connections at the right moment. With the full program and side events now live, we are building even more ways for founders and investors to meet with real intent. From stage content to workshops to the city-wide side events, the focus is on useful conversations, practical insights, and curated opportunities that can genuinely help companies move forward."

This year's program continues to reflect Upstream's founder-first philosophy, with a strong focus on participation over passive attendance. The 2026 edition also puts extra attention on three key industry tracks - Port & Maritime, Health & Wellbeing, and Climate & Energy - while remaining open to innovation from all sectors.

The full program and all side events are now available on the Upstream Festival website. More speaker and session updates will continue to be added in the run-up to the festival.

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About Upstream Festival
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. 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. At the upcoming edition, Upstream brings in some special focus on three industry tracks: Port & Maritime, Health, and Climate & Energy, while continuing to welcome innovations from all sectors.

Join us on May 21, 2026, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Tickets are available at www.upstreamfestival.com/tickets

Contact for the press:

Full press page
Christine Michaelis
christine@upstreamfestival.com

SOURCE: Upstream Festival