Across three action-packed days, more than 3,000 tech leaders, founders, investors and executives from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond will meet in Bucharest for HTW 2026. The event unites those actively shaping products, steering digital transformation and backing the region's next generation of tech.
📅 Date: October 6-8, 2026
📍 Location: Bucharest, Romania
🏢 Venue: Face Convention Center
How to Web Conference 2026 returns to Bucharest under the theme "What will you build when you can build anything?" The agenda follows that question from vision down to execution, across keynotes, case studies and live demos.
“Over the past decade, our region has witnessed a heavy focus on paper valuations and funding headlines, yet far less attention on how everyday CEE businesses are actually changing the way they operate through technology built right in their backyard. Securing the next venture round is only part of the equation, but real momentum happens when local enterprises, SMEs and public institutions start buying directly from local startups. That’s the exact dialogue we’re sparking at How to Web Conference this year between founders, investors and prospective buyers.”
-- commented Ionuț Stanimir, Marketing and Communications Director at BCR.
The hub for regional dealmaking
How to Web Conference is engineered to bridge casual introductions into active partnerships, investment syndicates and joint ventures. Building on last year’s landmark 9,000+ business meetings, the 2026 gathering is set for a similar volume thanks to a highly targeted lineup of decision-makers and builders.
Through the event app, attendees can go zero in on key contacts and lock in 1:1 meetings long before arriving in Bucharest. Dedicated meeting lounges, VIP spaces, the Business Room, Expo Area and city-wide gatherings provide the backdrop for commercial deals, fundraising pitches and technical exchanges. Instead of spending months traveling across fragmented European markets, the event condenses international access into a single venue in Bucharest.
The five meta-themes shaping the next wave of tech
The 2026 agenda circles around five key meta-tracks exploring how autonomous systems and AI are fundamentally altering business performance, organisational structures, product design and labor dynamics:
- Productivity & Human Capital
- Future of Work
- How to Stay Competitive in the AI Era
- Agentic Systems & AI-Native Tech
- Startup & Market Dynamics
The agenda also prioritizes real-world execution over high-level theory, and for that they bring a plethora of high-calibre speakers:
- Nesrine Changuel — author and former product leader at Google and Spotify, on building products that earn user loyalty;
- Dave Harland — brand differentiation in an automated landscape;
- Teodora Mușatoiu (OpenAI) — how autonomous agents are reshaping software development;
- Sara Maldon (Make) and Michal Kramarz (Google Cloud) — real AI impact and business ROI;
- Michael Walker (Totogi) — orchestrating complex AI architectures.
The program will also dive deep into Europe’s capacity to build category-defining tech, touching on startup policy, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and data governance. Meanwhile, BCR representatives will join the debate on CEE’s next economic growth engine, analyzing where sustainable demand for technology will come from across enterprises, public institutions and new go-to-market channels.
Three days, direct access
October 6 opens with business and investment programming, anchored by the Investors Summit — a pre-conference gathering of more than 250 international and regional VCs, LPs, executives and founders. On October 7–8 the program runs across three parallel stages: Build & Grow, Startup and Focus. Building on 9,000+ business meetings last year, the event is set for a similar volume, with meeting lounges, a Business Room and the Expo Area supporting one-on-ones booked through the event app.
Funds on the ground include Atomico, Creandum, Eurazeo, Notion Capital, Credo Ventures, Cherry Ventures, OTB Ventures, 20VC, Dawn Capital and Inovo VC.
Tracks for startups:
- Spotlight — 20 of CEE's top early-stage startups pitch live, with mentorship, investor intros and Expo exposure
- Accelerate Fundraising — hands-on feedback for founders preparing their next round
- Accelerate Sales — teams paired with experienced sales executives to sharpen go-to-market
These sit alongside the Startup Showcase, the Demo Area and the matchmaking app.
Side events taking over the city
The action will extend well beyond the main stage. A curated lineup of side events will run throughout Bucharest all week, bringing attendees together for niche meetups, informal workshops and evening socials hosted by How to Web, event partners and regional ecosystem leaders.
"As the capacity to build accelerates at this rate, the core question goes from what we can build to what is truly worth building," notes Monica Zara, head of conference at How to Web. "Our goal is to give every attendee complete clarity for the decisions they need to execute the moment they leave Bucharest."
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How to Web Conference 2026 is presented in partnership with BCR, Google Romania and Underline Ventures, with support from PPC România, Stripe, Credo Ventures, Cytowski & Partners, Bitdefender, Inovo VC, PortfoLion, TechAngels, 3VC, Bek Ventures, Lead Capital and Tukel, Inc. Early Bird rates are in their final days, with prices rising across all categories on Friday, September 18. Full agenda and tickets at howtoweb.co.
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