Start Up Bulgaria! Crossroads 2026

Start Up Bulgaria! Crossroads 2026 will take place on 29–30 October in Sofia, bringing together more than 5,000 entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and technology leaders for two days focused on building and scaling the next generation of European companies.

What to expect

Positioned around the theme “Where Europe’s Builders Meet,” Crossroads 2026 will connect founders, corporate leaders, investors, and innovators working across entrepreneurship, AI, and emerging technologies. The conference is expected to welcome representatives from global technology companies including NVIDIA, Lovable, and Anthropic, alongside members of Bulgaria’s and the wider European startup ecosystem.

Rather than following a traditional conference format alone, this year’s Crossroads is structured around five different experiences, designed for participants at different stages of building, investing, and transforming businesses.

The Summit will host the event’s main-stage conversations, exploring emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, investment, and the forces shaping the next generation of European companies.

The Labs will take a more practical approach, with hands-on workshops designed to give participants knowledge and tools they can apply to their own businesses and projects.

For those looking to build and compete, Challenges will include formats such as the Startup World Cup and AI Hackathon, alongside other programmes centered on turning ideas into working solutions.

Crossroads will also feature a dedicated Executive Programme for senior leaders navigating AI adoption and broader business transformation. The programme will focus on the strategic questions facing established companies as AI increasingly changes operations, products, teams, and business models.

Finally, Connect will put networking at the centre of the experience through curated meetings, Expo conversations, and community formats aimed at bringing founders, investors, executives, and ecosystem players together.

Different paths for founders, executives, and investors

The programme is also organized around what participants want to achieve at the event.

For founders and entrepreneurs, Crossroads will provide opportunities to sharpen their pitches, meet investors and operators, showcase their companies, and connect with peers facing similar challenges as they build and scale.

For executives and senior decision-makers, the conference will offer a space to explore how established companies can respond to the AI transition and translate new technologies into practical business transformation.

Meanwhile, investors, ecosystem organizations, and potential corporate partners will be able to discover emerging companies and technologies and build relationships with entrepreneurs from Bulgaria and across Europe.

By combining a large-scale summit with workshops, startup competitions, executive programming, and curated networking, Start Up Bulgaria! Crossroads 2026 aims to create a meeting point for the different groups shaping Europe’s technology and entrepreneurial landscape.

Get you ticket here.