Here’s a concise, practical list of the top tech events startups should consider — with who they’re best for and why — plus quick tips on choosing and getting the most value.

Top global events (broad reach / big investor presence)

• Web Summit (Lisbon) — huge international audience, great for networking, press and investor meetings. Best for scaling startups seeking publicity and investor meetings.
• TechCrunch Disrupt (US / Europe editions) — startup competitions, early-stage investor attention, high visibility for product launches.
• Collision (North America) — fast-growing, startup-focused, lots of VCs and corporate partners.
• Slush (Helsinki) — strong VC presence, great for European expansion and fundraising for early to growth-stage startups.
• SaaStr Annual (San Francisco / EU offshoots) — essential if you’re B2B / SaaS; deep learning on scaling revenue and customer success.

Top sector / theme events

• CES (Las Vegas) — best for hardware, IoT, consumer electronics product demos and press exposure.
• Mobile World Congress (Barcelona) — mobile, telco, 5G, device-makers and enterprise telco partnerships.
• VivaTech (Paris) — European tech + corporate innovation partnerships and PR.
• Money20/20 (global editions) — fintech and payments startups looking for partners and investors.
• Bio/Health tech: BIO International Convention, HLTH, and JP Morgan Healthcare (select by region).

Regional / Europe / Germany-focused events

• Bits & Pretzels (Munich) — founder-focused, strong German-speaking investor community and founders’ network.
• NOAH / NOAH Conference (European hubs) — connects growth-stage startups with institutional investors and corporates.
• The Next Web (TNW) Conference (Amsterdam/Others) — European tech startups, media-friendly.
• Rise / Pioneers / local accelerators’ demo days — good for early-stage networking and hiring.

Early-stage and community-driven events

• Startup Grind Global Conference — founder stories, community networking.
• Local meetups, demo days, and accelerators’ demo days (e.g., Techstars, Y Combinator demo days when accessible) — highly efficient for targeted intro to investors.

How to pick the right events

• Match event to your stage: demo/PR and recruit at big consumer events (CES, Web Summit); meet SaaS buyers and VCs at SaaStr, Slush or SaaS-focused meetups; seed-stage investors often attend local accelerators, Slush, TechCrunch Disrupt.
• Match to your market: choose region where you want customers, partners or fundraising (EU, US, APAC).
• Count the ROI: cost to attend (tickets, travel, booth) versus expected leads, press, investor meetings.
• Look for curated investor-founder matchmaking offerings (many conferences offer booked meetings).

Tactics to get maximum value

• Book investor/partner meetings in advance using the conference matchmaking platform.
• Apply to pitch or exhibition programs (startup alley, startup battle, pitch competitions) — these often give free or discounted passes and PR.
• Have a short, crisp pitch, one-pager, and a demo link ready. Bring business cards and portable one-page leave-behinds.
• Target 5–10 high-value meetings and spend the rest on serendipitous networking.
• Follow up within 48 hours after the event with personalised notes and a clear next step.

If you want, I can:

• Tailor a shortlist of 6–8 events based on your startup’s stage (idea, seed, Series A+), industry (SaaS, fintech, healthtech, hardware), and geography (Germany / EU / US).