Meet the Pitch Competition finalists of the EU-Startups Summit 2026!

On May 7-8, Malta will once again transform into the heart of European innovation as we host this year’s edition of the EU-Startups Summit. Bringing together around 2,500 founders, startup enthusiasts, investors, corporates, and media representatives, this year’s event promises to be our biggest and most exciting edition yet.

Among the many highlights of the Summit, the Pitch Competition stands out as one of the most exciting moments! This year, we received over 1,600 applications from exceptionally promising early-stage startups across Europe. After a thorough evaluation process, 15 finalists have been selected and will take the stage in Malta to present their startups in front of our audience and a jury of well-known investors.

Meet the Finalists

Agilica: Founded in 2023 and based in Belgium, Agilica delivers a patented multi-modal resilient positioning and GPS-independent navigation technology for enabling autonomous drone operations. Their onboard positioning system utilises ultra-wideband technology to enable precise, autonomous drone navigation and landing, even within GPS-denied or dynamic environments.

Agnia Aerospace: Founded in 2025 and based in the UK, Agnia Aerospace is developing a dual-mode electrospray thruster for low-Earth-orbit satellites that integrates ultra-high efficiency and high-thrust capabilities into a single, pump-free architecture. Their innovative technology promises to ensure that the next generation of space infrastructure remains manoeuvrable, profitable, and 100% debris-free.

AlterEcho: Founded in 2025 in Denmark, AlterEcho is developing a system of robotic avatars and AI agents that seeks to revolutionise the pharmaceutical and medical industries by removing the risk of human contamination from cleanrooms. Their solutions promise to reduce the industry’s biggest cost drain and operational hazard, resulting in cleaner, more efficient, and more profitable operations.

Arclight Aerospace: Founded in 2025 in Malta, Arclight Aerospace is developing a regulatory-grade airspace operating system that enables safe, scalable, low-altitude operations for drones and future Urban Air Mobility services. Their ambitious team seeks to provide governments with the tools to open urban airspace while giving operators predictable and scalable access.

Asvel: Founded in 2023 in Estonia, Asvel is developing an AI-powered robotic endoscopy system that controls the surgical camera using real-time instrument tracking, soft-robotic actuation, and voice to improve precision and reduce surgeon workload. By enhancing minimally invasive procedures and reducing dependence on manual assistance, they help enable safer and more efficient operations.

Cooled Motors: Founded in 2025 and based in the UK, Cooled Motors is developing a new type of magnetless EV motor that reduces the cost of EV motors by up to 70% while matching the performance of standard magnet motors. Their ambitious team aims to deliver highly efficient, sustainable, and economically viable motors for vehicular transport and power generation worldwide.

DAITABLE: Founded in 2023 in Slovakia, this startup leverages AI to monitor, predict, and optimise energy consumption in real time. By combining advanced analytics with seamless integration into existing systems, their system identifies inefficiencies early and supports sustainable, future-ready operations across energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing, commercial buildings, and infrastructure.

eMomentum: Founded in 2025 and based in Italy, eMomentum delivers an IoT solution focused on maximising performance and minimising waste in industrial and infrastructural operations. Their turnkey solution continuously monitors motor systems, helping to reduce energy costs and cut CO₂ emissions thanks to predictive maintenance alerts and AI-powered expert support.

Entrelacs: Founded in 2025 and based in France, Entrelacs aims to end one-size-fits-all mental health assessment by building AI that understands each person’s mental health beyond standardised tests. Combining conversational AI with adaptive psychometrics, its platform tailors evaluations to individuals and improves over time, enabling earlier detection of mental health deterioration.

Muun Health: Founded in 2023 in Estonia, Muun Health is developing the first wearable real-time hormone monitoring device for women’s health. The innovative startup aims to fill the gap in women’s hormonal health tracking for a better quality of life with their non-invasive tech solutions, with insights accessible through their mobile application for better management of reproductive health.

Snoika: Founded in 2024 in Estonia, this B2B SaaS startup helps companies become visible, cited, and recommended in AI search engines. Their technology fine-tunes AI models and turns AI search into a predictable inbound growth channel by analysing how brands appear in real AI-generated answers and systematically injecting authoritative context until target visibility KPIs are reached.

Systellar Space: Founded in 2024 in Spain, Systellar Space is enabling AI for the design of complex physical systems such as satellites, aircraft, trains or cars. Currently supported by Techstars Global Accelerator Program, the Systellar Space team is now further developing its innovative platform synapse and expanding its commercial reach to accelerate physical engineering.

Vecify: Founded in 2026 in Spain, Vecify is developing an AI engineering compliance platform that helps teams move faster without compromising safety. By connecting requirements, verification, and certification through continuous traceability, the Vecify platform reduces manual overhead, catches issues earlier, and helps teams stay audit-ready throughout product development.

Warden Machinery: Founded in 2023 in Luxembourg, Warden Machinery is developing AI and computer vision to make critical processes in metals and mining more predictable and efficient. They seek to support the transition from intuition-driven operations to data by deploying industrial AI agents at critical decision points, helping to enable real-time control and loss prevention.

Xydra Labs: Founded in 2025 in Germany, Xydra Labs is a frontier applied AI lab that has developed an architecture allowing LLMs to reason over structured enterprise data while mathematically preserving its topology. They turn LLMs from purely linguistic systems into verifiable reasoning engines for real-world structures, and aim to scale across financial services, insurance, and beyond.

The Prize Package

The stakes are high! Valued at over €1 Million, the prize is juicier than ever! Packed with funding opportunities and credits for great tools and services to supercharge your startup’s growth, this prize could truly transform your entrepreneurial journey. Let’s see what is in it:

• €250k Funding Opportunity with Look AI Ventures. The winner will get fast-tracked and invited to pitch directly in front of Look AI Ventures‘ investment committee, and after the due diligence process, there will be a funding opportunity of up to €250k.
• $220k Funding Opportunity with Techstars. The winner will be fast-tracked for a priority interview to join Techstars. This ensures that the startups’ business plan will be reviewed by the Techstars investment team and the most relevant program managing director. Following a positive due diligence process, the startup will have the opportunity to join a Techstars accelerator programme, including a $220k investment.
• Up to €434k in Funding from Malta Venture Capital, matching the investment of Look AI Ventures and/or Techstars, if the winning startup is either based in Malta, open to relocating to Malta or considering a subsidiary in Malta.
• Up to €100k in Cloud Credits from IONOS to support your startups’ hosting and scaling needs with a trusted European cloud provider.
• $24k in Credits from Cyscale. The winning startup will receive cloud security credits to monitor and secure its cloud environment, helping to detect misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and potential threats.
• $24k Draper University scholarship (up to 2 co-founders, $12k per founder), including a guaranteed interview with the Draper University selection committee and investment fund and, upon selection, a full scholarship covering the programme costs, with accommodation and co-working space in the heart of Silicon Valley. Flights, visas, and personal expenses not included.
• $12k in Credits from LUA AI to build an AI agent that helps automate tasks and interactions.
• Gain €12k in value at Make, including €6k in Credits (Make Teams, 3.6m credits) and €6k in consultation services, to build no-code automated workflows using Make’s visual automation platform.
• Up to $12k in Credits from Notion (6 months free Business Plan with unlimited AI), access to Notion Perks (exclusive discounts on other software) and to Notion Champions Community.
• 90% discount on HubSpot for Startups Pro Suite (worth up to $25k), including access to HubSpot’s Free CRM and Sales, Marketing, and Operations tools. The prize also includes a $1,000 matched credit for LinkedIn and Google Ads via HubSpot, as well as up to $150,000 in savings from HubSpot partners. T&C apply.
• €10k in JetBrains licenses for essential development and team tools, including award-winning tools such as IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and JetBrains AI, trusted by 50,000+ startups worldwide.
• €10k in Remote Credits to support international hiring and help teams access global talent. Credits are valid for 12 months.
• €9,900 D-ID Video Maker Enterprise plan, 5-user package with one year of free use.
• €5k in value for an exhibition table at the EU-Startups Summit 2027, including 3 event tickets, and a 3-year CLUB membership.

The Jury 

• Angelo Burgarello, Managing Partner at Look AI Ventures
• Miguel Borg, CEO at Malta Venture Capital
• Piotr Godzinski, Director of Partnerships EMEA at Techstars

Secure your ticket today and stay tuned for exciting updates on our event page!

OUR EVENT SPONSORS

Malta Enterprise is Malta’s economic development agency, facilitating economic growth, investment, and innovation by offering a range of support services for local and foreign enterprises setting up a productive presence in Malta. As a key player in Malta’s economic landscape, it contributes to the nation’s prosperity by attracting investments, supporting businesses, and driving innovation, thereby reinforcing Malta’s position as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Malta Enterprise actively cultivates a vibrant startup ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in fostering a conducive environment for startups and offering tailored support and incentives to empower emerging businesses.

M. Demajo Group is a leading business player in Malta, with a successful history spanning 115 years. The Group’s growth and diversification have resulted in a wide coverage of business sectors through a commitment to long-term results.

M. Demajo Group’s workforce is 500 strong, and their various activities have been developed through organic growth, acquisitions, partnerships, and startups. Its strong financial situation and ethical standards, its business reputation, and its renowned track record as a business partner are all key factors in its continued expansion.

The IONOS Cloud Start-up Program provides young companies with up to €100,000 in cloud credits for up to five years after their founding. Start-ups benefit from a sovereign IT infrastructure “Made in Germany,” offering 100% GDPR compliance and full legal certainty. IONOS Cloud guarantees technological freedom without vendor lock-in. Long-term support is also ensured: exclusive discounts after the first year enable a seamless transition into the IONOS Cloud ISV Partner Program. In this way, digital sovereignty becomes a strategic competitive advantage from founding to scaling.

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