TECH5
'The champions league of technology’Showcasing Europe's Hottest Scaleups
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A Community for Europe's Future Stars
TECH5 showcases Europe’s most promising young tech companies, evaluating them based on growth, impact, and potential.
The TECH5 community is a network of leading European founders, created to help them connect, access bespoke events, and gain media exposure.
Since 2014, TECH5 has recognized the growth and achievements of more than 585 companies, including Wise, Too Good To Go, Picnic, Revolut, Emma Mattress, and Wolt. TECH5 finalist alumni have raised over €10 billion in funding.
In 2025, the top 5 companies from each country or region will be selected as part of TECH5 and featured on TNW.
TECH5 in numbers
700+
European Startups Sourced
€10+ Billion
Raised by Alumni
7
Regions Covered
Why join TECH5?
Lead the Market
Join THE community of Europe’s leading young tech companies
Network with Peers
Connect with like-minded entrepreneurs in similar stages
Be Visible
Showcase your business in front of top-tier investors and corporate representatives
Join the Elite
Join an exclusive list of winners on TECH5 Wall of Fame
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Milestones
- March 15: Applications close
- April & May: Regional TECH5 Winners announced
- June 18: TECH5 Winners Day (invite-only)
- June 19-20: TECH5 2025 Winners announced on TNW Conference main stage
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Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, companies must:
- Build their own products or services (no agencies)
- Have been founded in 2016 or later
- Be headquartered in one of the selected regions - see below
- Between a minimum of 30 and 999 employees
- Agree to submit signed documentation to support disclosed financial information not publicly available
Scoring Metrics:
- Revenue Growth: ARR over the last two years (starting from rev min. €200K)
- Team Growth: Number of jobs created over the last two years
- Gender Diversity: Gender distribution of the company’s top management level
- Social and Sustainability Impact: Impact of the problem the company is trying to solve
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Regions covered by TECH5
- Benelux: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
- UK & Ireland
- Nordics: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
- DACH: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
- Southern Europe: Andorra, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain
- France
- Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Participant Perks
-
If you win TECH5 - congratulations!
- > 50% discount on TNW for Scaleup Package at TNW Conference
- > A social media toolkit to advertise your TECH5 nomination including a quote from TNW about your company
- > Company mentioned in the editorial article for your region on https://thenextweb.com
- > 1x VIP pass for your founder, co-founder, or CEO to TNW Conference
- > 2x invitations for the TECH5 Celebration event on day 0 of TNW Conference (June 18)
- > Part of the Award Ceremony on TNW Conference main stage (June 19)
- > Video Interview with TNW editorial team during TNW Conference, published on TNW YouTube and the TECH5 webpage
- > Included in the TECH5 press release
- > Join the TECH5 Hall of Fame
- > 10min interview on TNW Conference main stage directly following the TECH5 Award Ceremonyand shared on TNW YouTube, LinkedIn, and TECH5 webpage.
- > Dedicated editorial write-up to be featured on thenextweb.com
- > 5x VIP passes to TNW Conference 2026
- > Invitation to pass over your award on TNW Conference Award Celebration for the TECH5 2026 winner in June 2026
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If you make it into the TECH5 Shortlist
*Announced during the Day 0 Celebration event (June 18)
- > 50% discount on TNW for Scaleup Package at TNW Conference
- > A social media toolkit to advertise your TECH5 nomination including a quote from TNW about your company
- > Company mentioned in the editorial article for your region on https://thenextweb.com
- > 1x VIP pass for your founder, co-founder, or CEO to TNW Conference
- > 2x invitations for the TECH5 Celebration event on day 0 of TNW Conference (June 18)
- > Part of the Award Ceremony on TNW Conference main stage (June 19)
- > Video Interview with TNW editorial team during TNW Conference, published on TNW YouTube and the TECH5 webpage
- > Included in the TECH5 press release
- > Join the TECH5 Hall of Fame
-
If you make it into the TECH5 of your region
- > 50% discount on TNW for Scaleup Package at TNW Conference
- > A social media toolkit to advertise your TECH5 nomination including a quote from TNW about your company
- > Company mentioned in the editorial article for your region on https://thenextweb.com
- > 1x VIP pass for your founder, co-founder, or CEO to TNW Conference
- > 2x invitations for the TECH5 Celebration event on day 0 of TNW Conference (June 18)
-
If your application is successful
- > 50% discount on TNW for Scaleup Package at TNW Conference
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*your growth must be over 300% to qualify.
Watch Back
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Become a partner
- Brand Visibility
- Lead Generation
- Networking
- Thought Leadership
TECH5 in the News
TNW Media has published over 60 articles since 2014. Take a trip back in time to explore all the TECH5 news from over the years.
- Read the Article
TECH5 is bringing the ‘Champions League of Technology’ back to Europe
Applications for the scaleup competition are now open
- All the Articles
TECH5 News Hub
- Read the Article
And the winner of the 2021 TECH5 scaleup competition is…
- Read the Article
Europe’s 100 hottest young scaleups of 2021