Vestbee has opened applications for Vestbee Winter Pitch 2026, its pan-European program connecting early-stage startups with venture capital investors. A jury will select 100 startups for personalized investor matchmaking, while the finalists will have an opportunity to pitch online to a live audience of leading VCs from across Europe and beyond.
The jury includes partners and investment teams from more than 200 firms, including Molten Ventures, Earlybird, Octopus Ventures, Piton Capital, Kibo Ventures, Credo Ventures, OTB Ventures, 500 Global, Antler, Seventure, Lightrock, and Portage Ventures.
Companies raising pre-seed, seed, or Series A rounds can apply until November 25, 2026. The online pitch session will be held on December 10, 2026.
What early-stage startups will gain from Vestbee Winter Pitch?
- A route to investment. Selected startups can raise from Vestbee's SPV and its partner VC funds with tickets of up to €1 million.
- Tailored investor introductions. Vestbee matches selected startups with relevant funds and business angels from its network.
- A pitch slot for finalists. The jury's top picks will present at the online Winter Pitch event to an international investor audience.
- Partner credits and discounts. Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits plus 12 months of Google Workspace, more than $200,000 in AWS credits, up to 90% off HubSpot, and up to 20% off TBDC programs for expanding into Canada.
“Europe just had its strongest quarter for venture funding in four years, but 75% of it went to AI, and the first half of the year saw the fewest deals since 2020. Money is concentrating in fewer, larger bets. For an early-stage founder, cold outreach is a weak strategy, so Winter Pitch puts them directly in front of investors on December 10”, said Konrad Koncerewicz, Head of Startups at Vestbee. “Instead of months of cold outreach, founders get a fast track to top VCs across the continent and beyond, plus unparalleled access to the discounts and perks our partners offer.”
Timeline
- November 25, 2026: applications close
- November 26–December 2: jury review
- December 3: finalists announced
- December 10: Winter Pitch online session
Who can apply
Startups based in Europe that are raising a pre-seed, seed, or Series A round, or about to. Apply now at: vestbee.com/winter-pitch.
