Swedish entrepreneurship platform Techarena secures a €1 million investment to expand across the continent

Stockholm-based entrepreneurship platform Techarena has received a €1 million investment from VC firm Backingminds to accelerate Techarena’s international footprint, including events, programmes, and other Founder-focused initiatives.

“I’ve known Susanne and Sara for a long time and have been one of their biggest fans. Bringing such exceptional entrepreneurs with the right values and bold international ambitions on board felt like a natural next step. With BackingMinds now part of the journey, we continue our mission to support entrepreneurs through a platform that creates real value by enabling growth. Techarena is expanding into Europe with a strong community and the ambition to make a lasting mark,” says Omid Ekhlasi, Founder and CEO of Techarena.

Founded in 2014, Techarena is a Nordic-born platform for innovation and entrepreneurship that gathers thousands of Founders, investors, business leaders, and policy-makers annually. Through high-impact events, accelerator programmes, and media channels, Techarena builds cross-border collaboration and growth.

Techarena brings together startups and scaleups from more than 120 countries through flagship formats such as Techarena Challenge, TOP46, and the Time to Raise programme. Previous keynotes include Steve Wozniak, Sir Richard Branson, Al Gore, Steven Bartlett, and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.

Over the past three years, Techarena’s revenue has reportedly grown by 600% while more than 18,000 Founders, investors, and corporate leaders have taken part in its events and programmes during the last 12 months alone.

“Europe stands at a critical moment for innovation. Especially in uncertain times, building a resilient Europe is essential. Techarena is at the heart of creating a thriving innovation ecosystem, perfectly positioned to leverage Europe’s massive tech and digital infrastructure investments. We’ve followed the company for over a decade and share a common vision, to make capital and networks more accessible to a broader range of outstanding entrepreneurs. We are incredibly proud to be backing Techarena on their trailblasing expansion” says Susanne Najafi, Founder of BackingMinds.

According to data provided by BackingMinds, analysts expect Europe’s business events and innovation platforms market to hit €108.1 billion by 2030. The recent wave of acquisitions and major investments leads to the conclusion that these platforms are becoming essential drivers in the future of innovation.

“AI won’t replace human interactions – quite the opposite. The more digitalised our world becomes, the more vital physical spaces are for innovation. Techarena is exactly what Europe needs to fuel entrepreneurship and innovation,” adds Sara Wimmercranz, Founder of BackingMinds.

With this funding, Techarena will expand its signature events, and programmes and spearhead continent-wide initiatives that strengthen Europe’s innovation resilience amid “rapid technological and geopolitical change“.