Techarena secured €1.1M from BackingMinds for international expansion

Nordic-born platform Techarena secured €1.1 million investment from the Stockholm-based venture capital firm BackingMinds. 

Techarena will use the funding to expand its events, programs and spearhead continent-wide initiatives that strengthen Europe’s innovation resilience. 

Founded in 2014, Techarena brings together startups and scaleups from more than 120 countries alongside policy-makers, investors, and industry leaders through flagship formats such as Techarena Challenge, TOP46, and the Time to Raise program. 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 grown by 600 per cent while more than 18,000 founders, investors, and corporate leaders have taken part in its events and programs during the last 12 months alone. 

Susanne Najafi, founder of BackingMinds, said: 

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 trailblazing expansion.

The new capital will help to accelerate Techarena's international footprint, including events, programs, and other founder-focused initiatives. 

Omid Ekhlasi, founder and CEO of Techarena, said: 

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. 

Analysts expect Europe’s business events and innovation platforms market to hit $124 billion by 2030. The recent wave of acquisitions and major investments shows that these platforms are becoming essential drivers in the future of innovation. 

This shows a big opportunity for all stakeholders in the European innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

Lead image: Techarena team | Photo: Uncredited