The Alpine Axis is not emerging. It is here.
7,000+ participants.
1,000+ investors.
1,350+ founders.
12,000+ meetings.
START Summit 2026 brought together the people, ideas, and capital shaping Europe’s next chapter.
A clear signal of what the Alpine Axis is capable of.
Relive the energy.
This is what brought @pavootinho to YC. 📸
What started as a student project between HSG and ETH became an AI event platform now part of @ycombinator (P26).
At START Summit, Pavoot helped us share event photos with speakers, partners, and attendees almost instantly - turning media distribution from a bottleneck into a real-time experience.
Here’s how Ana & Gohar experienced START Summit with Pavoot
Tired of just studying?
What if your next year wasn’t just lectures and exams but building something real?
At START Summit 2026, 100 students did exactly that. The result: 7,000+ people, one shared vision for the Alpine future🔥
Now it’s your turn.
Apply now through link in bio🚀
A special moment to close START Summit 2026.
To mark 30 years of START, we were honored to receive a video message from Swiss President Guy Parmelin: „As Minister of Economic Affairs and Education, I am particularly pleased that students and startups are reinforcing each other.“
Celebrating 30 years of START also means to celebrate a milestone that looks ahead, not back. Parmelin says that the „country thrives on entrepreneurship“ and that „our prosperity has always been created by people who see opportunities where others see obstacles“. That’s why the co-founder of START Global, Hermann Arnold launched Giff - Global Inclusive Founders Fund, together with Louise Maunoir and Islam Alijaj (MP) on the Summit stage.
A step towards backing more founders, creating more opportunity, and shaping a more inclusive future of entrepreneurship.
What a team.
What a week.
What a finish.
Months of work, little sleep, and a lot of caffeine - all for these moments.
START Summit and START Hack 2026 are over, and we are incredibly proud of what this team brought to life together.
2027 is already waiting - get on the waitlist
🏆 And the winner is ESTER Biotech!
After 19 Road to START Summit competitions worldwide, today’s finalists took the stage and we couldn’t be more excited to share the results. ESTER Biotech is turning plastic waste back into high-quality raw materials using nature-inspired processes. Real recycling, at scale. ♻️
Congrats to the winning team and all finalists.🚀
Now it’s the moment.
Green lights everywhere. Spotlight on.
After 36 hours of building, it all comes down to this, the finalists take the main stage to pitch what they’ve created.
🏆 And the winner is: Runtime Terrors
🌍 From all around the world to one stage.
START members from chapters across the globe coming together at START Summit.
Different cities, different perspectives, but one shared spirit: building, connecting, and embracing new horizons together.
