TECH5

'The champions league of technology’

Showcasing Europe's Hottest Scaleups

A Community for Europe's Future Stars

Celebrating the Return of TECH5

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.

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Milestones

• February 28: 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

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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

• 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.

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