Startups unfiltered: Share your epic startup failure story at the EU ...

Startups are built on ambition, innovation, and risk-taking—but not every venture reaches the finish line. While success stories often take centre stage, some of the most powerful lessons come from those who’ve been through the hardest falls.

At the EU-Startups Summit 2025 in Malta, we’re flipping the script and putting failure in the spotlight. We’re looking for seasoned founders who have experienced the full spectrum of the startup journey—scaling fast, raising VC funding, leading a team of employees—only to hit the harsh reality of a business that didn’t make it.

Failure isn’t the end of the road. It’s often the starting point for the next great venture. And let’s face it—failure in startups isn’t talked about enough. Behind every high-growth success story, there are countless ventures that didn’t work out, each carrying hard-earned lessons about product-market fit, scaling challenges, fundraising mistakes, leadership struggles, and market shifts that even the best founders couldn’t predict.

We want to bring these stories to the main stage. Not as cautionary tales, but as real, raw insights that future entrepreneurs can learn from.

Why share your story?

• Turn past challenges into valuable insights – Your experiences could help fellow founders avoid similar pitfalls and make better decisions.
• Challenge the stigma of failure – The startup world celebrates success, but resilience, adaptability, and learning from mistakes are just as important.
• Get in front of Europe’s startup ecosystem – The EU-Startups Summit brings together thousands (2500 to be exact!) of entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts—this is your chance to own your narrative and share it with a highly engaged audience.
• Connect with top founders and investors – The best conversations happen at the intersection of success and failure. Speaking on this panel could open new doors for your next venture. Who knows? Maybe next year we will be hearing all about your success.

We’re looking for founders who have built something real—not just an idea-stage project, but a venture-backed startup that had traction, a team, and momentum before facing an unexpected downfall. If you’ve been there and have the scars (and stories) to prove it, we want to hear from you.

If chosen, you will be sharing the stage with figures such as Dr Norah Patten, Aeronautical engineer and Ireland’s first astronaut; Dr Gero Decker, Co-founder and CEO of Signavio; Daniel Gebler, Co-founder and CTO of the Dutch grocery delivery unicorn Picnic, among many more!

Ready to share what you’ve learned? Apply now to be considered for our ‘Failed Big’ session at the EU-Startups Summit 2025 in Malta on April 24-25.