More than 10 Years of ARRR
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT PIRATE SUMMIT
Do you want to share your experience about PIRATE Summit
“Unique”
Lubomila Jordanova
BEN SUFIANI
Very refreshing and laid back event dedicated only for startups and VCs. We connected with a banking accelerator there! We would never expect that, taking into consideration that the whole concept of the show was super relaxed and the founders were pitching in shorts and t-shirts.
This conference is ARRRmazing! Nothing to do with those 5000 people corporate conferences where you barely can meet the relevant people you want!
PIRATE Summit is such an amazing event. The entrepreneurial dream lives here.
Pirate summit is this: overjump issues thanks to a tiny cable-network of innovators, leaving jurassic mindset behind you while flying to the future.
Once you have been in a summit, you think the second time will not surprise you again.
But the Pirate Summit is always unforgettable
PIRATE Summit is epic proof that the startup world is changing. This is the conference of the future.
An epic event full of emotions!
The most unbelievable entrepreneurship conference.
It’s been an extraordinary experience.
What an amazing event.
Amazing atmosphere, speakers, and connections!
Best conference ever! From the Plank to the burning Man … and every human connection in between (Karaoke and Party included!!), PIRATE Summit never disappoints and constantly brings the best people together. Can’t wait for the next one!
This has been one of the craziest festivals I ever attended!
PIRATE Summit disrupts the (hierarchy) distance between startups and investors and brings them to eye level.
The Pirate Summit is something special!
Yesterday night someone asked me what PIRATE Summit is for me. It took me a moment to think but in the end it was pretty simple. It´s like home. Thank you to everyone for creating such a wonderful event once again.
The most unbelievable entrepreneurship conference.
Thanks PIRATE Summit for a great event!
One of my favourite events!
So PIRATE Summit absolutely rrrrocked – will be back next year to walk the plank!
Unforgettably great atmosphere! 🏴☠️
My 7th PIRATE Summit — out of 7 since 2011! Awesome as always!
Officially the coolest B2B event I’ve ever attended.
The PIRATE Summit is one of those very few events that can change peoples lives.
Best conference I’ve been to in ages.
We are big fans of this unique conference!
Last week I had the great honour to give the closing keynote at PIRATE Summit, the event at which the Plan A journey kicked off three years ago, and to celebrate 10 years of Pirate Summit.
And such a celebration couldn’t have been possible without the one and only Manuel Koelman 🏴☠️.
I have continuously been impressed by the humility, kindness, dedication he has demonstrated throughout the years, in effort to continue pushing for the tech industry to be more inclusive, diverse and human.
Congratulations on yet another year where the future of tech defined!
PIRATE Summit is one of the finest tech events in Europe.
What an amazing event!
So much love for this event. Stage fright or not, I learned a lot, met amazing people who’re all working hard to make their dream happen.
Winning the pitch competition at PIRATE Summit helped us to close our Series A and opened up many new opportunities for us!
For me, the PIRATE Summit was probably the most extraordinary startup event I have attended.
A unique experience that I’ll keep in my mind for the rest of my life…
Easily the best conference for founders in Europe.
Totally unique. An amazing venue!
Winning the pitching competition at PIRATE Summit accelerated our growth exponentially! The focus of the event on building meaningful connections and the size of it put us on the map of all the investors, corporates and other partners who were there and helped us leave Cologne with a stronger support system and a lot of opportunities! We are honored and grateful! ARRR!
The Walk the Plank pitch competition´s prize has been one of the most valuable we´ve got as a startup. The opportunity to meet top-tier VCs has been great and has helped us on our way to our series A.
Looking forward to PIRATE Summit this year. It’s the best startup conference I’ve experienced.
You have written the topic of #FemaleLeadership on the flag and shown: You really live it.
🙏 THANK YOU for that! This is female empowerment. For real.
PIRATE Summit for me was a life-changing event!
PIRATE Summit once again blew me away!
I truly enjoyed it!
This event was sensational!
The PIRATE Summit was an excellent reboot for the mind(set)!
Such events connect you to the people who think, look and act differently. And you learn from them. C’mon, when you listen to a strip dancer who is an investor now – that’s awesome! You hear other people’s ideas and they bring new ones to your own head.
You can’t get this sitting in your own shell. Even when you have an established business, opening your mind to new opportunities and living a startup life is always a breathtaking idea.
What a blast!
Packed with digital nomads, startups and investors PIRATE Summit is buzzing with creative minds.
Just got off the stage at PIRATESummit. Great event!
PIRATE Summit is definitely the craziest and most ambitious event for startups in EU. If there’s one thing for you in EU, it’s this.
One of the coolest events I’ve ever heard of.
This is one of the best Startup conferences in Europe (and world).
What a mega event!
What a crazy event it was! Thanks PIRATE Summit for inviting me! Heading back to Paris now with many new ideas to work on.
Thanks PIRATE Summit what an amazing event 👏 I can really recommend this event for startup founders, don’t miss it next year!
My first time as a PIRATE, I did not really know what to expect, and I am shocked…. In the best possible way. It was a fun, social, extraordinary, beautiful experience. Great people, great content in the most relaxed atmosphere you can think of. I’m sure I will be back.
Best. Startup. Summit. Ever. But the band f**kin nailed it!
Meaningful speeches, inspiring conversations, and a lot of great quality connections!
Huge respect
Thanks again PIRATE Summit for an incredible experience & ARRRmazing opportunity to discuss our ideas for helping EU UrbanTech start-ups grow. Made great new connections and learned A LOT. Def one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended + certainly the most fun!!!
Love that at PIRATE Summit everyone is a VIP.
At PIRATE Summit it’s all about meaningful connections. Through various formats and activities they’ll ensure your personal networking experience. If you are looking to connect and learn from likeminded founders or are looking for capital/early stage startups, then PIRATE Summit is for you.
Flying back after PIRATE Summit. Thanks to all – the kind and helpful staff, the organizers, all the attendees I’ve met. One of the best events I have ever attended.
Thank you for 7 years of PIRATE Summit, glad to have been at all of them.
HALLELUJAH, what an experience! Kölle you sure do things differently. Who could have known how fun conferences can be.
PIRATE Summit has been one of the most impactful events I’ve ever attended. Thanks to it, I have made lifelong friendships, as well as deep partnerships. I wholeheartedly recommend going!
Once a pirate, always a pirate!
PIRATE Summit you were absolutely amazing!
Attending Pirate Summit is quite an extraordinary experience — participants from 60 different countries, unique location, interesting expert sessions, well coordinated pirate theme and relaxed atmosphere all add up to make this Europe’s largest invitation-only conference for early-stage startups, investors and corporate executives feel like a festival.
Just arrived at PIRATE Summit – definitely one of the top tech conferences in Europe.
Loved PIRATE Summit! 1200 startups applied for the pitch competition. Stoked to be in the jury.
Best venue, excellent catering, impeccable time keeping. Thank you PIRATE Summit!
Lubomila Jordanova
BEN SUFIANI
Best conference I’ve been to in ages.
PIRATE Summit has made a difference for more than one decade by giving, sharing, connecting, informing, educating, and engaging each one of the actors in the different stages of the start-up environment. The vision, the culture, and the values of this ship will sail over the seas through the mark they left on the lives, roadmaps, and minds of each one of the different attendants and visitors.
What an incredible experience!
Last week I had the great honour to give the closing keynote at PIRATE Summit, the event at which the Plan A journey kicked off three years ago, and to celebrate 10 years of Pirate Summit.
And such a celebration couldn’t have been possible without the one and only Manuel Koelman 🏴☠️.
I have continuously been impressed by the humility, kindness, dedication he has demonstrated throughout the years, in effort to continue pushing for the tech industry to be more inclusive, diverse and human.
Congratulations on yet another year where the future of tech defined!
PIRATE Summit is definitely the craziest and most ambitious event for startups in EU. If there’s one thing for you in EU, it’s this.
So PIRATE Summit absolutely rrrrocked – will be back next year to walk the plank!
Best. Startup. Summit. Ever. But the band f**kin nailed it!
Huge respect
Packed with digital nomads, startups and investors PIRATE Summit is buzzing with creative minds.
Thank you so much for organising this great experience – again.
Amazing meeting so many incredible people and catching up with old friends, talking about the startup ecosystem, our work, and our impact.
PIRATE Summit is not just a conference. It’s not just an event to network or look for investors or meet other entrepreneurs. It’s a place for true friendship, for opening, for learning for sharing, and for burning what needs to be let go. Such a great concept!
It was amazing to meet so many like-minded people!
Thanks PIRATE Summit for a great event!
My favorite startup conference because the community and the team are incredible!
Incredible. Inspiring. It was just amazing.
it is (was) the coolest startup event to attend, but also because it is a symbol of doing things differently, being rebellious, and going against the mainstream.
What an amazing event!
I was particularly pleased to see the large number of female founders.
One of the edgiest and most community-focused conferences out there!
This year’s edition of PIRATE Summit was a blast!
PIRATE Summit is more than a tech conference! It is one of the few events that truly puts people front and center.
What a crazy event it was! Thanks PIRATE Summit for inviting me! Heading back to Paris now with many new ideas to work on.
The most unbelievable entrepreneurship conference.
Kudos to the amazing team behind this unique gathering.
It was an unforgettable experience!
All sorts of emotions going through my mind thinking about this being the very last PIRATE Summit.
It was here, at the very first one in 2011 we introduced the world to” Gauss – The People Magnet”, the very first Social Discovery app for the iPhone (see video below).
It was here in 2011 I got my German and European network of entrepreneurs and investors kickstarted.
As one of my favourite songs goes; “Maybe it’s better to burn out, than fade away”… so let’s celebrate the Last Burn tonight – and be happy and grateful that it happened (and kept it happening for so long!) not saddened that it’s over! #ARRR!
Forever grateful for the safe harbour Manuel and the rest of the band of pirates managed to create for us over these many years.
It’s going to leave a hole in the region. But that’s OK. It’s a testament to what the Pirate Summit was and is and forever will be; Irreplacable.
Thank you PIRATE Summit for the awesome event!
Thank you for 7 years of PIRATE Summit, glad to have been at all of them.
It was my first time at PIRATE Summit and it was amazing.
Simply terrific!
Very refreshing and laid back event dedicated only for startups and VCs. We connected with a banking accelerator there! We would never expect that, taking into consideration that the whole concept of the show was super relaxed and the founders were pitching in shorts and t-shirts.
Such a smooth organization and an incredible time!
Thanks for PIRATE Summit! It was so warm and inspiring!
We are big fans of this unique conference!
Love that at PIRATE Summit everyone is a VIP.
Best venue, excellent catering, impeccable time keeping. Thank you PIRATE Summit!
A really cool event and fun to see how the startup ecosystem outside of the Nordics operates.
Loved PIRATE Summit! 1200 startups applied for the pitch competition. Stoked to be in the jury.
Just got off the stage at PIRATESummit. Great event!
This is a place with such a concentration of people who want to give back. Give your knowledge, your experience, share your innermost, and do not be afraid that you will be ridiculed or misunderstood.
So much love for this event. Stage fright or not, I learned a lot, met amazing people who’re all working hard to make their dream happen.
Winning the pitching competition at PIRATE Summit accelerated our growth exponentially! The focus of the event on building meaningful connections and the size of it put us on the map of all the investors, corporates and other partners who were there and helped us leave Cologne with a stronger support system and a lot of opportunities! We are honored and grateful! ARRR!
Amazing days and culture at PIRATE Summit!
The conference format was a breath of fresh air. No rigid schedules or scripted presentations, but instead, an open platform where ideas flowed freely, discussions sparked, and collaborations formed organically. The level of engagement and authenticity was unparalleled, allowing for genuine connections to be forged and knowledge to be shared in a truly unique way.
I had the privilege of witnessing awe-inspiring pitches from some of the most innovative startups I’ve ever encountered. Beyond the business side of things, the Pirate Summit also provided an opportunity to celebrate our shared journey.
We laughed, danced, and toasted the unforgettable memories created during this event. It was a reminder that entrepreneurship is not just about the destination, but also about the people we meet and the relationships we build along the way.
Yesterday night someone asked me what PIRATE Summit is for me. It took me a moment to think but in the end it was pretty simple. It´s like home. Thank you to everyone for creating such a wonderful event once again.
PIRATE Summit was often called the Burning Man of tech conferences, and it lived up to the hype.
Once a pirate, always a pirate!
Attending Pirate Summit is quite an extraordinary experience — participants from 60 different countries, unique location, interesting expert sessions, well coordinated pirate theme and relaxed atmosphere all add up to make this Europe’s largest invitation-only conference for early-stage startups, investors and corporate executives feel like a festival.
PIRATE is my entrepreneurial home. It was there that I first came into contact with startups, tech, and entrepreneurship.
.
My 7th PIRATE Summit — out of 7 since 2011! Awesome as always!
The Walk the Plank pitch competition´s prize has been one of the most valuable we´ve got as a startup. The opportunity to meet top-tier VCs has been great and has helped us on our way to our series A.
Holy cow!
That was a premiere, and a very nice one!
Looking forward to PIRATE Summit this year. It’s the best startup conference I’ve experienced.
We ARRR Founders.
We GiVE, Give, Give, Ask.
We are ALL in the same Boat.
We are boldly TRUE to Ourselves.
We are the IMPACT needed in this World.
Just arrived at PIRATE Summit – definitely one of the top tech conferences in Europe.
It has been funny, intense, amazing.
We met new people, laughed and cried, told our life story over and over again while learning something new each and every time we were in touch with some other person’s humanity.
Thank you for granting us yet another unique experience.
PIRATE Summit is truly an experience to remember.
Carefully crafted for connection, inspiration, and learning, this summit is just a different breed.
PIRATE Summit is such an amazing event. The entrepreneurial dream lives here.
The whole vibe at PIRATE Summit is just awesome!
One of the coolest events I’ve ever heard of.
PIRATE Summit has been one of the most impactful events I’ve ever attended. Thanks to it, I have made lifelong friendships, as well as deep partnerships. I wholeheartedly recommend going!
PIRATE Summit is one of the finest tech events in Europe.
Pirate summit is this: overjump issues thanks to a tiny cable-network of innovators, leaving jurassic mindset behind you while flying to the future.
Once you have been in a summit, you think the second time will not surprise you again.
But the Pirate Summit is always unforgettable
I had heard a lot of positive things about this event but nothing could have prepared me for how awesome it really was, and how awesome all the PEOPLE were!
PIRATE Summit disrupts the (hierarchy) distance between startups and investors and brings them to eye level.
Best conference ever! From the Plank to the burning Man … and every human connection in between (Karaoke and Party included!!), PIRATE Summit never disappoints and constantly brings the best people together. Can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks for creating great memories and connections!
Thanks PIRATE Summit what an amazing event 👏 I can really recommend this event for startup founders, don’t miss it next year!
This experience reminded me of what’s super important: creating and sharing.
This conference is ARRRmazing! Nothing to do with those 5000 people corporate conferences where you barely can meet the relevant people you want!
Flying back after PIRATE Summit. Thanks to all – the kind and helpful staff, the organizers, all the attendees I’ve met. One of the best events I have ever attended.
Hold on, we’re invited to be vulnerable at a tech conference?!
You have written the topic of #FemaleLeadership on the flag and shown: You really live it.
🙏 THANK YOU for that! This is female empowerment. For real.
This was not a conference, it was an opportunity to reconnect, learn & grow!
Winning the pitch competition at PIRATE Summit helped us to close our Series A and opened up many new opportunities for us!
What an extraordinary and inspiring event, filled with a touch of enchantment!
Thanks again PIRATE Summit for an incredible experience & ARRRmazing opportunity to discuss our ideas for helping EU UrbanTech start-ups grow. Made great new connections and learned A LOT. Def one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended + certainly the most fun!!!
One of my favourite events!
Community-led, curated, intimate, not for profit, raw.
Amazing trip to Germany. Speaking at the amazing PIRATE Summit. Exciting to see EU startups tackling sustainability and also being led by so many awesome women founders.
I’ve never experienced a conference quite like it.
Officially the coolest B2B event I’ve ever attended.
You just cannot compare this to anything else!
Thank you dear PIRATE Summit for more than a decade of passion for the start-up scene and entrepreneurship.
For leaving such a positive and lasting mark on the Cologne start-up ecosystem and on me personally. Always in tune with the times and always authentic.
I haven’t missed a single PIRATE Summit since the beginning. The spirit of the people at this arrresome event is what helped me stay my course as
a founder for the past 12 years.
Entrepreneurship is all about authenticity and no better conference than PIRATE Summit to highlight it.
It’s more than a conference actually.
It’s a festival where we celebrate the bold and audacious, the crazy and the daring.
More than anything though, we celebrate amazing human beings.
At PIRATE Summit it’s all about meaningful connections. Through various formats and activities they’ll ensure your personal networking experience. If you are looking to connect and learn from likeminded founders or are looking for capital/early stage startups, then PIRATE Summit is for you.
The PIRATE Summit in Cologne has been the coolest event I was able to participate in.
Easily the best conference for founders in Europe.
Thank you, PIRATE Summit for this experience. I’ve never been to a business event, where networking was that easy and where l could literally wait in line for a massage and get in contact with startups from all over the world.
The hopeful expectations of my first participation in the PIRATE Summit were blown up excessively!
My first time as a PIRATE, I did not really know what to expect, and I am shocked…. In the best possible way. It was a fun, social, extraordinary, beautiful experience. Great people, great content in the most relaxed atmosphere you can think of. I’m sure I will be back.
Lubomila Jordanova
The energy and passion from all the startups were truly inspiring. I was happy to make some amazing connections and gain fresh insights from ambitioned entrepreneurs.
We are big fans of this unique conference!
My first time as a PIRATE, I did not really know what to expect, and I am shocked…. In the best possible way. It was a fun, social, extraordinary, beautiful experience. Great people, great content in the most relaxed atmosphere you can think of. I’m sure I will be back.
What a crazy event it was! Thanks PIRATE Summit for inviting me! Heading back to Paris now with many new ideas to work on.
Best conference I’ve been to in ages.
PIRATE Summit has been the best and most meaningful startup and investor gathering for years!
It’s a festival celebrating how business should be done!
This was a truly unique event!
Best conference ever! From the Plank to the burning Man … and every human connection in between (Karaoke and Party included!!), PIRATE Summit never disappoints and constantly brings the best people together. Can’t wait for the next one!
it’s not just about CREATING your own, it’s about CREATING something bigger than you.
So PIRATE Summit absolutely rrrrocked – will be back next year to walk the plank!
PIRATE Summit is one of the finest tech events in Europe.
So much startup spirit at the PIRATE Summit with a great atmosphere, exciting input, inspiring stories, old acquaintances, and many startups.
Networking is so easy when you’re a pirate. We look forward to the second day at the PIRATE Summit with even more adventures and stories from from Pirates all over the world.
A truly unique entrepreneurial event.
It’s hard to explain what attracts me to PIRATE. It’s definitely the community and all those amazing people that I have met.
Once a pirate, always a pirate!
PIRATE Summit is definitely the craziest and most ambitious event for startups in EU. If there’s one thing for you in EU, it’s this.
It’s been incredibly exciting to be a Walk The Plank finalist at PIRATE Summit and to spend two days networking with curated innovators, creators, and backers in what is one of the most unconventional events and inspiring venues in Cologne.
My 7th PIRATE Summit — out of 7 since 2011! Awesome as always!
Best. Startup. Summit. Ever. But the band f**kin nailed it!
Manuel, what you created here is truly extraordinary. It was a great pleasure to be part of the last BURN. Congrats to the entire team behind the scenes to a truly unforgettable PIRATE Summit.
So much love for this event. Stage fright or not, I learned a lot, met amazing people who’re all working hard to make their dream happen.
I only had the pleasure of going once in 2019. It was still the most memorable tech event I have ever been to out of over 40 and the most fun.
What an epic Last Burn it was!
Thank you so much for creating this special place in the world where true human connections are possible, raw stories can be shared, and being vulnerable is encouraged. Thank you for creating this safe harbor for us, pirates of rough seas.
Last week I had the great honour to give the closing keynote at PIRATE Summit, the event at which the Plan A journey kicked off three years ago, and to celebrate 10 years of Pirate Summit.
And such a celebration couldn’t have been possible without the one and only Manuel Koelman 🏴☠️.
I have continuously been impressed by the humility, kindness, dedication he has demonstrated throughout the years, in effort to continue pushing for the tech industry to be more inclusive, diverse and human.
Congratulations on yet another year where the future of tech defined!
One of the best pitching, startup, and investor events that I know.
Light, easy, open-minded, and creative. The organizers created a completely different atmosphere than it is usual at any other business conference.
Thanks again PIRATE Summit for an incredible experience & ARRRmazing opportunity to discuss our ideas for helping EU UrbanTech start-ups grow. Made great new connections and learned A LOT. Def one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended + certainly the most fun!!!
Officially the coolest B2B event I’ve ever attended.
It was a mega experience!
The PIRATE Summit was a very inspiring experience!
A really refreshing and unconventional startup conference in Cologne with lots of interesting insights and connections.
Loved PIRATE Summit! 1200 startups applied for the pitch competition. Stoked to be in the jury.
Looking forward to PIRATE Summit this year. It’s the best startup conference I’ve experienced.
The most unbelievable entrepreneurship conference.
Thank you PIRATE Summit for building this special global family of passionate and purpose-driven entrepreneurs.
Once you have been to a Summit, you think the second time will not surprise you again.
But the Pirate Summit is always unforgettable.
Easily the best conference for founders in Europe.
One of my favourite events!
It was an immersive experience that pushed boundaries and reminded me of the importance of daring to be different.
It is the most honest and authentic “no-bullshit” event of its size that I have had the pleasure of getting to know. Thank you for the years of passion and the many positive traces and connections you have left behind.
Just got off the stage at PIRATESummit. Great event!
It was one of the first conferences that created a space for people who care about building ecosystems, communities, and programs. It’s where I connected to people from all over Europe who showed me that it’s actually possible to get paid for doing the things you love.
Flying back after PIRATE Summit. Thanks to all – the kind and helpful staff, the organizers, all the attendees I’ve met. One of the best events I have ever attended.
Best venue, excellent catering, impeccable time keeping. Thank you PIRATE Summit!
Being part of an event that fuels entrepreneurship and ignites groundbreaking ideas was an amazing experience!
One of the coolest events I’ve ever heard of.
Winning the pitch competition at PIRATE Summit helped us to close our Series A and opened up many new opportunities for us!
When we were at PIRATE Summit for the first time back in 2015, it was a defining moment for us.
This year, we experienced the last burn, the very last time the summit is organized. Just like expected, it was emotional, powerful, crazy. An epic event that brought together brilliant minds, innovators, and game-changers. Engaging discussions, inspiring keynotes, and incredible connections.
Thanks to Pirate Summit for an exceptional experience! 🏴☠️
The Event is amazing for all the founders out there.
Thank you for your passion!
Thanks PIRATE Summit for a great event!
I really enjoyed the easy going outdoor atmosphere.
You have written the topic of #FemaleLeadership on the flag and shown: You really live it.
🙏 THANK YOU for that! This is female empowerment. For real.
Attending Pirate Summit is quite an extraordinary experience — participants from 60 different countries, unique location, interesting expert sessions, well coordinated pirate theme and relaxed atmosphere all add up to make this Europe’s largest invitation-only conference for early-stage startups, investors and corporate executives feel like a festival.
Will miss this awesome event. So many great memories here!
PIRATE Summit disrupts the (hierarchy) distance between startups and investors and brings them to eye level.
Huge respect
The Walk the Plank pitch competition´s prize has been one of the most valuable we´ve got as a startup. The opportunity to meet top-tier VCs has been great and has helped us on our way to our series A.
At PIRATE Summit it’s all about meaningful connections. Through various formats and activities they’ll ensure your personal networking experience. If you are looking to connect and learn from likeminded founders or are looking for capital/early stage startups, then PIRATE Summit is for you.
A special and worthwhile event with inspiring conversations, some really nice new connections, and some eye-opening impact-related discussions.
PIRATE Summit is such an amazing event. The entrepreneurial dream lives here.
Thank you for 7 years of PIRATE Summit, glad to have been at all of them.
Love that at PIRATE Summit everyone is a VIP.
Yesterday night someone asked me what PIRATE Summit is for me. It took me a moment to think but in the end it was pretty simple. It´s like home. Thank you to everyone for creating such a wonderful event once again.
The PIRATE Summit is by far the most extraordinary startup event in NRW, which impresses me every year again and again. Here a real exchange takes place in a special atmosphere.
How are you doing….really?
This was one of the most deep inputs of PIRATE Summit for me.
It fills me with pride and gratitude for all the opportunities I received from the amazing people around the PIRATE Summit. Thank you! In the end, the beauty of this journey was not just in the pictures taken but in the friendships formed, skills developed, and the doors it opened. I guess most of you don’t even realize how you changed my life’s trajectory. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now – thank you for being you!
This conference is ARRRmazing! Nothing to do with those 5000 people corporate conferences where you barely can meet the relevant people you want!
This was my third time at PIRATE Summit and there’s never a dull moment!
MIC DROP WITH TEARS OF JOY – PIRATE Summit is gone.
My observation: Mostly everyone I talked to there was certain to be in tears eventually. Yet, the moment came when Manuel Koelman 🏴☠️’s kids thanked their father for PIRATE Summit on stage. A true moment of awe for everyone with a ❤️.
Manuel, in tears, then mentioned that his hardest thing to do while planning to end doing Pirate Summit was talking to his kids about it – because they loved it so much, too. In return, they asked for a final ARRR. The rest is history 🏴☠️.
As a guest from the very first Summit, I initially felt like an alien. Hence, I didn’t ‘ARRR’, as I felt I didn’t belong; didn’t deserve to do so (the pinnacle of this journey came when Pirates burned the Corporate Guy during PS2012 🤣).
Yet, over the years Pirate Summit grew on me. Finally, it was a true homecoming and I HAD TO be there when the mic drops. And I wholeheartedly joined the crowd ‘in ARRR’. Because in a way, we are a family now.
A big, big THANK YOU to everyone involved making Pirate Summit happen for over more than a decade! The spirit will live on, somehow.
Very refreshing and laid back event dedicated only for startups and VCs. We connected with a banking accelerator there! We would never expect that, taking into consideration that the whole concept of the show was super relaxed and the founders were pitching in shorts and t-shirts.
Winning the pitching competition at PIRATE Summit accelerated our growth exponentially! The focus of the event on building meaningful connections and the size of it put us on the map of all the investors, corporates and other partners who were there and helped us leave Cologne with a stronger support system and a lot of opportunities! We are honored and grateful! ARRR!
Great location, wonderful people, and insightful conversations.
The memories and inspiration gained will fuel my entrepreneurial journey long after the summit’s end.
What a bombastic event with many incredible impressions and great moments!
Just arrived at PIRATE Summit – definitely one of the top tech conferences in Europe.