TechBBQ’s DKK 34m Boost and the Road to 2.0

TechBBQ began in 2013 as a small BBQ gathering for 300 tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in a Copenhagen park.

Since then, it has grown into one of Scandinavia’s largest, and arguably most hyggelig, event for startups and innovation. With above 10.000 attendees from more than 68 countries in 2025.

This week, we sat down with Avnit Singh, CEO of TechBBQ, after news of a major new DKK 34m+ multi-year grant for the platform, backed by the Danish Industry Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Beyond Beta, and the Danish Board of Business Development.

We discuss what this grant means, why international visibility matters more than ever, and how TechBBQ plans to leverage platform strength to expand global access for Danish founders.

Q&A -

Q: TechBBQ started as a small community gathering in 2013. What do you think has been the key reason it grew into one of Europe's largest startup events?

A: The growth of TechBBQ has been driven by two parallel forces.

First, the Nordic tech and startup ecosystem has matured significantly since 2013, creating a stronger, more ambitious community year after year. In 2013, the group was far too homogeneous. Today, women and non-binary individuals represent roughly 35–50% across categories, and the event is recognised as one of the most diverse tech events globally. Second, we have been intentional about scaling the event internationally - bringing in more investors, partners, speakers, policymakers, media, and ecosystem stakeholders from outside Denmark.

What has truly made the difference, however, is our ability to expand globally without losing sight of our roots. We’ve remained committed to serving the startup community that built us - keeping founders at the center and working closely with the key players who support and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem. That balance between international ambition and local authenticity has been essential to our growth.

Q: What does the new DKK 34m+ multi-year grant make possible that would have been difficult to do otherwise?

A: Over the past decade, we have evolved from a local Danish gathering to a Nordic platform, with clear ambitions of becoming a strong European hub while attracting global audiences from all corners of the world. Reaching that next level requires long-term investment - in founders, LPs/VCs, programming, international partnerships, talent, production, and global visibility.

With this funding, we can now confidently enter TechBBQ 2.0, the next phase of our development. It allows us to think bigger, act more strategically, and build the scale, quality, and international reach needed to position TechBBQ among the very best on the global stage - while continuing to serve and strengthen the ecosystem we come from.

Q: How do you plan to use this funding to attract more international investors, talent, and operators to Denmark through TechBBQ?

A: With this funding, we will double down on what has already proven to work at TechBBQ - but elevate the quality, scale, and international relevance of everything we do.

Our focus is on strengthening the entire value chain around the summit. That means enhancing our investorVC/LP programs, curated matchmaking, side events, and year-round initiatives so that international investors, talent, and operators see Denmark not just as a place to visit for a few days, but as a market worth engaging with long-term.

We want to create stronger incentives and clearer pathways for meaningful collaboration—before, during, and after the event. By improving curation, facilitating higher-quality connections, and building more targeted programs, we can ensure that meetings become partnerships, partnerships become investments, and investments translate into lasting innovation in Denmark.

Ultimately, the ambition is to position TechBBQ as a gateway to the European ecosystem, making it the natural entry point for international stakeholders looking to invest, build, or scale in the region.

Q: When you look at Denmark today, where do you think we are strongest in the competition for capital, talent, and knowledge, and where are we still behind?

A: I believe we are very strong when it comes to early-stage funding. In Denmark and across the Nordics, there is a supportive culture around new ideas, and both foundations and public grant providers are generally willing to take risks to help early initiatives get off the ground. That creates a healthy pipeline of startups and innovation.

Where we face more challenges is in the later stages. When companies reach Series C, D, or E and need to raise substantial growth capital, Europe - including Denmark and the Nordics - still lags behind the United States. Too often, companies must look abroad to secure the larger funding rounds required to scale globally. Strengthening access to late-stage capital in Europe is therefore critical if we want to retain ownership, decision-making, and long-term value creation locally.

The same dynamic applies to talent and expertise. The best talent gravitates toward the most ambitious, well-funded companies. If high-potential companies leave the country or continent due to limited access to growth capital, talent will naturally follow. Funding, talent, and knowledge are deeply interconnected - and if we want a globally competitive ecosystem, we need to ensure that companies can scale at home rather than feeling compelled to move elsewhere.

Q. TechBBQ has become a major platform. How do you translate platform scale and attention into real outcomes for founders, such as fundraising, hiring, and partnerships?

A: That’s a very important question - and one we are taking seriously at TechBBQ. Platform scale and attention only matter if they translate into tangible outcomes for founders.

We already see many success stories: founders meeting investors at TechBBQ, partnerships forming on-site, and companies going on to raise capital, hire key talent, or scale internationally. However, we need to become much better at systematically tracking and documenting those outcomes.

Going forward, our ambition is twofold. First, we want to strengthen the mechanisms that drive results—such as curated matchmaking, targeted investor-founder sessions, and structured networking formats - so that meaningful connections are not left to chance. Second, we want to build a clearer feedback loop, making it easier for founders and investors to report back when TechBBQ has played a direct or indirect role in fundraising, hiring, or partnerships.

By improving both facilitation and follow-up, we can ensure that the platform's scale translates into measurable impact - and continuously refine the experience to deliver even greater value to the ecosystem.

Q: Looking ahead to the next few years, what would success look like for TechBBQ?

A: Looking ahead, success for TechBBQ isn’t just about putting on a great event—it’s about being a foundational part of a thriving Danish startup ecosystem. We’d love to see more Danish, Nordic, and European startups fully benefiting from the opportunities, funding, accelerators, programs, and support the ecosystem provides.

Success would be reflected in more companies scaling to global impact—building unicorns like Lunar, Pleo, and now Flatpay - while also highlighting the founders behind these ventures and the next generation of innovative teams.

Ultimately, we envision a more connected, knowledgeable, and collaborative ecosystem where founders, investors, talent, and operators actively support one another, share insights, and collectively raise the bar for entrepreneurship in the region.

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TechBBQ’s hosted on the 26-27th August 2026 - tickets here.