Scored by real investors
Practising VCs judge every round and tell each team which one they would hire, and why.
Edition 1 · 2027
European Deep Tech Investment Competition
Europe’s student venture capital competition for deep tech.
University teams act as venture capital firms. They study three real deep tech startups, choose one to back, and defend that decision before working investors. Judged on judgement, not presentation.
Organised byVenture AcademyGreece
1
team per university
3
real deep tech startups
VCs
practising investors as judges
€0
fee for founding universities (2027)
31 Jan
university entries close
Athens
European final, May 2027
Why enter a team
Europe trains founders. It barely trains the people who judge and fund them.
Real startups, not case studies
Teams question the founders of three science-based startups raising their next round.
Business and engineering on one team
Every team combines both, because deep tech investing needs both.
This competition closes that gap with one format any European university can join.
How it works
01
Qualifying
Each university selects and trains its own team, using our training pack, and enters one team in the European final in Athens. In Greece, the team qualifies through Venture Academy Greece.
02
The European final
Athens, late May 2027 (date TBC). One team per university, three real deep tech startups, practising investors as judges.
The prize
The winning team’s university has its fee refunded, and the team receives a sponsor-funded prize, to be announced. The startup with the most term sheets wins Most Investable Startup.
The day
08:45
Pitches
10:00
Due diligence
13:10
Written deliverables
13:30
Partner meeting
16:30
Awards
Key dates
- University entries open
- November 2026
- Entries close
- 31 January 2027
- Training pack shared
- February 2027
- Greek round
- 17 April 2027
- European final, Athens
- Late May 2027 (TBC)
All dates are subject to change.