World Summit AI returns to Amsterdam in 2026 for its tenth edition

World Summit AI will take place on 7 and 8 October 2026 at Taets Art & Event Park in Amsterdam. It is the tenth edition of the conference, organised by InspiredMinds, and forms the central component of the broader World AI Week in Amsterdam.

The organisation expects more than 10,000 attendees, more than 300 speakers and more than 100 exhibitors. The target audience is broad: startups, established tech companies, investors, researchers, policymakers and academics. Amsterdam is now, for the tenth consecutive year, the focal point of this international AI conference.

The City of Amsterdam, StartupAmsterdam and Amsterdam AI are involved in the 2026 edition, in part because the city aims to position itself as a European AI hub. Other partners include Creative Destruction Lab, Quantum Delta Amsterdam and Amsterdam Convention Bureau.

Startup Accelerator Program for early-stage AI companies

A notable element of the programme is the Startup Accelerator Program, specifically aimed at AI startups in the pre-seed, seed or early Series A stage that have raised up to three million euros in funding. Founders can participate on relatively accessible terms: a place in the dedicated accelerator pod, designed for live demos and one-on-one meetings, costs €1,000. A speaking slot on the Start-up City stage can be booked on top of that for €5,000.

Participation includes two full-access passes, each with a catalogue value of €1,499, and a twenty percent discount on additional passes. For early-stage teams with limited budgets who are seeking visibility and investor contact, the ratio between cost and access may be a relevant factor to weigh up.

Startup competition jury comprises investors from seed to growth stage

The 2026 startup competition will be judged by a jury of eight investors and founders. They represent funds active across various stages, from early seed investments to growth stages:

• Mike Butcher, founder and editor of Pathfounders
• Christophe Maire, founder and managing partner of Atlantic.vc and FoodLabs
• George Robson, partner at Sequoia Capital
• Steven Schlenker, co-founder and managing partner of DN Capital
• Ekaterina Almasque, founding partner of BlankPage Capital
• Dan Bowyer, partner at SuperSeed
• Ronald Jan Schuurs, partner at Antler
• Akshat Goenka, partner at Moonfire

The presence of Antler is noteworthy in the Dutch context: the fund is active in Amsterdam and invests in founders at a very early stage, sometimes even before a product exists.

Investor Club for verified AI investors

Alongside the accelerator programme for startups, the organisation has set up a separate structure for investors. The so-called Investor Club offers verified AI investors access to an AI-driven networking app with a startup database, all-access passes to the conference, and priority access to VIP dinners and networking events. Admission is reserved for investors who can demonstrably show they are active in AI startups; the organisation has not disclosed how that verification process works.

Previous editions have featured speakers including Yann LeCun, Yoshua Bengio, Daphne Koller, Werner Vogels and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands. The line-up for 2026 has not yet been fully announced at the time of writing.

Amsterdam's position in the European AI events landscape

For founders and investors in the Dutch and European AI scene, the tenth edition of World Summit AI serves as a reference point. The conference attracts an international audience but, through its collaboration with municipal and regional partners such as StartupAmsterdam, Amsterdam AI and Quantum Delta Amsterdam, also has a local grounding. This makes it one of the few occasions for Dutch startups where international investors and local policymakers are present at the same venue. Whether the growing number of AI events across Europe is making it harder for attendees to choose where to spend their time and budget is a question that is increasingly arising among founders and funds trying to sharpen their calendar selection.