We value great ideas & teams
at €1,000,000 –
from day 0.
What is yours?

Suggest
your idea

We want to invest in ambitious teams as early as possible.

We mean it: We don’t need to wait for your MVP, initial revenue, or first customers. We believe that entrepreneurs should have the freedom to focus on building instead of raising funds or worrying about their living expenses. That is why we created this initiative!

A Simple Deal 🤝

We don’t want you to lose time in lengthy contract discussions, so we keep our standard deal for this program simple and straightforward.

€1,000,000
valuation
€50,000
investment
5%
stake

Startup Camp
EMEA
Benefits

Pitch your startup to
investors at Portfolio Day

Exposure to 250+ Top VCs
from around the globe

Access all future Portfolio Days

Get a “buddy” within
Plug and Play

Go international: With 45+ locations
worldwide we can help you scale to
new markets faster

Client Pipeline: We help 500+ of the world’s largest corporations across 21 industries to discover cutting-edge startups

The Timeline

Any time
⚡️
Startup Camp EMEA: Submit your idea

This is a rolling program, so we’re always open to hearing your ideas.

Week 4
🔍
Idea Review

We hold an initial screening session to review submissions and decide who will proceed to the next stage.

Weeks 5 & 6
🤓
Pitch + Q&A

Your application sparked our curiosity and we want to know more. We'll invite you to present your idea and team to our Europe, Middle East & Africa Investment Committee.

Weeks 7 & 8
🤙
We Look at the Legalities

Our legal team will touch base with you to discuss the agreement's structure and answer any questions you may have.

Weeks 9 & 10
🎉
Congratulations: You made it!

You wowed the investment team, good work! Legal has given the green light and the contract has been signed, sealed, and delivered. Get ready for us to make contact and for onboarding to begin!

Week 11
👔
Program

Time to build! You’ll get access to all the amazing Program Benefits we mentioned above to kickstart your idea.

Twice a year
(depending on your application date)
🚀
Portfolio Day

The grand final! You and your team will present your final product to our Investors.

Forever
⚡️
Alumni

You’ll be always part of the family. We provide ongoing support with unlimited access to our Open Innovation Programs, held worldwide.

What We Look For

Industry Agnostic

Our startups come from all industries, including Mobility, Retail, IoT, & FinTech, etc.

Teams > Individuals

You’ll be more successful as a team. Find a co-founder before you apply.

Ambition & Passion

When ambition & passion meet brilliant startup founders there are no limits.

Location: EMEA

Distance and borders do not matter as long as we are in roughly the same time zone.

Scalable Business Models

Your MVP shouldn’t scale, but your business idea should be scalable.

Software > Hardware

Our preference → B2B SW > B2C SW > B2B HW. B2C HW does not fit into our investment scope.

Spot Our Unicorns

We've been working with world-class founders for over two decades and have no plans of stopping any time soon. Startup Camp EMEA is our launchpad for the next generation. Don't believe us? Have a look at our success stories below.

N26

N26 is a Berlin-based fintech company that enables its customers to manage their bank accounts through their smartphones.

Rappi

Rappi is a consumer tech company that specializes in providing online delivery services.

Honey

Honey is a beautiful and intuitive social intranet. Built to connect global teams, share resources, simplify team conversations, and support employee workflows, Honey makes internal communications easy.

Guardant Health

Guardant360 is the only biopsy-free tumor sequencing test that tracks tumor genomics in real-time. Guardant Health is committed to positively and significantly impacting patient health through technology breakthroughs in oncology.

Hippo

Hippo is redesigning home insurance for the modern household. We make it easy to buy entirely online with no pushy agents and we’ve redesigned the coverage from the ground up to fit the modern household, removing things people don’t own anymore (like pewter bowls) and increasing coverage for the things that modern households have (like computers, home office, bikes).

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LendingClub

Online peer-to-peer lending allowing members to directly invest in and borrow from each other.

VUDU (acq. by Walmart)

Vudu provides digital technologies and services that deliver Internet entertainment to consumers' TV sand home theaters. VUDU Box and VUDU XL provide access to movies and TV shows; and the VUDU Wireless Kit connects VUDU box to the Internet. 

Course Hero

We empower students and educators to succeed through course-specific study resources and 24/7 homework help.

ApplyBoard

ApplyBoard is the world's largest online platform for study abroad.

BigID

BigID is a data intelligence company developing software that helps companies secure customer data and satisfy privacy regulations.

Kustomer

Kustomer is an omnichannel Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) CRM platform specializing in customer service.

Dropbox

Online file storage (cloud storage). Allows users to access important files from any PC or mobile device through cloud storage on the web.

PayPal (acq. by Ebay)

PayPal is the faster, safer way to send money, make an online payment, receive money or set up a merchant account.

Flutterwave

Flutterwave is the leading provider of technology and infrastructure for processing any method of payment across any channel in over 30 African countries.

The Europe, Middle East and Africa Investment Committee

Seena Amidi
Carolin Wais
Thomas Bigagli

FAQ

Will Startup Camp EMEA sign an NDA? Will my idea and business model be protected?

No, we won’t sign an NDA – no venture firm would. But yes, you can trust us. We believe in intellectual property autonomy and integrity. That’s why we have developed a program to strengthen and develop you and your team's ideas. We have no intention to exploit or share your business model. Thousands of applications reach our 30+ offices worldwide each year, and as there can be significant overlap in ideas it would not be practical to sign an NDA.

How Do I Apply for Startup Camp EMEA? What If My Startup Isn’t Selected?

Please apply using the application form on our website. If you're not successful this time don't give up! See it as an opportunity to pivot, regroup and come back stronger. Reapply with your version 2.0 and make us regret not choosing you in the first place. Please note that due to high volumes of applications we cannot provide individual feedback in the case of rejection.

Can I Take Part In Multiple Plug And Play Programs?

Yes! You can participate in Startup Camp EMEAand other programs simultaneously.

What Are The Conditions Of The Startup Camp EMEA  Agreement?

We provide €50,000 in investment to every selected startup in exchange for a 5% stake in their company.

Do You Accept Single Founders?

No,  we believe that strong teams are fundamental for a business's success. 

Is There A Fee For Participation In Startup Camp EMEA?

No, no fees, no strings attached.

This Is Cool, Can I Work For Plug And Play Ventures?

We are always looking for new team members in order to expand our competencies even further. Check out our open positions here

How Do You Select Startups?

We are looking for innovative, technology and smart businesses. You should have a simple revenue model. We'll fund companies from anywhere in EMEA. We fund companies doing everything from building mobile apps to diagnosing cancer. We'll happily fund companies that just started and have nothing more than a great idea. The main factor in our decision whoever, will always be the team!

Is Startup Camp EMEA Open To Hardware Startups?

Yep – as long as there is a great business case behind your idea we’ll consider it.

What If My Idea Is Similar To Someone Else's? Will you fund two startups working on a similar idea?

We are one of the most active investors out there and therefore it cannot be avoided that some companies have an overlap – especially when you think about how often startups pivot. So far this was never an issue: Most markets are big enough and we would never share with another startup what are your company is up to. We will try best possible to accept competitive ideas into the same batch!

How Can I Learn More About The Program?

During calls and the onboarding you can discuss all open questions.

This Is Awesome But My Company Is Not Based In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa – What Can I Do?

Please senda deck to emeaic@pnptc.com. We will check how we can support you bestpossible with our global network.

After The Initial Investment What Happens Next?

Joining the program puts you on the radar of the world’s best VCs and you’ll be able to pitch in front of them during Portfolio Day. And Plug and Play is happy to discuss follow up investments.

Can I Share That I'm Part Of The Startup Camp EMEA Program?

Yes, after Portfolio Day! We will support the announcement with a press release and our full social media power. Until then 🤫

More questions? Ask us
Contact us

We love startups.
It’s in our DNA.

...that’s why we’d love to help you to start one.

Submit your idea

Startup Camp EMEA isn't for you?
Plug and Play still is!

If you like what you see but your business doesn't fit with our Startup Camp EMEA program don't worry. Plug and Play is a world leader in active investment. Our scope goes beyond sector and from Seed to Series A.

Fore more info take a look at our website.

Visit our website