EU-Startups Summit 2026 in Malta: fewer contacts, but much more substantive conversations

Malta is always great.

Especially when you arrive from a Nordic cold climate and in the evening you can throw your thick jacket aside and head to a late dinner in short sleeves. In moments like that, not very much is needed for life to feel pretty good for a while.

But it gets even better when it's followed by two intense, long conference days.

This year's EU-Startups Summit 2026 was again a little different from the previous one. And that's exactly the magic of these events — the same places, partly the same people, but completely new energy, a new phase and new conversations.

Thanks to the people who made it possible

I want to separately mention that this Malta trip was made possible by Supercharger Accelerator's Alex Aabol and one of our investors, Hari Sagaran.

Thanks to them this trip happened.

And it's good that it did.

Because in Malta it was very clearly felt this time that Sparkly is no longer just an idea that has to be imagined for people. We had a working software product with us that we could show, discuss, and around which much more substantive questions started to appear.

A lot changed in a year

Last year in Malta we were in a situation where we had an idea and a small mockup on a phone.

That was enough to open conversations. But not enough for people to truly understand the depth of the whole system.

This time the situation was different.

We had a working product, around 90% ready. Given the size of the entire system, that's a very high number.

It changed the quality of conversations a lot.

Whereas last year more explaining was needed about what we plan to do, this year we could already show what Sparkly actually does. And that difference is huge.

Twice as few contacts, twice as substantive conversations

Compared to last year, there were about twice as few contacts.

But the conversations were at least twice as substantive.

For a startup that's an important shift. In the early stage it can feel like more contacts is always better. Actually, the number of contacts alone is not a very strong indicator.

What matters more is whether the person understands what problem you're solving. Whether they have their own touchpoint with the topic. Whether they have the capacity to help take it forward. Whether the conversation leads to a concrete next step.

There were many more conversations like that this time.

In total around 50 interesting contacts remained on the table. The question now is what happens with them next, because conference season moves on quickly and new meetings pile on top.

Some follow-ups have already happened. Let's see where they go.

Malta as a conference location

Malta is and probably will remain one of the very good places to attend a conference.

Of course you have to get a little lucky with the weather. The ideal is sun, a little wind and warm enough that you don't have to walk around in a jacket. Not too scorching, but summery enough that the body understands: yes, you're out of the other climate for a moment.

The food in Malta is also good. You do have to pick the places, but in general this part of the experience is genuinely strong.

After a long conference day I didn't really have the energy to go to parties anymore. But younger colleagues from other startups and VCs of course found the opportunity to also check out Malta's nightlife.

And as usual — at those late rooftop parties quite a lot happens.

Some meetings that during the day would have stayed formal and polite become much more real in the evening. Sometimes that's exactly where another 20–25% of the contacts get made that might eventually turn into something substantive.

For Sparkly, this was a next-phase conference

For me the biggest difference this year in Malta was simple: Sparkly really existed.

Not just as a thought. Not just as a vision. Not just as a pitch.

But as a working system around which we could have much more precise conversations.

It also changed how people reacted. When you only have an idea to show, the other person has to think alongside you. When you have a working product to show, they can already evaluate, ask, compare and think in the context of their own company or portfolio.

That's a completely different level.

What to take from Malta

EU-Startups Summit 2026 confirmed that Sparkly is moving in the right direction.

Fewer conversations, but better ones. Fewer contacts, but stronger quality. The product was no longer an abstract promise but a visible system.

And that's a pretty important moment in a startup's development.

Malta itself of course did its part: warm air, good food, familiar people, new contacts, long days and a few late conversations on rooftop terraces.

Now we have to see which of those roughly 50 contacts will really move forward.

Because the value of a conference doesn't actually become clear on site. It becomes clear afterwards — when conversations turn into next steps.