Most founders treat event networking as something that happens on the day. Show up, collect badges, hope for the best. That approach wastes most of the value. The founders who get real outcomes from events work in three phases: before, during, and after.
Before the Event: Do Your Homework
The highest-value networking happens before you arrive. **Research the attendee list**: Most serious events publish speaker lists, exhibitor directories, or attendee profiles. Identify the 10–15 people you most want to meet. **Reach out early**: Send short, specific LinkedIn messages or emails 2–3 weeks before the event. Mention you'll be attending and suggest a brief meeting. Most people are more receptive to event-context requests than cold outreach. **Set clear goals**: Define what success looks like — 5 investor conversations, 3 potential customer meetings, or 2 partnership discussions. Without goals, you'll default to random conversations.
During the Event: Be Strategic, Not Busy
**Attend the right sessions**: Skip the keynotes you can watch later. Prioritise small workshops, roundtables, and structured networking sessions where interaction is designed into the format. **Work the exhibition floor**: If startups are [exhibiting](/startup-booths), visit the booths that overlap with your space. Founders at booths are there to talk — it's the easiest warm-start conversation at any event. **Use social events**: Evening networking events, rooftop drinks, and dinners are where the most meaningful conversations happen. The formality drops, and people share what they're actually working on.
**Take useful notes**: After every important conversation, spend 30 seconds noting the person's name, company, what you discussed, and any follow-up actions. Use your phone's notes app or a simple CRM tag. Your memory will fail you by day two.
After the Event: This Is Where Value Is Created
**Follow up within 48 hours**: Send a brief, personalised message to everyone you had a meaningful conversation with. Reference something specific you discussed. Generic 'great to meet you' messages get ignored. **Prioritise ruthlessly**: Not every conversation warrants follow-up. Focus on the 5–10 connections that align with your goals. **Schedule concrete next steps**: Don't leave follow-ups open-ended. Suggest a specific call time, a shared document, or an introduction you can make. **Track outcomes over 90 days**: The real value of event networking emerges over weeks and months. Track which connections convert to meetings, partnerships, or deals.
Common Networking Mistakes Founders Make
**Pitching everyone**: Nobody wants to hear your elevator pitch at a networking dinner. Ask questions, listen, and share only when relevant. **Staying with people you know**: It's comfortable but defeats the purpose. Set a rule: spend 70% of your time with new connections. **Collecting business cards without context**: A stack of cards with no notes is worthless. Quality of notes beats quantity of contacts. **Skipping social events**: The formal sessions are the appetiser. The real networking happens over drinks, at dinner, and in the hallway between sessions.
Apply This Framework at Startup Summit Lisbon
[Startup Summit Lisbon 2026](/tickets) is designed for this kind of intentional networking. With 2,000+ founders, investors and operators, 150+ [speakers](/speakers), investors, angels and VC funds, and structured networking formats including matchmaking sessions, roundtables, and curated evening events, the two-day programme (September 17–18 at [Beato Innovation District](/location)) creates concentrated opportunities for founders who prepare. Check the [agenda](/agenda) in advance, identify the sessions and people that matter most, and arrive with a plan.
Startup Summit is a founder-first European startup conference — 2,000+ founders, investors and operators, 150+ speakers, 200+ startup booths, 3 stages. September 17–18, 2026 at Unicorn Factory Lisboa – Beato Innovation District, Lisbon.
Tickets from €49.
