The excitement is building for #TheEuropas, next week in London

Startups are strange beasts. Founders and investors are obviously so super-focused on building their companies that sometimes they forget to delve into the big issues behind tech and startups. Plus, do they ever know what’s going on outside their laser-focused view? Sometimes it’s good to take stock.

That’s why we’ve built The Europas Awards & Unconference (July 3) in association with TechCrunch, to give you a heads-up on the big issues, time to network, and time to celebrate with peers and friends, on a great day in London.

So what is The Europas?

• Key Founders and investors speaking
• No secret VIP rooms, maximum Speaker interaction
• Ultra-high quality crowd, largely invited
• Convivial, relaxed atmosphere conducive to networking
• Intimate “breakout” sessions with key players
• Journalists from major tech titles
• Percentage of profits will be donated to charity
• A stunning awards dinner and party which honours both the hottest startups and the leading lights in the European startup scene

The Unconference

Pull up a front row seat at our Unconference as some of the most incisive and prescient thought leaders in tech will discuss and debate some of the biggest issues, opportunities and challenges in tech. You won’t want to miss these panels:

• Should We Stay or Should We Go Now? What next for European’s tech economy as Brexit looms? We’re joined by LocalGlobe partner Suzanne Ashman, BGF partner, Wendy Tan White, and Eloise Todd, CEO of Best for Britain to dissect what the Leave ramifications are for the tech ecosystem.

• The Disinfoconomy: We were all shocked, shocked, to learn that Facebook had allowed commercial entities access to our private data with no oversight into how that data was being used and for what purpose. Our panelists debate what next for businesses peddling in private data, do consumers care enough to change their behaviour, what impact has this had on the media, and is there a way to sort all this mess out?

• Mapping the Future of Transportation in an Autonomous Age: The era of the autonomous vehicle is nigh! But how will AVs interact with our existing transportation landscape in our current gridlocked cities? Bill Gross-backed AIPod thinks it has a solution. CRO and co-founder Steve Gledden unpacks the details.

• AI + Startups – A Non Starter? So you wanna be an AI startup, but there’s the pesky little problem of enough data. Paul Dowling of Dreamstake Ventures leads a discussion with Steve King of social prediction startup Black Swan and Draper Esprit partner and long-time health tech investor Vishal Gulati on the data challenge.

• APPily Ever After or APPocalypse now? Dating Apps in a Post #MeToo World. Dating apps have radically reshaped how we form relationships, our attitudes toward sex, sexism, objectification and desire — and quite frankly, what constitutes good manners. We’re joined by Olivia June, founder of vina.io, and more to come.

• TWO tracks on Crypto and Blockchain:

We’ve got TWO tracks on Crypto and Blockchain this year, one dedicated to understanding the ins and outs of investing, token economics, and ICOs; the other to the industries being disrupted by the use of blockchain or DLT. We have panels looking at social impact; the media, creative industries and visual arts, digital identity, and financial services. These panels are meant to get you clued up quickly and to explore the most exciting startups in these verticals.

• Startup Central Zone

Finally, we’ve got Startup Central, with panels packed with advice on fundraising from seed to C and beyond. You’ll want to join the Future of Funding panel, a deep dive into raising money through ICOs, traditional venture capital, and crowdfunding. We’re excited to be joined by Ali Ganjavian, founder of Studio Banana. Yes, he’s the Kickstarter darling behind the Ostrich Pillow. Our favourite tech journos, including Steve O’Hear of TechCrunch, join our popular Meet the Press panel, where you’ll get to turn the tables and grill reporters on what they think makes a tech story.

• Pitch Roulette

At the end of the day, join us for Pitch Roulette, where some of Europe’s biggest VCs will be giving selected startups feedback on their pitch.