A two-day curated investor-startup matchmaking event co-located with imec's ITF World conference in Leuven, Belgium, connecting European deep tech scale-ups with institutional investors and corporate R&D teams across AI, semiconductor, healthcare technology and mobility.
Tech Tour Growth Deeptech is a curated matchmaking event from Geneva-based Tech Tour, running annually within imec's ITF World conference in Leuven. The event is built around structured investor-company meetings rather than conference content, placing deep tech scale-ups with institutional investors, corporate innovation teams and strategic partners. Co-location with ITF World, imec's global semiconductor and technology conference, provides access to the semiconductor and advanced chip ecosystem alongside broader deep tech verticals.
The programme combines pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings between selected companies and investors with optional site visits to imec's research facilities in Leuven. Thematic focus areas include AI applications (healthcare, mobility, robotics), energy-efficient hardware and semiconductor innovation, and startup ecosystem companies building on imec's prototyping platforms. The joint programme with ITF World gives attendees access to both the investor matchmaking and the broader semiconductor conference.
Tech Tour is a Geneva-based organisation running curated investor events across Europe since 2000, managing over 20 annual events connecting high-growth technology companies with institutional capital. Its Growth and Deeptech series focus on later-stage companies, while its seed-stage series targets earlier rounds. Tech Tour Growth Deeptech is the flagship Deeptech event in its portfolio.
The primary format is matchmaking: participants are pre-selected, meetings are pre-scheduled and the goal is commercial outcomes rather than content delivery. Conference sessions are available through the co-located ITF World programme, but the Tech Tour core format is structured B2B meetings.
Companies must apply to participate and are reviewed by Tech Tour against investor and corporate interest signals. Selection focuses on scale-ups with commercial traction, deep tech differentiation and investor-readiness. Not all applicants are accepted.
Tech Tour Growth Deeptech co-locates with ITF World, imec's annual flagship event for the semiconductor ecosystem. This gives Tech Tour participants access to both the investor matchmaking and the broader technology programme. The co-location has been a consistent feature of the event.
Not suitable for: (1) early-stage pre-revenue startups; (2) companies without a deep tech or hard tech differentiation; (3) investors without a technology mandate; (4) attendees seeking a large-format networking event rather than structured meetings; (5) companies from outside the European deep tech and semiconductor ecosystem.
Tech Tour Growth Deeptech's co-location with imec's ITF World creates an unusual proximity between capital and research infrastructure: the Leuven campus visit format lets investors see prototyping pipelines that are not typically part of deal-making conversations.
Participation is application-based. Companies and investors apply at techtour.com. Participation costs vary by participant type; some investor participation may be complimentary subject to profile approval.
Advance meeting scheduling is the core format. Meetings are pre-assigned based on mutual interest between companies and investors. Site visits to imec facilities are an optional addition for selected participants.
19–20 May 2026 at imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
English is the working language.
Investor applications are handled separately from company applications. Qualified institutional investors can apply directly through the Tech Tour website.
| Official website | https://techtour.com/ttgd26/ |
| Tech Tour events | https://techtour.com/events-2026/ |
| imec ITF World | https://www.imec-int.com/en/events/tech-tour-growth-deeptech |