Plug and Play Tirana Expo 2026: Silicon Valley meets Balkans (Sponsored)

Plug and Play Tirana Expo returns to the Pyramid of Tirana from 7–8 October, bringing together startups, international investors, corporate leaders, founders and innovation experts from across Europe, Silicon Valley and the wider Plug and Play global network.

The two-day event marks the culmination of the second Plug and Play Tirana Accelerator Programme and is designed to connect Albania and the wider Western Balkans with international capital, expertise, companies and markets.

This year, Tirana welcomes an increasingly international community, with participants from across Europe and the United Kingdom and Silicon Valley too.

Confirmed participants include Jeff Burton, co-Founder of Electronic Arts; Jackie Hernandez, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships at Plug and Play; Fatos Ismali, Chief AI Architect at Microsoft; Aditya Kathpalia, Managing Director at Orbit Startups; Max Gurvits, Managing Partner at Vitosha Venture Partners; Ekaterina Gianelli, Venture Partner at Storm Ventures; Julien Coustaury, Managing Partner at Fil Rouge Capital; Alexandra Lazar of Elevator Ventures; Raymond Chow, Senior Manager, Business Innovation at Daimler Truck; Sheila Gemin, Partner Digital Services at KPMG; Mikael Kretz, Founder of QGroup; and Matthias Timm of IFC, among others.

Together with founders, entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders from Albania and the Western Balkans, they will create a meeting point between regional talent and international capital, corporate expertise and global networks.

Two days of startups, investment, and industry conversations.

The Expo showcases the startups graduating from the second Plug and Play Tirana Accelerator Programme, while creating meaningful connections between founders, investors and established corporations.

Across the two days, the programme combines Batch 2 startup pitches, international keynotes, startup-corporate panels, investor discussions, dedicated networking sessions and ecosystem conversations.

The agenda spans the industries and technologies currently driving innovation across Europe and globally, with dedicated tracks covering HealthTech & Wellness; ConTech, DesignTech & Logistics; Marketplaces, E-commerce & Mobility; DeepTech, GovTech & Public Safety; and AI-powered B2B SaaS & Enterprise.

Throughout the two days, startups from the second Tirana accelerator cohort take the Main Stage to pitch their companies to an audience of investors, corporate leaders, industry experts, and fellow founders. Alongside the cohort pitches, international speakers explore topics ranging from AI adoption and digital transformation to HealthTech, international scaling, marketplaces, corporate innovation and the future of technology-driven businesses.

The programme also features startup-corporate conversations that put founders in dialogue with established industry players, exploring, for example, how startups and corporations can collaborate in healthcare, how AI solutions can scale within enterprises, and how marketplaces and mobility businesses can grow across the Balkans.

Bringing international investors closer to the region.

Investment and access to international networks are central to the Expo. Alongside the Main Stage, dedicated investor sessions and networking spaces give founders the opportunity to engage directly with international venture capital representatives.

One scheduled discussion, “From Acceleration to Scale: What CEE & European VCs Actually Look For,” brings together investors from Storm Ventures, Vitosha Venture Partners, Elevator Ventures and Earlybird to discuss what investors look for in emerging European startups and what founders need to demonstrate as they move from acceleration toward international scale.

The wider investor community at the Expo includes representatives from venture capital firms, corporate investment teams and the global Plug and Play network, offering founders from Albania and the region a chance to build relationships beyond their domestic markets.

From Tirana to the global innovation ecosystem.

Plug and Play Tirana was established to strengthen connections between Albania’s emerging startup ecosystem and international markets. Through its accelerator programme, startups gain access to mentors, investors, corporations and industry experts while building the fundamentals needed to grow, raise capital and scale internationally. At Tirana Expo 2026, the Batch 2 cohort takes the stage to pitch their companies, marking the culmination of their accelerator journey.

The ambition of the Expo extends beyond the accelerator itself. By bringing international decision-makers directly to Tirana, the event gives the wider Albanian and Western Balkan ecosystem an opportunity to engage with organisations that can provide capital, partnerships, expertise and access to new markets.

The Expo opens with remarks from Plug and Play and the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF), followed by startup and investor conversations and the graduation of the accelerator cohort. The programme continues across two days before concluding with ecosystem reflections, startup recognition and community networking, with cultural and networking moments outside the formal stage programme giving international guests the chance to experience Tirana and connect with the local community.

The Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) has played a key role in enabling this initiative, supporting the programme in collaboration with IN Groupe, Piramida Tirana, the Municipality of Tirana and Innovation Hub. These partners have contributed to programme delivery and supported connections between local startups and international stakeholders.

Ultimately, Plug and Play Tirana Expo is more than a showcase of individual startups – it is a platform connecting an increasingly ambitious regional ecosystem with the international technology and investment community. With founders, investors, corporate executives and innovation leaders arriving from markets across Europe and beyond, Plug and Play Tirana Expo 2026 aims to strengthen Tirana’s position as a growing meeting point between the Western Balkans and the global startup ecosystem.

Those who are interested in attending Plug and Play Tirana Expo 2026 can register here.