INPHO Venture Summit is a leading, invitation-only deeptech investor summit that brings together top venture capital investors, limited partners (LPs), corporates and a selection of high-potential startups to decide where to invest next in deep technology. Held biennially, it has become a reference gathering for deeptech investment in Europe.
The 2026 edition, the 10th edition of the summit, takes place on 22 and 23 October 2026 at the Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France.
INPHO Venture Summit is co-organized by ALPHA-RLH, the CEA and Blumorpho, with the support of Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bordeaux Métropole and CCI Bordeaux Gironde.
INPHO gathers a curated circle of decision-makers: leading VC investors, LPs, corporate investors and industrial groups, alongside a selection of deeptech startups. The format is intentionally intimate, with around 150 to 200 carefully selected participants, to maximize the quality and relevance of every interaction. Speakers and guests come from across Europe, the United States, Japan and beyond.
INPHO focuses on five deeptech areas: Compute, AI & Data Infrastructure; Hardware & Enabling Deep Technologies (semiconductors, photonics, quantum); Physical & Bio-Inspired Systems (robotics, physical AI); Security, Defense & Dual-Use Technologies; and Deeptech for Critical Infrastructure (energy, water, waste, health). The 2026 edition puts a strong emphasis on deeptech sovereignty, AI and the new industrial cycle, and European deeptech leadership.
Yes. Selected deeptech startups and scaleups gain direct, curated access to investors and corporates to accelerate their fundraising and strategic partnerships. Companies that contribute to what is investable next in deeptech are encouraged to apply, even if they do not fit strictly into one category.
Startups can apply online through the official application form. (https://www.blumorpho.com/inpho-venture-summit/application-form/) Applications are reviewed by an investor-led selection committee, and applying is free of charge.
INPHO offers a two-step, curated program. First, an online phase in September and October, with a series of curated one-on-one meetings between selected startups and hand-picked investors and corporates. Then the in-person summit on 22 and 23 October in Bordeaux, featuring keynotes, panels, workshops, curated networking, a second round of on-site one-on-one meetings, and main-stage pitches.
Applying is free. A participation fee of €960 (excl. VAT) applies only to companies selected by the investor selection committee.
Selected companies receive a curated program of one-on-one meetings with relevant investors and corporates, both online and on-site, an all-inclusive pass to the summit (keynotes, panels, workshops and networking), and, for top-performing startups, a main-stage pitch in front of the investor community.
Yes. Following the online jury rounds, the top-performing startups are invited to pitch on the main stage, in front of the assembled investors, LPs and corporates.
Since 2018, startups from the INPHO ecosystem have raised over €1.4 billion. Alumni include EFFECT Photonics, Prophesee, Unseenlabs, Atom Computing, CAILabs, Quobly and Transmutex, among many others.
The summit takes place at the Palais de la Bourse, in the heart of Bordeaux. The city is easily reached by high-speed train (TGV) from Paris in about two hours, and by air via Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport. The venue is well served by tram and taxis from Bordeaux Saint-Jean station.
