Our first writeup of a startup event experience and we’re thinking, why haven’t we done this before? Only some days ago, part of our team made their way to Bucharest for How to Web.
We had such a great time that we decided to write a few blog posts around it. Here is the first one with our impressions of the event!
Pre-Event Experience
Even before the event itself, it was evident the How to Web team values attention to detail. JJ, who was speaking at the event, received swift responses to all her inquiries (yes, there were a few). Upon our arrival at the airport, drivers awaited to escort speakers to the event. Interestingly, this was in partnership with ‘Blue’, a luxury EV-only ride-hailing service. If we understood correctly, they are a startup backed by, among others, the team behind How to Web!
First impressions on the road, besides the crazy traffic: Bucharest seems to have a higher density of Teslas than many other European capitals (I know, I know, not sure how we feel about Tesla nowadays).
The speakers’ dinner the day before the event was a proper gastronomic experience. One of Romania’s most famous and eccentric chefs, Foa, who was a judge on several MasterChef Romania seasons, dished out exquisite street food specialties. We paired them with Transylvanian wines, which we tried for the first time – we confirm they are made only from grapes.
A unique touch was the interactive cooking show-like experience in which Foa got diners involved in assembling a massive pavlova.
Before leaving we received a book from KPMG, the dinner hosts, on life in the Romanian countryside. Charming!
Venue & Themes
The unconventional choice of a converted club as the venue added a unique vibrancy. With three spacious stages and a tech-chic ambiance, it was a refreshing change from regular exhibition centers. Each stage had distinct themes, from ecosystem and fundraising discussions to TED Talk-style presentations on startup-building tools.
We particularly enjoyed talks on product development (Janna Bastow), messaging (Diane Wiredu), and CEO psychology (Mr. Joe). Check out Mauro’s LinkedIn posts on those.
Romanian startups were in the spotlight, of course. In all presentations and conversations, you could feel the excitement about the Romanian startup ecosystem, which is expected to rise to the level of its Baltic counterparts in becoming one of the hottest markets in CEE.
The Community stage was abuzz with VC panels, including one moderated by JJ and another by our friend Robin Wauters (more on that in later blog posts!).
Networking Opportunities
Ample spaces were provided for 1-to-1 interactions, but conversations flowed freely throughout the venue. We have to admit we are not huge fans of the table setup where you face the other person straight in the face, like in an interrogation. But there were plenty of options. Whether on beer garden tables, standing tables, by the huge bar, by the lounge tables or at the bean bags near the excellent food trucks (actually some of the best arepas and burgers we tried).
We found that startups were eager for insights into international PR and met with a number of other agencies exploring partnerships. The Brella app made everything smooth. We also met up with people outside of Brella, people that saw we were arriving to Bucharest and connected with us on LinkedIn.
It was great to spend more time with Robin Wauters from tech.eu and Elena Vrabie from The Recursive, as well as fellow agency and marketing pros Eric Melchor, an American who runs the startup podcast Innovators Can Laugh, Teodora from Dizrupt and Oana Groza (if you are looking for PR help in the Middle East, or Romania, check them out). Thanks for showing us the great coffee culture of Romania!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t meet everyone we wanted to, and there were other events around the same time that we also wanted to visit. Hopefully we can catch a coffee somewhere around the world or at the next How to Web!
Bucharest Beckons
The city itself left quite an impression on us. We were told it is known as the ‘Paris of the East’, and Bucharest’s architectural elegance truly is reminiscent of the French capital. Yes there’s communist concrete and brutalism too, but also a blend of modern glass and steel structures. Bucharest is a city of contrasts.
We had time for some restaurants. In fact, we were amazed by the selection of high quality gastronomic offerings, better than in many other European capitals (we won’t name any names).
The trip was rounded off with a bit of culture. We went for a tour of the city with a focus on some local ‘horror’ stories, including that of ‘the Vampire of Bucharest’, the ‘English passage’, but it included a bit of general history of Romania. We felt it important to understand the place we were in a bit better.
Wrapping up
How to Web was a success from a startup, business and human point of view. It offered invaluable insights into the Romanian and wider CEE startup ecosystem, but more than that it let us absorb the positive energy and ‘can do’ mentality flowing around.
There were great speakers sharing lessons on the science and art of startup-building that we will definitely incorporate into our thinking. It was not too big and not too small, but just the right size.
And we got to witness the charm of the Paris of the East.
So thank you to the organisers and we are looking forward to the 2024 edition!
Check out our other blog posts on How to Web 2023!
What Makes the Best Founders Deliver? Insights from top VCs at How to Web
Why Great Products Don’t Always Get Funded – Insights from top VCs
