Sifted buys Onstage to capture Europe's early startup pipeline
European tech publication Sifted has acquired the Onstage Demo Day business, its first ever deal, to plug a gap in connecting early-stage founders with major venture capital networks.
Sifted has acquired Onstage, the company behind Europe’s premier startup pitching events, in its first ever acquisition. The deal brings Onstage’s flagship Demo Day and its annual Deploy conference for VCs and limited partners under Sifted’s umbrella.
The move is a strategic push by Sifted to capture founders earlier in their lifecycle. As the timeline from startup to scaleup compresses across the continent, Sifted is positioning itself as a central hub for the entire European funding journey rather than just the later stages.
"There's a real opportunity for Sifted to support founders much earlier: to write about them, amplify them and build a stronger community around them. This acquisition perfectly fits our mission to represent European tech all the way through the startup journey."
Founded in 2020 by Episode 1 general partner Hector Mason and DMG Ventures partner Taos Edmonson, later joined by cofounder Issie James, Onstage has become a critical gatekeeper for early-stage capital. More than 2,000 founders apply to each cycle, competing for the attention of over 330 VC firms, including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Balderton and LocalGlobe. Startups that have presented at Demo Day have subsequently raised more than £500m.
For Onstage, the acquisition solves an audience gap. The events had successfully attracted top-tier investors but needed a broader reach to pull in the best founders. "This felt like the natural next chapter for Onstage. We'd built Demo Day and created a critical mass of VCs around it, but the missing piece was always the audience," James said.
The acquisition will not alter Onstage’s core financial model. Demo Day will remain free for founders, with no equity taken or fees charged. An independent board will continue to select the participating startups, and the next event is scheduled for October with James staying on to oversee the transition.
The tie-up excludes Onstage’s fund and its associated special purpose vehicle activities, which will operate independently. The deal complements Sifted’s existing annual Summit conference, creating a unified calendar of events spanning from a company's first pitch to its scaleup phase.
