Around 500 founders, investors, business leaders and policymakers gathered at A Room with a ZOO for Climate Tech Summit 2026.
Organised by Climate Tech Connect, with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the City of Antwerp as lead partners, the event ran under the theme: Building Resilience. Sessions examined how clean energy, lower-carbon industry and better use of materials can strengthen Europe’s energy security and competitiveness.
The destination was part of the pitch. Antwerp is home to Europe’s largest integrated chemical cluster and a major international port, putting technology developers alongside the industries that most need them. On 9 November, a City of Antwerp-hosted visit took delegates to Evonik, NextGen, TripleW, BlueApp and BlueChem.
Fastned co-founder Bart Lubbers gave the opening keynote. Other sessions covered financing for climate deep tech, energy flexibility and the commercial decisions facing scaling companies. An Early-Stage Pitchclub showcased emerging businesses, and the Ones to Watch awards recognised climate tech companies from across the Benelux region.
Paulina Markowska, co-founder of Climate Tech Connect, said: “Belgium sits at the heart of Europe, with the EU in Brussels and Antwerp as one of the continent’s great industrial and logistical crossroads; if you want climate-tech partnerships that reach across the continent, there are few better places to build them. And we’re gathering inside a ZOO by design: climate tech usually gets talked about in megawatts and carbon credits, but underneath all of it is something simpler: keeping our planet and everyone on it thriving. One of the world’s oldest ZOOs is a perfect reminder of why we are building for.”
The summit marks the venue's second major summit in under a fortnight, following the IMCA Global Summit in October.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
