Nexus Luxembourg 2026: AI and Digital Sovereignty in Europe

Nexus Luxembourg 2026: A Record Edition for European Innovation

The 2026 edition of Nexus Luxembourg was a resounding success, bringing together 9,600 participants from over 80 countries. With 247 startups competing, the event reaffirmed its central role in the European innovation ecosystem. This year, the focus was on artificial intelligence and digital sovereignty, themes that dominated discussions and presentations.

For its third edition, Nexus Luxembourg recorded a 14% increase in attendance compared to the previous year. More than 400 speakers shared their insights across five conference stages, and 763 matchmaking meetings were organized. These figures reflect the growing prominence of the event within the European innovation ecosystem.

“Nexus Luxembourg 2026 demonstrated that innovation, collaboration, and ambition are not fleeting trends in Luxembourg. They are now firmly established,” said Kamel Amroune, co-founder of Nexus Luxembourg. He emphasized the crucial role of partners and the international community in strengthening Luxembourg's position on the global innovation stage.

Artificial Intelligence at the Heart of Discussions

This edition was marked by a strong focus on the deployment of artificial intelligence in businesses. The conferences covered a variety of topics such as AI agents, cybersecurity, digital infrastructures, finance, and healthcare. The consensus among speakers was clear: it is time to move from experimentation to large-scale implementation of AI.

European digital sovereignty was also a major theme of this edition. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, reminded attendees that AI is now a crucial issue for Europe's competitiveness and sovereignty. Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, expressed the ambition to make the country a European AI hub. Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, urged companies to accelerate the adoption of these technologies. Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation, stressed the importance of trust and computing capabilities for digital sovereignty. Octave Klaba, founder and CEO of OVHcloud, mentioned the rapid decrease in computing costs.

“The content of the discussions at Nexus Luxembourg 2026 confirmed that artificial intelligence is no longer just a technological trend: it is becoming a strategic pillar for the future of Europe,” stated Mike Koedinger, co-founder of Nexus Luxembourg. He highlighted the need to accelerate investments, collaborations, and the deployment of these technologies.

The Startups & Scaleups Awards: A High-Level Competition

This year, 247 startups participated in the Startups & Scaleups Awards, showcasing their innovations across twelve different categories. Among the winners, VAir took home the award for Clinical & MedTech Innovation with a portable breath analysis device for the rapid detection of respiratory infections. Skyld was awarded in the Cybersecurity category for its software that protects AI models from theft and adversarial attacks. Virtuosis AI, based in France and Switzerland, won the Digital Health & Platforms award for a voice AI capable of detecting multiple pathologies in seconds.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Exobiosphere, a Luxembourg-based startup developing a space biotechnology platform for conducting drug discovery experiments in microgravity. In addition to the trophy, Exobiosphere will benefit from an acceleration program worth over €125,000, including €25,000 in financial support, access to the high-performance computing infrastructure of LuxProvide, as well as legal, tax, and cybersecurity services. The twelve winning startups will also participate in the Luxembourg Venture Days, scheduled for October 14 and 15, 2026, where they will meet international investors to accelerate their development.

“This edition marks an important milestone for Nexus Luxembourg,” concluded Laurent Futin, Managing Director of Nexus Luxembourg. “This year, we didn’t just talk about the future. We contributed to shaping the next developments in our industry.”

Looking Ahead to 2027

Building on the success of the 2026 edition, Nexus Luxembourg is already looking to the future. Startups wishing to participate in the 2027 edition of the Startups & Scaleups Awards will be able to submit their applications starting July 10.

The next edition of Nexus Luxembourg is scheduled for March 9 and 10, 2027. For participants and exhibitors looking to plan their attendance, a “Super early-bird” ticketing option is available, offering preferential rates until September 15, 2026.