The Financial Times (FT), which took a majority stake in TNW in 2019, confirmed today a decision first shared with staff in June. The news was first reported by Amy Lewin, Editor of Sifted, another FT-backed publication.
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, the Co-founder and board member of TNW, stated: “TNW has been the adventure of a lifetime. We started out at a unique moment in history, just as the world was moving online and everything was becoming digital. It was a thrill to not only witness that shift, but to help spark and accelerate it.”
He continued: “Over time, as digital became the norm, our role felt less about breaking new ground and more about celebrating what had already been achieved. I’m grateful we got to play our part, and I’m glad we can now close this chapter with pride.”
Founded in 2006 by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Patrick de Laive, The Next Web (TNW) started as a tech conference with just 280 attendees in a church in Amsterdam. By 2019, it had scaled up to host 17,500 participants and become a central meeting point for Europe’s startup community.
Its latest – and now final – conference took place in June this year at NDSM in Amsterdam. The announcement marks a significant turning point for the European startup scene, which has seen TNW grow into more than just a conference organiser. Alongside the flagship event, TNW developed a media publication and operated a coworking space.
While both the media and events businesses are closing down, the FT confirmed the coworking arm will continue to “operate as usual.” Originally seen as a key European asset for the FT, TNW was praised at the time of acquisition with FT Live Global Publisher Angela Mackay saying: “TNW is an established and profitable business that produces one of the largest and most critically acclaimed tech startup events in Europe. There are clear synergies between TNW and FT Live, in sharing audiences and delivering the FT’s world class journalism on live stages in Europe. We look forward to delivering first class programs with our new partners.”
But signs of trouble had been surfacing. The media team at TNW began to shrink after several editorial staff left at the end of 2024, and conference attendance, which reached 10,000 between 2022 and 2024, fell to just 4,500 in-person attendees this year – less than half of pre-pandemic levels.
Though no formal figures have been disclosed on the number of roles affected, the FT said it has been “supporting them through this transition.”
The Covid-19 pandemic saw TNW pivot to virtual formats, with 20,000 digital attendees joining in 2021, alongside 4,500 in person. But the broader post-pandemic landscape for Tech events has been a mixed bag.
With this chapter coming to a close, TNW’s exit underscores a broader shift in Europe’s startup ecosystem – a maturing scene where media, events, and community-building face new economic and structural challenges, but also new opportunities.
