The Start-up Festival Malta 2022, which took place between 13th and 14th October, was deemed a “huge success”, with over 800 attendees including start-ups, investors, stakeholders, and also a number of students.

This year’s edition of the festival organised by Malta Enterprise included a number of international speakers, some of whom were present in Malta for the first time, with various important topics being brought up for discussion. Split over two days, it brought together a number of stakeholders, including start-ups, investors, and government stakeholders, as well as students.

The partnership between Start In Malta and changemakers organisation Deal Room Events paid off with over 300 meetings taking place between those present and over 140 attendees had at least one Deal Room meeting apart from the informal networking which was ongoing. This was a “huge success” given it built on this year’s focus on matchmaking for more advanced start-ups and scale-ups looking to strike deals with local and international angel investors.

Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia (left) and Residency Malta Agency CEO Charles Mizzi (right) during the event

The festival, which as supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, GO plc, Bank of Valletta and Freehour, also served as a platform for the launch of The Malta Start-up Residence Programme. Presided over by Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli, and Minister for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality Byron Camilleri, the launch also saw Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia and Residency Malta Agency CEO Charles Mizzi give speeches explaining the scheme and the responsibilities of each agency.

The Malta Start-up Residence Programme grants non-EU founders and co-founders, as well as their immediate family members, a three-year residence permit which is extendable for an additional five years, during which beneficiaries can reside in Malta while launching their innovative start-up venture. Key employees and their immediate family members also benefit from a residency permit of three years, which is extendable for an additional three years.

The first day of the event brought together over 300 students from 14 schools in order to expose them to entrepreneurship. Various discussions aimed at students were held, particularly from Caspar Lee who spoke about his journey from content creator to investor and also a panel about Shark Tank which dove deeper into the investments made on the show and what it felt like to be a participant.

A panel named Space in Malta was also held, focusing on Malta’s position in the global space ecosystem. Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation Keith Azzopardi Tanti was part of the panel and spoke about the meetings that a Maltese delegation had with SpaceX officials.

The festival’s second day was more focused on networking and heavier topics of discussion, with these ranging from human resources and how one can attract and maintain the best talent for a company, to financing a start-up. A conversation with the theme Breaking the Bias was also held during the day, which a number of successful women in their fields took part in, including Violetta Shishkina, Rebecca Busuttil and Lorinda Mamo.

Former Facebook Engineer Bobby Johnson was also present, where he spoke about his time at the social media company, particularly when it was still a start-up. He had helped the business go from a couple of million users to a billion in a six-year period. Mars City Design CEO Vera Mulyani was also present at the festival and for the first time in Malta, where she discussed her vision for life on Mars.

Additionally, the festival also gave local artists such as Zack Ritchie, Vogue Xchange, Bybrucinar, as well as international photographer Conor Vella an opportunity to showcase and demonstrate their work to those present.

Both days ended with a networking reception which brought together all those present and gave them the opportunity to connect in a more informal setting.