TechCrunch Disrupt Returns To London December 5-8

Last year European startups raised more money in the first quarter than they had during the “dot-com boom”. Much of that money and startup activity was coming out of London. Why? It’s simple. European entrepreneurs are using this highly developed center as a bridge to global markets, and, often, to San Francisco and the Valley. At the same time, London remains the first beach-head for many U.S. startups looking to scale in Europe. So there are hard and fast reasons why TechCrunch today announces that it’s returning to London with the Disrupt conference.

Last year, TechCrunch Disrupt in London set off a “media atomic bomb”, with multiple media outlets covering the startups that launched on our stage. We aim to repeat, and better, that experience.

We’re coming back.

Unlike many European conferences, TechCrunch puts its journalists in front of every speaker and holds their feet to the fire. Incredibly, speakers love this and line up for the battle that ensues. We love that process, and we know everyone else does too.

Certainly, the wider media also loves this approach. On the first day of Disrupt London last year, we saw around 100 media outlets attending, including The Financial Times, City AM, The Independent, Business Insider and CNBC; including the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Newsnight.

Disrupt it would seem, captured the imagination of the Western European press like few other tech events could.

So here are the details.

TechCrunch Disrupt London 2015 will be held at the Copper Box Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It will be open to any startup from anywhere in the world. But we are particularly encouraging startups to apply from Europe, the Middle East and Africa to join us.

The legendary Disrupt Hackathon will be held on December 5th to 6th, followed by the main conference on December 7th to 8th. Startup Alley tickets are immediately available for purchase.

You can apply for 2-for-1 tickets here. We will be releasing a limited number these in batches. So you need to apply for that access ASAP.

Best of luck and see you all there.