Malta Enterprise Backs Startup Festival’s Sixth Edition as Support for Local Innovation Grows

Malta’s startup scene takes centre stage as the Startup Festival returns for its sixth edition, bringing together the people, ideas and businesses shaping the island’s innovation ecosystem. The festival comes as Malta Enterprise and its partners continue to work to support entrepreneurs, attract investment and help new businesses grow.

Malta Enterprise currently manages a portfolio of more than 50 startups, not counting those supported through the B.Start scheme. Between 2020 and 2025, it approved over €15 million in assistance for these businesses, with more than 30% of them Maltese-owned. The returns have been tangible: startups supported by the agency generated an estimated €4 in economic value for every €1 disbursed, and created 244 jobs between 2023 and 2026, with an average annual wage of €45,730.

The ecosystem is also broadening, with growth across fintech, edtech, life sciences, semiconductors, digital games, esports, AI and deep tech. International players are taking notice: UK-based fintech Bracket Group chose Malta as its European growth base and, in less than a year, created 10 jobs, raised around $7 million and began preparing for its Series A round.

Malta’s semiconductor sector is another area of momentum. An incubator programme supported 12 chip-design companies in its first cohort, four of which incorporated in Malta, with several securing private or EU funding and one completing a tape-out at TSMC. A second cohort of 12 companies launched in July.

Malta Enterprise continues to work alongside organisations including Gaming Malta, Malta Venture Capital, MDIA and Tech.MT to strengthen the startup ecosystem, from early-stage support to attracting international investment. For Malta, the festival is a chance to showcase that progress and the entrepreneurs driving it.