Sifted has acquired Onstage, adding its flagship Demo Day and Deploy events to the company’s portfolio. Founded in 2020 by Episode 1 GP Hector Mason and DMG Ventures partner Taos Edmonson, later joined by cofounder Issie James, Onstage is one of Europe’s leading startup Demo Days. More than 2,000 founders apply each cycle, finalists pitch to a network of over 330 VC firms, including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Balderton and Local Globe, and companies that have presented at Demo Day have raised more than £500m.

The tie‑up marks Sifted’s first acquisition, designed to complement its annual Sifted Summit conference for scale‑up founders, operators and investors. CEO Florencia Schiavon notes the timeline from startup to scale‑up is shrinking, and the deal allows ◆Sifted to support founders earlier, amplify them and build a stronger community.

Onstage cofounders say joining Sifted will expand reach while preserving the successful model. Demo Day will remain free for founders, with no fees or equity, and an independent board will continue selecting participants. The next Demo Day will take place in October as planned, with Issie James staying on to oversee the transition.

The Onstage Fund and its associated SPV activities are not part of the acquisition and will continue independently, while the core events remain unchanged under Sifted’s stewardship.