Europe Startup Nations Alliance

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝗨 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲? Attracting and retaining top tech talent is crucial for Europe's innovation ecosystem. According to the 2024 SNS Report, 9 out of 24 countries have established programmes aimed at supporting the return of EU tech professionals. This underlines the growing recognition of the need for tailored policy tools to strengthen Europe’s talent base. To learn more about the programmes for talent attraction and retention, explore the full SNS report: https://lnkd.in/gNGnbRCN

Alberto Gago Fernandez, Member of ESNA Presidency Board and Cabinet Member of the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and AI (Secretaría de Estado de Digitalización e Inteligencia Artificial) will be speaking at this year's IBIZA TECH FORUM. As Head of the Office for Digital Spain 2030, Alberto brings a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of digital governance. He’ll share insights on the key challenges and emerging opportunities shaping the future of tech policy in Europe. Learn more about the Forum: https://lnkd.in/e3c6Q99V

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 🇮🇸 Iceland fosters a vibrant culture of innovation by bringing together startups, entrepreneurs and investors.  As part of the 𝐵𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒, Iceland Innovation Week acts as a national platform bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, academics and industry leaders across sectors including technology, creative industries and sustainability. Through workshops, pitch competitions such as the Silicon Vikings Pitch and networking events, the initiative plays a key role in showcasing emerging talent, attracting investment and strengthening Iceland's position as a thriving hub for entrepreneurship. Discover how these best practices are shaping the future of startups. Explore the Best Practices Catalogue: https://lnkd.in/dp82ymX8

𝗘𝗦𝗡𝗔 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝟱𝟵 Egle Markeviciute, leading expert in innovation policy and former Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania (Ekonomikos ir inovacijų ministerija) will take part in a panel discussion for the premier of the red tape volume of the ESNA Compendium at Latitude59. As a member of ESNA’s Advisory Board and of the Task Force behind this volume, Eglė will speak alongside fellow panelists on the importance of reducing regulatory barriers for startups and the potential of the 28th regime as a framework for improving the ease of doing business across the EU. The session will be moderated by Caro Rossi, Head of Network & Strategic Initiatives at ESNA, and will focus on upcoming developments toward a more streamlined, simplified and accessible regulatory environment for European startups.

𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Caro Rossi was in Brussels for the Scaling Europe Summit, organized by The Lisbon Council in partnership with Stripe Inc. The summit brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, and analysts from across the EU to discuss how to strengthen the online economy in Europe, making for a great opportunity for key stakeholders to explore ways to drive growth, share insights, and foster greater collaboration across Europe. A highlight of the event was the release of a new policy brief from Lisbon Council Research: When Europe Scales: How Startups and Scale-ups Can Drive European Competitiveness and Why Good Regulation Is More Important Than Ever. Based on six months of research, the brief outlines key policy recommendations for Europe’s startup ecosystem, including: 🔹 A scaleup-focused single market 🔹Strengthening talent hubs 🔹 Embracing digital-native regulation The summit provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect with key members of the ecosystem - Eoghan O’Neill, Martina Fitzgerald, and Omar Kandil -, exchange ideas, and continue advancing efforts to create a more supportive environment for startups across Europe. Special thanks to John Collison, Laura Connell, Hayley Halvarsson, Fredrik Hjelm, Paul Hofheinz, Gabriel Hubert, Andreas Klinger, Aura Salla (MEP, European Parliament), András G. Inotai, Amaryllis Verhoeven, and Nils Behrndt (European Commission) for their contributions to the conversation.

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗲 🇬🇷 Greece is strengthening its innovation landscape by connecting startups, SMEs, and research institutions with funding, expertise, and networking opportunities. As part of the 𝐵𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒, the Eθνικό Κέντρο Τεκμηρίωσης και Ηλεκτρονικού Περιεχομένου - National Documentation Centre (EKT) plays a key role in fostering collaboration across industries, supporting digital health innovation, and providing access to European funding programmes. Elevate Greece Explore the most effective startup policies on the Best Practices Catalogue: https://lnkd.in/dp82ymX8

𝗘𝗦𝗡𝗔 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 We were at the EIC Summit 2025 in Brussels, marking another significant milestone in Europe’s innovation landscape. As the EIC celebrates its 4th anniversary, the event brought together the entire innovation ecosystem for two days of impactful collaboration and discovery. Key takeaways from Caro Rossi, shared directly from the heart of Europe: 💠𝗘𝗜𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 The summit showcased the EIC Impact Report, underscoring the exceptional achievements of the EIC Fund since 2020. As Europe’s leading early-stage tech investor, the fund has successfully completed over 150 investment rounds, securing €2.6 billion in co-investments. Notably, more than 70 EIC-supported companies have reached 'centaur' status, with valuations exceeding €100 million, and six surpassing €500 million. 💠𝗘𝗜𝗖 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 The event also marked the expansion of the Trusted Investor Network, which welcomed 37 new members, bringing the total to 111 investors managing over €336 billion. This network continues to drive co-investments in disruptive deep-tech startups across Europe. 💠𝗘𝗨 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗨𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 EU Commissioner for Startups, Ekaterina Zaharieva, opened the second day of the event, bringing insights into the upcoming EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, which will be officially presented at the end of May 2025, the Commissioner informed. We had the opportunity to meet with numerous ecosystem players and policymakers to discuss the anticipated developments the EU Startup and ScaleUp Strategy will bring to the ecosystem, while we prepare to launch 5 Volumes dedicated to the areas for strategic action that had been identified in our 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗦𝗡𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺.

𝐄𝐒𝐍𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝 Today ESNA’s board members Arthur Jordão, Linda Capusa, Inês Magriço, and ESNA Presidency Board Members Emmanuel Pieters and Alberto Gago Fernandez gathered in Madrid, and the visit provided an invaluable opportunity to hear from key stakeholders in the Spanish startup ecosystem. The morning session focused on discussing policy initiatives for startups in Spain, featuring contributions from Red.es’s Elena Cidón, Enisa | Empresa Nacional de Innovación represented by Rocío Castrillo Cancela, and Carlos Herranz Perdiguero from Secretaría de Estado de Digitalización e Inteligencia Artificial. We were honored by the participation of the esteemed Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI, María González Veracruz who was accompanied by Carla Galbarriatu, Director General for Digitalization Services. These discussions are vital for shaping the policy landscape for startups and and the timing could not be more significant. Today, the Spanish Minister for Digital Administration and Public Administration, Oscar López, announced in a press conference with Europapress, that the first AI Sandbox in the EU is set in motion, which will allow the testing of 12 high-risk systems. Gonzalo Garrachon Gomez Ministerio para la Transformación Digital y de la Función Pública

𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝟓𝟗 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 Following the release of the ESNA Compendium, a key document supporting the development of the upcoming EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, ESNA is preparing to launch a series of five strategic volumes. Each will offer an in-depth analysis of one of the five strategic action pillars outlined in the Compendium. At Latitude59, Caro Rossi, Head of Network & Strategic Initiatives, will officially present one of these volumes, focusing on the critical need to cut red tape and the essential role of the 28th regime in fostering a more supportive regulatory environment for startups in Europe. Join us in Tallinn on May 23rd for Carolina Rossi's presentation, where her extensive expertise in supporting startup ecosystems and shaping policy will provide actionable insights to reduce regulatory barriers got startups in Europe Find out more about the program: https://lnkd.in/eb8fAaV

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟯 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵? Streamlining visa processes is crucial for attracting global talent and fostering innovation. Quick and efficient visa processes can significantly impact a founder's or skilled worker's decision to relocate, boosting a country's appeal in the competitive landscape of international talent acquisition. Countries that prioritise efficient visa processes position themselves as attractive destinations for startups and skilled professionals, potentially accelerating economic growth and innovation. Find out more about visa processes for startups and their impact on talent mobility on the SNS Report: https://lnkd.in/gNGnbRCN