We are the network of european startup associations

making europe the powerhouse of innovative entrepreneurship

Europe’s independent umbrella association

of national startup organizations

make europe the powerhouse of innovative entrepreneurship

Who we are

European Startup Network (ESN) is an international non-profit organization acting as an umbrella for national startup associations from Europe. ESN was founded in 2016 and is based in Brussels, Belgium.

ESN is:

  • independent: ESN does not receive funding from States nor from Big Tech 
  • apolitical: ESN is neutral towards all political parties and movements
  • member-centric: ESN is an enabler for members looking to have a footprint beyond their national borders

Questions about European startup network?

“Europe! More than ever. I am honored to help make Europe the powerhouse of startups together with the newly elected ESN team. So much progress has happened on improving the national startup ecosystems in the last 20 years, and with our work at ESN we would now like to contribute to a thriving European startup ecosystem.”

David Hanf • President

Join the association – What we do for our members:

Network

ESN is the place where national startup associations can meet, exchange best practices and amplify their local, regional and national initiatives across the continent.

Advocacy

ESN represents and connects its members (and their member companies) with European policy and decision makers and facilitates their advocacy efforts at the European level.

Research

ESN publishes high-quality insights into the European innovation ecosystem in collaboration with its members.

Support for Members

A key part of our mission is to empower, enable and network the many startup associations of Europe through knowledge-sharing, events and other joint activities.