WHO WE ARE
Challenging ourselves to bring new and original ways of thinking
European Startup Network
An international non-profit organization acting as an umbrella for national startup associations from across 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
ESN’s mission is to make Europe the powerhouse for innovative entrepreneurship.
Board Members
David Hanf
President
Hajdi Cenan
Board Member
Hannah Wundsam
Board Member
Raphael Tobler
Board Member
Esben Gadsboll
Board Member
Cristian Descalu
Board Member
Robin Wauters
Board Member
Martina Fitzgerald
Board Member
Elisa Tarzia
Board Member
Operation Members
we are committed to startups
A 10-Point Plan for A Competitive Continent
The European Startup Network’s Agenda for the European Union
Europe’s Economy Needs a Makeover
To thrive, Europe must become tech-savvy, sustainable, and energy-independent—fast. We can’t afford to rely on shaky supply chains or let Big Tech turn our industries into data farms. The solution? A continent full of new ideas, products, and services.
The Good News
Europe’s got what it takes: capital, markets, and world-class talent. (Did you know 6 out of 8 authors of the AI paper behind ChatGPT were European?) We’re global leaders in health tech, energy tech, biotech, and more. But where are our global champions? Too often, they’re snapped up by US or UK rivals or absorbed by Big Tech. The world still sees tech as a two-player game: US vs. China.
Europe’s Secret Weapon
Startups! Over the last decade, they’ve been the only net job creators in Europe. These innovators are tackling climate change, advancing AI, and even boosting defense tech. If Europe wants a strong economy, it needs strong startups and scaleups.
The Road Ahead
It’s not enough to regulate Big Tech—we need to clear the path for our startups to compete and grow into global players. Programs like the European Innovation Council are a great start, but we need more.
Complete the Single Digital Market
- We need a legal and fiscal “passport” allowing companies to operate in all 27 member states without having to file documents and certifications 27 times. This vision used to be called the digital single market. This would be a signature achievement if the EU could actually make it happen. It would enable our startups to scale up more quickly internationally, which is a key advantage of the US Market.
- We need a pan-European regime of tech visas to enable companies to meet their demand for talent. The European tech sector is powered by highly skilled talent, much of it not from EU member states. A unified set of rules would make it much easier to challenge the US, UK, Canada or other tech hubs for global talent. In addition, we need the next generation of founders to come to Europe to start and grow their company here. The current visa regime does not apply, as per definition there are no employment contracts in place for entrepreneurs. We suggest a “founder visa” for them.
Deliver on the unfulfilled promise of a Capital Markets Union
- STOCK OPTIONS — We need a harmonized or at least equivalent stock options regime. While Germany, Austria and Hungary have now improved theirs, many countries have not. It is crucial not only for securing talent — it is also the key to future investment. Studies show that circa 40% of proceeds from the sale of employee stock options get directly reinvested in the startup ecosystem.
- VENTURE CAPITAL — We have to do more to attract pension, insurance and saving funds towards VC investments. They are capital source #1 in the US but only in 5th place in Europe. When one of Europe’s unicorns goes public right now, much of the upside goes to public sector retirees in California, teachers in Ohio, or firefighters in Canada, via their pension funds that invested in the VC funds backing startups. It’s a social and political tragedy that European workers aren’t enjoying similar gains.
- DEBT — VCs cannot do it all, especially because CAPEX intense innovations like climate tech require debt when building their first-of-a-kind factories to reach the commercial stage. With the Swiss Technologiefonds as an example, we need a new form of European loan guarantees to get more banks to fund innovative scale-ups early.
- EXITS — All startups that take venture capital hope to end up with an exit, either with an IPO or trade sale. We can’t just set the goal of a wave of unicorns without building them an exit ramp besides the NASDAQ or other non-European markets.
Complete the Tech Innovation Flywheel
- Replicate our best tech transfer hubs across Europe. The EIC has been built to begin enabling more tech transfer by taking researchers and making them entrepreneurs. But while most grants and programs are aimed at individuals or startups, we should also work to replicate the best practices of the leading tech hubs – as ranked recently in an FT article.
- Standardize the best practices for IP and tech transfer. The Bologna process finally standardized a pan-European regime for bachelor and master degrees and credit transfer points, unleashing unprecedented transparency and integration. The same standardization needs to be done for the way institutions handle the IP and professors / researchers that develop our deep tech future. Odious demands from institutions for massive equity stakes or revenue shares make it unattractive to ever bring a breakthrough to market. Winning Nobel Prizes and counting patents are of course important, but we have to also become the best in the world at monetizing our brain power. To do so, Europe needs to encourage member states to establish attractive terms to encourage spinouts & startups. There are some best practices that can already be replicated: member states like Sweden give professors complete control over their IP; and federations like the T9 group of German technical universities are working to harmonize tech transfer terms.
Make the European Commission fit for the Challenge
- A startup-powered competitive economy has to be a day-to-day priority for the next Commission. We need a Commission VP for the Innovative Single Market, or a dedicated Startup & Scaleup Commissioner. Someone needs to focus constantly on creating the conditions for Europe to become the most attractive place to found or fund an innovative technology business.
- Regulatory Pause. Finally, after all the great (and not so great) new tech regulations that have been passed, Europe’s startups and scaleups need time to digest them. We need clarity. We need uniform enforcement. Six years after it took effect, companies still do not know how to get certified as GDPR compliant, and the AI Act is still years away from full enforcement. Our founding teams need to focus on product market fit or financing, not just compliance with a list of regulations that keeps getting longer and longer. Many of the new rules are aimed at huge companies; they can afford to hire lawyers and comply. Our startups usually can’t.
We are optimists. Indeed, optimism is an essential requirement to become a startup founder: a belief that hard work can lead to a better future, or that a global champion can come from anyone, anywhere. So when we look 10 years ahead, we see a Europe enjoying peace and prosperity, with its Eastern and Southern members continuing to drive growth everywhere. The digital and green transitions will have remade our cities, workplaces and lives. Some of the recent legislation to open markets, such as the DMA, will have made Europe competitive in digital markets.
There will be many new company names we’ll have learned, many great new products and services. How many of them will be European? How many will reflect our values? That is in the hands of the consumers and voters of Europe, but also in the hands of the next Parliament and Commission. ESN members’ startups and scaleups are working every day to build Europe’s next economy, but they need better conditions to succeed. We look forward to working with the next EU Parliament and Commission to change this.
About ESN: The European Startup Network (ESN) is an international, independent and apolitical non-profit organization acting as an umbrella for national startup associations from Europe. Its mission is to make Europe a powerhouse of innovative entrepreneurship. ESN was founded in 2016 and is based in Brussels, Belgium.
