Following the launch of the New European Innovation Agenda, Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, alongside a delegation of 40 leading ecosystem actors, will bring the European innovation ecosystem to  Silicon Valley. ESN has played an active role in the design of this mission, and we are very proud of [...]

The report describes the results of the work performed by the European Startup Network (ESN) in the framework of the contract GRO/SME/22/13030, awarded by the European Commission (EC) for a survey to gather information about how the situation of start-ups has been evolving following the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was financed by the Single Market [...]

We would like to draw your attention to the press release issued by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel that you can find below. It details the launch of two initiatives: the Coalition of the Willing and the Sounding Board for Innovation. Both of these initiatives are aimed at supporting an efficient and effective implementation of the New [...]

The Coalition of the Willing, founded in presence of Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, less than 24 hours after the publication of the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA) is gathering steam. Want to know more? Read about this initiative in the 2-pager below.    

At ESN we aspire to strenghten the importance of promoting a diversified work conditions and culture. Our key principle is to create a safe and inclusive environment in order to ensure the equality of rights, freedoms, opportunities, and recognition between genders. We also believe that a more inclusive environment fuels creativity, innovation and excellent results. [...]

The European Startup Network (ESN) welcomes the announcement of the creation of an EU Sovereignty Fund announced by President von der Leyen at the SOTEU this week. Together with other innovation stakeholders, we have been calling for such a fund in our intense interactions with EC services during the preparation phase of the New European [...]

The New European Innovation Agenda will be published at 15h00 CET (see https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/ebs/1/20220705). The startup community has been working intensely with the European Commission over the past years to influence the important milestone that this Agenda represents. We will immediately start examining the strengths and weaknesses of the published Agenda during a workshop tomorrow morning and [...]

In early 2021, Commissioner Gabriel reached out to the startup community to better understand the needs, concerns and priorities of the European startups. Four working groups were formed, with a focus on startup ecosystems, unicorns, female founders, and female VCs. Since then, we have had intense collaborations with the services of the European Commission, partnering [...]

THE COMPANY European Startup Network (ESN) unifies Europe’s national startup associations to create a common voice for European startups. ESN wants to build a startup-friendly environment so that startups grow and thrive in Europe. That is why we united 38 associations representing startups in their countries. Among our members we count France Digitale, Startups.be Startup [...]

28 March 2022 At its General Assembly in Lille, France, the European Startup Network (ESN) took two important steps in its expansion strategy: (i) leading European regional startup ecosystems were admitted as members (Startup Valencia, Platform 6 from Tampere, EuraTechnologies from Lille and Danish Tech Startups), and (ii) the collaboration with startup associations outside Europe [...]

Together with nearly a 100 representatives from European and African business organisations, and policy makers, ESN co-authored the EABF 2022 Business Declaration on Digital Innovation. We are looking forward to contributing in the implementation of this declaration with the European HUBiquitous project. Read the publication for more information.

The European Startup Network wants to propose solutions and foster solidarity for Ukrainians in light of the ongoing war. Below you find a list of efforts by ESN members to assist Ukrainian entrepreneurs in their search for safer areas for their projects, employees, and family members.   TechLeap has dedicated a section on their website [...]

The European Startup Network is appalled by the Ukrainian situation. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people, whom we stand by with greatest solidarity.  Ukraine is a part of Europe and just became a conflict zone.  It is of utmost importance that as an independent country, Ukraine can build and grow its own tech sector [...]

                                                               The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Startup Network (ESN) have signed a collaboration agreement to encourage activities and promote services that support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The ESN is the collective voice of European startups, representing them to European policymakers, and connecting them with corporations and investors [...]

On Tuesday 15 June 2021, the European Startup Network (ESN) held its General Assembly in Paris and welcomed 7 European startup associations as new members, bringing the membership base to a total of 31 members. Furthermore, EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel joined the General Assembly for an interactive exchange of ideas about how to make [...]

On 10 May 2021 EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel has met with leading independent startup ecosystem leaders from across the 27 member states, who officially unveiled their “Action Plan to Make Europe the new Global Powerhouse for Startups“. The initiative, supported by 27 national EU startup organisations, aims to increase the number of unicorns (privately [...]

Press release for today's (10 May 2021) meeting between Commissioner Mariya Gabriel with leading independent startup ecosystem leaders from across the 27 member states, Let's increase the number of unicorns in Europe tenfold in ten years! Read the press release:

In March 2018, the SEP 2.0 project of the European Commission kicked-off with the very first Scaleup Summit at the Stock Exchange in Milan. Now, eight editions later we look back at a project where we selected Europe’s most promising scaleups and successfully matched them with corporates and investors to foster their growth. Our role [...]

ESN deplores the big blow to the budget considered as crucial for Europe’s future. For the association, the agreed budget is at odds with the ambitions to achieve strategic technological autonomy for the Continent. Read the full press release:

A list of 13 concrete recommendations from startup organisations to national governments and international organisations in the fields of investment, talent and policy The document is also a call to the European Union and governments across the globe to provide startups with financial and political support, empowering them to thrive and build the economy of [...]

ESN is excited to announce that Nicolas Brien, CEO at France Digitale, was elected as president of its board. He will succeed founder Karen Boers and lead the board in pursuit of ESN’s mission to create a common voice for European startups so that more can start, scale and succeed in the EU. Read the [...]

ESN  is supporting the NotOptional campaign (https://notoptional.eu/), whose aim is to ask for an improvement to the treatment of stock options, both at Member State and EU level , to enhance the ability of startups to attract talent. Read the letter sent by a coalition of CEOs, founders and startup networks to the European Commission [...]