Allied For Startups at the Implementation Dialogue on EU Venture & Growth Capital Funds hosted by Commissioner Albuquerque

On 14 March, our Director-General Serena Borbotti-Frison took part in the Implementation Dialogue on EU Venture and Growth Capital Funds, hosted by Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque.

Together with various key stakeholders from across the ecosystem – including venture capital funds, investors, startups, civil society and think tanks – they discussed persistent barriers to scaling and cross-border investment, including market fragmentation and administrative complexity.

One thing is clear: Europe needs more venture capital that can take startups further.

The challenge is not only the availability of capital, but how effectively it supports companies as they grow. Too few funding rounds match the scale of global competitors, cross-border investment is still slower and more complex than it should be, and growth-stage capital is not consistently available across Europe.

European startups still face a core dilemma: scale under constrained conditions or look elsewhere. Bridging this gap requires policy and ecosystem to better align, enabling venture capital to move faster, scale with ambition, and operate seamlessly across borders.

Thank you to Commissioner Albuquerque for the kind invitation and for taking the time to exchange with the ecosystem, and thank you to all participants for the productive and timely discussion.