EU Startup & Scale-up Strategy Roundtable at the Business Day - AI Action Summit

On 11 February 2025, Allied For Startups had the privilege of hosting a roundtable at the Business Day – AI Action Summit, discussing the EU’s Startup & Scale-up Strategy, just ahead of the launch of the consultation.

During this important session, we addressed the key measures necessary for Europe to compete globally and drive the next wave of innovation in AI and deeptech. Together, we tackled some of the most critical challenges facing European innovators today:

• Scaling & Funding – Addressing the gap with the US in terms of access to capital.

• Regulatory Barriers – Advocating for harmonised rules and startup-friendly policies.

• Talent – Enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in attracting top talent, including through stock options and visa reforms.

• Public Procurement & Market Access – Strengthening Europe’s global leadership in tech.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to our distinguished speakers: Amaryllis Verhoeven, Acting Director (GROW.G) at the European Commission, Agata C. Hidalgo, European Affairs Lead at France Digitale, and Philippe Notton, Co-Founder and CEO of SiPearl, for their invaluable insights. A special thanks also goes to Agata Hidalgo and the entire France Digitale team for their outstanding support in organising the event. A big shoutout also goes to Vasco Pereira da Silva, our Head of Policy, for moderating the discussion.

This roundtable marked the first stop of our AFS Tour – a series of events across Europe designed to foster dialogue around startup issues and the EU’s Startup and Scale-up Startegy.