Allied For Startups & OpenAI: Hacktivate AI - Pitching Policy Solutions For AI Uptake

On 23 September in Brussels, in collaboration with OpenAI, we brought together Europe’s leading experts for Hacktivate AI – a one-day policy hackathon and conference designed to generate bold ideas to advance AI adoption across the continent.

Throughout the day, over 50 experts collaborated across seven dynamic tracks, each led by an outstanding captain:

• Track 1: AI-Ready Workforce – led by Lucy Czachowski (Bitkom)
• Track 2: Adoption Incentives – led by Anissa Kemiche (numeum)
• Track 3: Technical Bottlenecks – led by Dom Hallas (Startup Coalition)
• Track 4: AI for Government – led by Guillaume Avrin (Arlequin AI)
• Track 5: Monitoring & Readiness – led by Pierre-Alexandre Balland (CEPS)
• Track 6: Macro-Policies for AI Uptake – led by Gintare Verbickaite (Unicorns Lithuania)
• Track 7: Ecosystem Collaboration – led by Lucien Burm (Dutch Startup Association)

During the morning session, we were also honoured to hear from Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, who shared insights on accelerating AI adoption in Europe, the upcoming Applied AI Strategy, and empowering industries and the public sector to make Europe a leading AI continent.

In the afternoon, each team pitched their solutions. Ideas ranged from public-private partnerships and AI incentive programs to streamlined funding templates, ISO standardisation, EU policy frameworks, data monitoring initiatives, harmonised regulations, and new collaborative platforms connecting startups, industry, and government, and more.

The pitches were followed by a high-level panel discussion on AI adoption and Europe’s competitiveness. Panelists included Maximilian Freier (European Central Bank), Malgorzata Nikowska (EU AI Office, European Commission), Sean Kask (SAP), Serena Borbotti-Frison (Allied For Startups), and Sandro Gianella (OpenAI), moderated by Hannah Wundsam (AustrianStartups).

The day concluded with a keynote from MEP Eva Maydell, highlighting the importance of public-private collaboration in connecting startups, established companies, and industry to drive meaningful impact.

A big thank you to OpenAI, our track captains, participants, speakers, startups, and everyone who contributed to Hacktivate AI. The innovative and ambitious ideas developed during the day could play an important role in accelerating AI adoption throughout Europe.