European Accelerationism

It was fun to take our #fixtheregulators campaign to Parliament this week, at the UK House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee's inquiry into AI. Startups are delivering AI-based innovation across the economy, but we have a regulatory system that is ill-equipped to bring the best of it to market. Instead, regulators are a barrier to progress because they lack the risk appetite, resources or rules (sometimes all three!). This needs fixing as an urgent priority for the UK's industrial strategy and broader approach to R&D. This doesn't just apply to AI - but the speed at which AI is moving makes the regulatory challenge all the more acute. Great to sit alongside Gerard Grech and Susan Bowen!

Kudos to Ole Lehmann on getting reach on EU's massive challenges last week. 19M people reached on X. Explained clearly. Now for some solutions...(as suggested by Draghi's report) 🔄 Faster Decisions: Switch more decisions to majority voting. The world moves fast. Bureaucracy doesn’t. Stop waiting for everyone to agree. Action beats inertia. 💰 Investment: We’re €750B behind. Every year. That’s the difference between leading and lagging. It’s time to close the gap. Europe needs to bet big on its future. No bets, no growth. Inject an additional €750-800 billion annually into strategic sectors to match global competitors. (Not from Draghi) Public opinion: Get out there, get loud, push, promote, but a budget behind this!, dissect, re-use, SoMe, keep it simple, repeat, use memes...the rules of communication have changed. Competition: Update regulations to empower European companies against global giants (our national champions), promoting fair competition. 👩💻 Digital Everything: The future is digital. Europe lags. No more excuses. Lead in AI, data, and digital infrastructure—or accept irrelevance. Accelerate digital initiatives to enhance productivity and global competitiveness. Invest. Take risks. Innovation Engine 🧪 Startups and scale-ups are the heart of growth. Support them. Europe needs to be the launchpad, not the graveyard, for new ideas. Our follow-up rounds are ridiculous. Industrial Policy >> Coordination beats fragmentation. Scale wins. Europe must unify its industrial strategy or get left behind in the global dust. No half-measures. 🧠 Skills Revolution...The talent gap is real. Invest in people. From coding to craftsmanship, education isn’t a luxury—it’s survival. No talent, no progress. Energy Independence ☀️ Energy is leverage. Build renewables. Invest in grids. Stop being dependent on anyone who doesn’t have Europe’s best interests at heart. Economic Security 🥽 Critical sectors are exposed. Chip production, medical supplies, energy tech—fix this. Resilience isn’t optional; it’s existential. 🤝 Smarter Trade The EU needs sharper trade agreements with resource-rich allies. And a tougher stance on unfair practices. Europe isn’t a punching bag. And there's more... "The future of European competitiveness In-depth analysis and recommendations" has 328 pages of analysis and recommendations. Not me. It comes from the Draghi report. We're here. We're ready. People like Lucien Burm and everyone he mentioned in this comment https://lnkd.in/drdMnXHM also Andreas Klinger Philipp Herkelmann Simon Schaefer Vojtech Horna Benoit Vandevivere Ole Lehmann Peter van Sabben Michael Jackson but also Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen and co... continue to be loud and to push. Thank you.

We are thrilled to announce the closing of our $160 million Series B led by Balderton Capital and Plural - to develop and test Nyx, the first European reusable space capsule, expand the 200-strong team, and scale capacity.   This marks the largest space Series B in Europe, powering our vision for affordable, sustainable, and cooperative space exploration. With this investment, we will further develop Nyx to meet the world’s rapidly-growing demand for space logistics, from supporting space stations to lunar exploration. We are grateful for the trust both our old and new investors have in The Exploration Company team. We believe a round like this is important for not only The Exploration Company but the European space and start-up ecosystem at large.   To quote our CEO, Helene Huby: "This significant raise is a reflection of not only the talent and commitment of the team at TEC but also that building global companies with European roots can only be done through fostering trust and cooperation between European countries. 98% of our shareholders are European, demonstrating that the continent can finance bold entrepreneurs. Space will play a critical role in shaping humanity’s future and I want to contribute to building a future which is peaceful and cooperative and our European DNA fits perfectly with this mission. Over the past 12 months, we have hit major operational and financial milestones and signed significant service contracts with both space agencies and commercial clients. This new funding is the next step in scaling up our ambitions and I’m delighted to welcome Plural, Balderton Capital, NGP Capital and Bessemer to our journey, alongside our previous investors. Their support and ambition will be critical as we take another important step closer to our Nyx Earth launch and build a European space leader.” Plural Balderton Capital Bessemer Venture Partners NGP Capital Bpifrance DTCF | DeepTech & Climate Fonds Bayern Kapital EQT Ventures Red River West Cherry Ventures Promus Ventures Omnes

This is great news! The Council today adopted the listing act, a legislative package that will make EU public capital markets more attractive for EU companies and facilitate the listing of companies of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on European stock exchanges. This changes the whole game. European Accelerationism is on the rise. https://lnkd.in/eXW5fxSb

I find it amusing that some people believe AI will be allowed to replace medical doctors in the EU. Notaries are still sealing documents with hot wax here, wtf are you talking about?

Europe needs to wake up! Last week we attended an eu/acc (European accelerastionism) meet-up. 🇪🇺 If you use twitter you will come across a lot of Americans (respected founders) roasting Europe and the startup scene. It’s a shame that we see good founders leaving to the US because there are more opportunities there. We're home to world-class research and talent, but not the best opportunities. Europe is often seen as a place that "only regulates," not one that innovates. We need to change this if Europe is to have a fighting chance. The movement is currently starting with initiatives like our FounderFuel.vc events and “Wij Blijven” from Robert Gaal. So join us on this movement. It's time to change the narrative and build a stronger ecosystem for founders! #eu/acc #Innovation #EU