Prodensus’ Post

The last days really got me thinking about agility, speed and innovation dynamics. This is a message I received from a startup that I thought could be interesting for our accelerator and it sums up my feeling in a way. What happened before: - I talked to a tech park from the Baltics who offer journeys for their startups to internationalize. Clear message: we don't recommend them to internationalize within the EU / to Germany. All to complicated. They have partners in US and Asia - in February we participated in an EU tender (relatively small volume). Last week the public authority wrote us. Not the result, but the question if we can officially confirm to hold up our offer till end of the year, because half a year is not enough to decide - together with a potential partner, we are waiting for the release of a frequently announced tender of a German public procurer. For almost 1,5 years now. - some weeks before we received the message that the planned new building we want to move into will be ready some months later - the third time we got such a message (on the same building) Reasons are different. And complex. And hard to change. But all in all I ask myself the question: When are we waking up? We definitely need to speed up in a global world. Who has other good stories to share?

Next week, on 23 April, we are hosting an exclusive in-person panel event and networking drinks in partnership with #Sifted100 to tackle the question of whether the UK is doing enough to safeguard and propel its #tech ecosystem in the face of mounting competition in Europe and the US?     Speakers include Sifted Head of Research, Jonathan Sinclair, Glenn Weinstein, CEO of Cloudsmith, and our Partner and Head of #VentureCapital, David Strong.    The panel will be taking a deep dive into the findings of Sifted’s recently published UK and Ireland Fastest Growing Startups Report 2024. The report shone the spotlight on the UK’s remarkable ability to produce some of the world's most successful #startups, particularly in the #fintech space.     It also highlighted the persistent barriers UK and Irish startups face when looking to #scale here, in comparison to their US counterparts and how some European counterparts are jostling to be the hub of choice for #AI, #deeptech and climate-focused technologies. Can the UK withstand the threat?    We’ll delve into existing proposals to better support UK startups going for #growth and what else is needed to transform the UK from a startup basecamp to the place to scale and eventually IPO. The panel will also consider the impact of impending #AI #regulation and how the UK and Ireland can take full advantage of emerging #ClimateTech and DeepTech opportunities.     To register your interest in attending the event please get in touch with events@marriottharrison.co.uk   https://lnkd.in/gkCbNqpx

Looking forward to moderating this discussion next week on the Sifted 100 Report and the state of the UK tech ecosystem - see details below to register to join us! #sifted100 #tech #vc

🇪🇺'EU Inc has a rocky road ahead'🇪🇺 📣 TechCrunch just dropped a must-read piece on why The EU Inc Petition is a must have - and the challenges ahead! Nobody said it would be easy, but "This is us as an industry saying very clearly on one topic, very focused, not like a list of 20 requests, but like one thing, ‘This is important." 🗣️ Andreas Klinger 💰The The EU Inc Petition has by now more than €300bn in enterprise value in its signatory. That is more than the Top5 automotive companies in Europe. Startups are the future, let's level the field! Who should get on board and support this petition? tag and activate them today. link in comments:

🌟 Thrilled to have attended Slush'D Ghent yesterday and share this experience with DataWolves! Check out our post below to see the key takeaways that inspired our team—and me personally—as we work to build a meaningful impact in HR tech. The energy, the insights, and the connections we made truly underscore how much power there is in community and innovation. Excited to bring these learnings back to DataWolves and apply them as we continue to grow. 🚀 Let’s keep moving forward and reaching for those big goals! #SlushDGhent #HRTech #DataWolves #Lilly #Entrepreneurship #AI #Innovation

📣 ICYMI - Sifted’s B2B SaaS Rising 100 is out now and features the software-savvy startups scaling fast across Europe and Israel! As proud sponsor of the Rising 100, now in its 3rd year, this ranking and report aims to showcase the most promising privately held software companies leading their categories and defining new ones. Congratulations to the founders, CEOs and companies who made this distinguished list! A few key takeaways: 🧠 4 out of the top 10 companies are GenAI startups, including V7, poolside, Qdrant & Adaptive ML 🌱 A record 6 companies from the climate tech sector reflect surging demand, including Plan A and PVcase 💸 Notable newcomers like BVNK and Flowdesk mark fintech's strong rebound 🌍 The UK leads with 32 companies, maintaining its top position in startup success See who made the Rising 100 B2B SaaS startup ranking and download the report to uncover the trends shaping these startups and the region: (Links in comments). CC: Andreas Weiskam, Imogen M., & Georgie Davies #venturecapital #B2BSaaS #B2BSaaSRising100

Ready for the next stage! ⛰️ I am thrilled to have been selected for the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) by AustrianStartups! The startup journey is about to begin, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead. 🚀🇦🇹 Throughout my career, I've been driven by a passion for bridging diverse worlds to drive meaningful change. The ELP offers an incredible opportunity to further this mission. I firmly believe that AI holds immense potential to create innovative solutions for some of the most pressing challenges we face today. By harnessing the power of technology, we can make our democracy more transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric. 🔍 However, to truly leverage this potential, we need innovators who deeply understand both the political landscape and cutting-edge technology. We need bridge-builders who can navigate complex systems and forge new paths forward. 🤝 Thanks to Austrian Startups, Markus Raunig and Luisa Schiffke for this incredible opportunity! Stay tuned for updates. 🙌 #ELPProgram #AustrianStartups #InnovationJourney #FutureOfDemocracy #AI

I am excited to be invited to the first meetup hosted by TechieTaka, we will delve into what are the proper engineering aspects to consider when building a startup, how to assess your decisions, how product deal with tech teams to get the best out of the team and other interesting questions. Stay tuned for the other panelists 😎, See you there! #techteams #softwareengineering الحمدلله

Kicking off opening night at #ElevateFest2024 with a trio of great leaders from Toronto's #AI Ecosystem. "Unleashing the Power of Innovation Ecosystems" Panel featuring Rizwan Khalfan + Jordan Jacobs + Mara Lederman = a thoughtful and insightful conversation on the #NetworkEffect we have here. Appreciate Jordan's and Mara's nods to Vector Institute 's role in #Talent development...the foundational cornerstone to build and grow a successful innovation culture. Another key takeaway = push for Canada's governments and corporations to #TakeAMeasuredRisk to support our startups to build a customer and revenue base in Canada to get those early wins. Lots of good things have been done to date. Lots more work to do. Let's Go! #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #data #venturecapital #privateequity #advancedmanufacturing #startups Radical Ventures Signal 1 TD #ResponsibleAI #HealthTech #innovation

#MoodOfTheMonth In recent weeks, we've had enriching exchanges with fellow startups at FTI, participated in INCO Social Tides, and engaged with the Imec.Istart accelerator startups. These behind-the-scenes moments offer a stark contrast to the polished narratives often portrayed on LinkedIn and through PR channels. Moreover, our recent VLAIO debate preparation featuring prominent VCs, Ban Vlaanderen, PMV, and VLAIO itself revealed passionate discussions that underscore the nature of our Belgian funding ecosystem. Reflecting on these interactions and a particular slide from the FTI SuperNova event, which, although focused on AI, aptly captures the prevailing sentiment among pioneers and innovators, I'm left pondering the broader implications for our community and industry. As entrepreneurs, we find ourselves at a crossroads, balancing the drive for innovation with the practicalities of regulatory compliance and societal impact. This raises crucial questions: As a business owner, what proportion of your resources is dedicated to navigating legislation versus pursuing innovation with a purpose, such as social impact or environmental sustainability? And, looking at the landscape in Belgium, do we have adequate funding and government support to nurture and retain startups, or do greener pastures lie abroad in places like the Netherlands, the US, or the UK? With the current level of 'breadcrumbs' funding for companies in the transitional phase from startup to scale-up, can we realistically meet our ambitious 2030 objectives? I'm eager to hear your thoughts and strategies on navigating these legal and funding challenges and opportunities in Belgium. 😅 #StartUpCommunity #Innovation #RegulatoryChallenges #SocietalImpact"