Start-Up Europe is a platform aggregating several organizations, supported by European Commission,that contribute to European start-up ecosystem. Start-Up Europe is a part of European Union (EU) Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. That is why its mission is to connect players of local start-up ecosystems in EU countries, including connecting start-ups, entrepreneurs, and researchers with start-up accelerators, co-working places, private investors, public funds agencies mentors, or local authorities, which all can support start-ups’ “go to market journey”.
Between 1st -5th of February 2016 Start-Up Europe organizes the biggest entrepreneurship event in Europe. This is 1st edition of Start-Up Europe Week, with 220 cities in 45 countries participating, and hundreds of events being planned, including conferences, workshops, meetups, or mentoring sessions.
If you are a start-up ecosystem stakeholder, you can be a participant of the planned events. And if you are a start-up player, you can support Start-Up Week by organizing event or becoming part of the initiative by using the form here.
Start-Up Week goal is to promote initiatives of Start-Up Europe, which are in force for a while now. My favorite initiatives, which altogether create European start-ups support ecosystem, include:
– Open call for Micro-Grants for start-ups to enable them participating in relevant start-up events, workshops, and usage of local, start-up dedicated services. Micro-Grants are also strong enabler of networking at European level, including events planned for start-ups stakeholders in 2016.
– Start-up Future Roadshow with series of workshops for students, and aspiring entrepreneurs, where they will find training sessions on funding opportunities and meet with mentors. The roadshow is organized by by European Young Innovators Forum, and kicks-off in Poznan in Poland on 27th of February 2016.
– Start- Up Europe Club of over 4 thousand investors interested in funding start-ups ad various stage of their development.
– European Crowdfunding Network, which is an initiative to support European crowdfunding services providers with self-regulation issues, and strengthen crowdfunding voice of crowdfunding in policy making discussion to result in growing number of local crowdfunding platforms and wider access to capital for start-ups.
– Database of almost 300 thousands companies founded in Europe, including funding amounts, and companies’ details, which might be a great deal of support in looking for potential business partners, including suppliers, and customers, but also mentors.
– EU Accelerators Assembly, which aggregates over 70 start-up accelerators, I was writing about some time ago. If you are start-up accelerator, you can register there and find partners for Horizon 2020 call for projects called “
Startup Europe for Growth and Innovation Radar”, which enables financing of strategic partnerships building between European start-up hubs. Imagine that as a start-up accelerator you can submit an application e.g. for creation of Pan-European acceleration programme with professional mentors, and international demo-day. Find details of applying for EUR 1,5 m per project till 25th of April 2017 here.
– As a start-up you might also be interested in using co-working space for leading your start-up daily activity in Europe. For that purposes you can use information aggregated by Co-working Assembly, where you will find already registered co-working spaces. In case you are co-working space founder, you can submit information on its location and services offered.
– Beside over 4 thousand of private investors Start-Up Europe shares the knowledge on over 1300 other start-up funding opportunities, including public funds’ co-financing, in the database of Start-Up Europe Club here.
If you like what is happening in Europe, and you are start-up ecosystem stakeholder consider to sign a manifesto for Entrepreneurship & Innovation to power growth in the EU.
If you are still looking for “a meat on the bone” you might be interested in Practical guide to doing business in Europe. The guide doesn’t only provide details of starting a company, including registration of European company online including, but also provide knowledge on intellectual property rights protection of your start-up, selling your products and services abroad, employing people in the EU, building up your team, exploring taxes and customs related issues, and getting the basics of merging and acquisitions, which might be interesting for later stage start-ups considering exit strategies.
If you still feel hungry, reach out to us using our contact form, and still “stay hungry, stay foolish”.
Dzida !