The central question guiding the discussions was clear - while Europe has capital, talent, and ideas, can it effectively translate this potential into execution?
Throughout the day, a strong consensus emerged: Europe does not lack resources, but must significantly improve focus, coordination, and execution. As highlighted by Stjepan Orešković, Founder of Future500 and BOSQAR INVEST, the key challenge lies in transforming Europe’s strengths into globally competitive companies.
Discussions emphasized several critical priorities for Europe’s growth agenda. These included the need to mobilize institutional capital - particularly pension funds - the importance of developing deeper and more integrated capital markets, and the role of entrepreneurs, scientists, and breakthrough technologies as key drivers of future competitiveness. Participants also stressed the urgency of building a robust and interconnected scale-up ecosystem across Europe.
A strong link was made between competitiveness and EU enlargement, underlining the importance of scale, access to talent, and new markets in shaping Europe’s economic future.
Reflecting on the event, Aart De Geus described it as “a truly unique gathering” and noted a growing sense of momentum around Europe’s scale-up agenda.
IEDC is proud to contribute to this momentum. Through the Future500 initiative, the School continues to support the identification of high-potential companies, the development of a strong coalition of leaders, and the advancement of Europe’s next generation of scale-up champions.
IEDC extends its sincere appreciation to all speakers, partners, and participants who contributed to making this high-level gathering possible.