EINDHOVEN, Netherlands – HighTechXL is founding member of Rise Europe, which is the first grassroots organization dedicated to uniting innovation efforts across Europe.
The new Rise Europe initiative brings together leading ecosystem builders from 14 European countries to connect and empower the next generation of game-changing and transformative startups. They include Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, The Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Addressing technology disruptions and global challenges such as climate crisis and scarcity of resources demand a joint effort. The ambition is to match the innovativeness of countries such as the United States and Republic of China by helping European startups scale and become sustainable and competitive global market leaders.
Recently, leaders from 20 ecosystem builders from key universities and startup hubs – including HighTechXL in Eindhoven – accepted the invitation of UnternehmerTUM – the center for innovation and business creation at Technical University of Munich – to attend the first Rise Europe summit. The summit was held at Schloss Elmau, near Munich, where the G7 Summit was held in 2022.
Rise Europe includes leaders from: École Polytechnique, ETH Zurich, DTU, IE Madrid, Imperial College London, KTH Innovation, EnSpire Oxford at Oxford University, Tangent at Trinity College Dublin and UnternehmerTUM.
A powerful alliance of international players who share a common vision of strong innovations made in Europe has emerged with the convening of Rise Europe.
Crises require European collaboration
The current geopolitical and economic uncertainties and crises underline the urgency of an alliance that is strengthening the European businesses of tomorrow, innovative companies solving grand challenges, creating jobs, preventing brain drain and ensuring prosperity.
Although the members of Rise Europe share these aspirations and goals with regard to a technologically and economically sovereign Europe, they have been mostly acting separately. The group is joining forces with industry, family offices, policy makers and investors to improve the environment for entrepreneurs in Europe. They will create more visibility for emerging “startup champions” and provide startups with easy access to talent, customers and capital across Europe.
The initiative will combine the individual local ecosystems into one, contributing to faster and better solutions to major societal challenges.
“With Rise Europe, Europe has a new impulse generator that will contribute to overcoming global challenges and shape a transnational understanding of the importance of sustainable entrepreneurship,” said John Bell, HighTechXL CEO. “We want to put people and Europe’s values at the center of everything we do.”
“I am very pleased to team up with our friends and dedicated colleagues as part of Rise Europe.”
Three days of exchange
During the three days of the summit, the members of Rise Europe formulated the cornerstones of future cooperation:
- First, the group will actively support each other to reach a top level in the focus areas of education, open innovation and acceleration. Rise Europe agreed to publish an annual list of Europe’s most meaningful startups and accelerate those promising European teams by giving access to individual networks and support mechanisms for quicker scaling.
- Starting in the coming months, members will help startups entering the markets of their respective countries with direct support and connection to high quality market entry offerings.
- Additionally, Rise Europe will arrange matchmaking events between startups, corporates and investors on a European level and a format specifically to increase female entrepreneurship by matching female co-founders across countries.
For more information on Rise Europe, visit the website here.
Media contact:
John Bell, CEO
+31 6 55 38 18 48
