The association’s new strategies strengthen European startups and scaleups, giving them the support and network needed to grow in Europe and beyond

The European Champions Alliance, the non-profit initiative for strengthening Europe’s startup landscape, has launched fresh initiatives to support sovereignty in innovation and technological advancement, with the expertise of experienced entrepreneurs.

The alliance deploys a new threefold value proposition for its members: they gain access to events, coaching sessions, and an exclusive network of like-minded tech companies, corporates, and experts, all supporting the global expansion of European startups and scaleups. Additionally, members benefit from increased brand awareness and visibility of their own companies through the ECA’s communication platforms, empowering them to reach their full potential in Europe and beyond. The alliance complements public policy-making associations, and aims to work in tandem to shape public policy in ways that better support the growth of European startups and scaleups.

Sovereignty – the right fight against European innovation leak

The European Investment Bank estimates that around 75% of European high-tech companies in their late-stage development are acquired by non-European firms. This trend is especially concerning when considering critical technologies such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, smart industry, and climate tech. The acquisition of such companies by non-European firms puts the strategic sovereignty of Europe in key industries at risk, thereby limiting the region’s ability to drive innovation and secure its long-term economic growth. The ECA empowers European startups to take the lead in future technologies while remaining under European ownership to support and protect our citizens and industries in the digital age.

Decades of entrepreneurial experience and passion for the cause behind the European Champions Alliance

A founding team leads the association with over 20 years of experience in startups, finance, and innovative technology. The network includes 50 European members and over 20 European ecosystem partners, such as La French Tech in France and TeleTrusT in Germany, creating a robust community of approximately 350 seasoned experts across all fields, including entrepreneurs, suppliers, corporates, and partners.

The founding team’s extensive experience and a citizen forum led by the French think tank G9+ in 2019 inspired the creation of the ECA, which gained momentum quickly. The Alliance welcomes all types of members to join, as long as they are headquartered in Europe and share the vision of a unified and strong European startup ecosystem.

“Our goal is to promote smart collaboration and cooperation among European companies as the foundation for seamless growth within Europe’s startup ecosystems,” explains Andrea Vaugan, Co-founder and General Manager of the European Champions Alliance. “We established an open platform to support these companies and create a system of operational support, resources, and a sense of fraternity to strengthen and unify the European innovation market.”

11 May 2023 – together, let’s get inspired by the strength of European innovation 

The ECA’s first large physical event, the European Champions Day 2023 on May 11th, is set to unite all facets of the European Deeptech ecosystem for a collaborative exchange of growth strategies, success stories, hurdles, and challenges. The event aims to showcase inspiring case studies and cultivate fresh relationships among European Deeptech companies. Over 250 selected Deep Tech scale-up stakeholders from across Europe will come together to discuss topics such as Trusted Cloud, Climate Tech, and Smart Industry, featuring:

Scale-ups offering Deep Tech solutions

Large enterprises creating, or in need of, Deep Tech solutions

Scale-up support ecosystem members such as investors, experts, and members from the public sector

The Alliance already has notable members like Tehtris and Docaposte from France and Ionos and Infineon from Germany, and aims to facilitate seamless business partnerships between companies across Europe. As the ECA and its stakeholders share the vision of a thriving Deeptech Europe, European Champions Day 2023 will provide the ideal opportunity to come together, share information, and network, all in the spirit of strengthening the European startup landscape.

About European Champions Alliance

The European Champions Alliance (ECA) is a not-for-profit initiative led by passionate entrepreneurs and business development experts who champion European Tech values and promote Tech Leadership in Europe. ECA’s primary focus is to establish a cross-border network among Scale-ups, SMEs, Corporates, Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, Academia, and Supporters of the Tech ecosystem. The aim is to foster smart collaboration, create joint business opportunities, and support the growth of European technology champions.