Wopke Dost
Director
Wopke brings an energetic personality that drives new initiatives and helps teams grow. She maintains an overview of large-scale innovation programs and combines her experience in open innovation, strategy, and the startup ecosystem to deliver innovative results.
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How Tech Ecosystems in Europe Are Necessary for Strategic Independence
Europe is at a tipping point. As geopolitical pressure, energy issues, and technological rivalry increase, one reality becomes undeniable: our strategic independence depends on the strength of our innovation ecosystems. During a panel discussion at WTC 40hrs, three key figures – Petra Barendse (Amsterdam Science Park), Rune Theill (Rockstart), and Olivia Hervy (VivaTech) – engaged in a conversation. It quickly became clear how urgent the challenges are, as well as how much potential there is to reshape the European innovation system by joining forces.
The European Paradox: World-Class and Fragmented
Europe excels in science, talent, and industry. We have a strong sector in which new technologies, such as deep tech, can be directly integrated. Additionally, our universities are among the best in the world, and we train 1.5 times as much talent as the US. As Barendse beautifully put it: “Strong innovation starts with strong science, and we have that.” Yet, we lag in the race for innovation and scale. The cause, according to the panelists, lies in a single factor: fragmentation.
27 Markets, 27 Systems
A startup seeking to scale in Europe does not operate in a single market but in dozens of parallel systems. For startups, scaling entails navigating numerous legal, fiscal, and cultural realities. Hervy succinctly summarized it: “A startup that settles in Paris, wants to hire in Germany, wants to invest in the UK, and wants to sell in the Nordics has to go through 4 totally different systems. That hinders innovation.”
The highly fragmented European market makes it more difficult for startups to maintain speed, unlike the American market, where startups can scale freely within a single large home market.
Even within the innovation structure itself, cohesion is lacking. Across the field, loose hubs, programs, and initiatives emerge. According to Barendse, the Netherlands alone has 35 different innovation hubs, which dilutes concentration and strength. At the European level, this patchwork is even more extreme. Each country, sometimes each region, builds its own mini-ecosystem. Science, talent, and capital become dispersed instead of reinforced. Yet, that is precisely what we need.
We cannot rely solely on governments. We need pension funds and institutional investors willing to take risks on startups.
The Capital Gap
Capital remains one of the biggest obstacles. Despite progress, Theill noted that Denmark saw the number of funds increase from 6 to 26. Europe lags in attracting scale-up capital. While Silicon Valley can build on deep pockets of institutional investors, European institutional funds largely remain on the sidelines. Theill is clear on this: “We cannot rely solely on governments. We need pension funds and institutional investors willing to take risks in startups.” Additionally, the corporate sector plays a key role. The risk-averse culture of large corporations hinders innovation, while collaboration with startups can bring speed and agility.
The Way Forward: A Three-Step Rocket
1. Create a Single Internal market: The promise of a European single market remains underutilized. We need a uniform regime that makes it easy for startups to grow across borders: a so-called “28th regime.” The European Commission is working on this, and initiatives such as the Digital Sovereignty Summit in Berlin show momentum, according to Hervy.
- Choose Focus, Choose World-Class: Fewer small initiatives, more concentrated hubs where science, industry, and capital converge in strategic locations. “We must move away from fragmentation. Build strong, focused areas where we can truly become world-class,” said Barendse.
- Activate Institutional Capital: Let institutional investors, such as pension funds and other large capital providers, take responsibility. They must invest in the European ecosystem. Currently, their risk-averse culture hinders innovation, while collaboration with startups can bring speed and agility. More strongly, “if we free up two percent of institutional capital, we solve the entire European venture problem,” according to Theill.
Where Europe Can Win
Although the panel brings nuance to the hype around AI models, the potential of AI applications was broadly emphasized. While our AI infrastructure cannot match that of the US, we see promising growth in AI applications in Europe and are increasingly visible internationally. “Thanks to our talent and development capacity, we have strong positions in AI applications,” said Hervy.
Additionally, according to Barendse, there are strong opportunities in quantum computing and semiconductors. Technologies that underpin almost all future innovations. Europe already has a strong position in these areas. If Europe can truly differentiate itself,
It is at the intersection of science and deep technological applications. In short, Europe has everything it needs to win: top science, talent, and industrial strength.
What we need is courage: the courage to concentrate rather than disperse, to take risks rather than avoid them, and to work together rather than think in national silos. In the final phase of the panel, it focused primarily on the human aspect. Innovation requires a different way of thinking, collaborating, and daring. After all, Theill emphasizes, you don’t build a factory in isolation. You need land, permits, talent, customers, and capital. The European breakthrough, therefore, does not begin with a single technology, company, or government, but with their connection. And that is precisely where the key to a stronger, faster, and integrated European innovation system lies. The ecosystem determines success.
