Sorina Uleia, Founder & CEO Recycllux SRL When marine pollution became personal A few years ago, I was swimming with my kids in the Black Sea when a wave carrying plastic waste hit us. That experience stayed with me and became the motivation behind Recycllux. At Recycllux, our ambition is to change the way coastal…
A BESCO perspective, with insights from Nick Stefanov, MSEng., drawing on his experience at EVN Bulgaria and Schneider Electric. Since joining the European Union in 2007, Bulgaria has never sent a male European Commissioner to Brussels. Every Bulgarian who has served in the Commission has been a woman, and one of them, Kristalina Georgieva, now…
Portugal has become a compelling example of how innovation can provide a courageousresponse to economic adversity. Over the past decade, Lisbon has developed into one ofEurope’s most visible innovation centres, attracting international entrepreneurs, investors andcompanies while projecting the Portuguese ecosystem far beyond the country’s borders. This transformation did not happen overnight. Portugal has combined strong…
Developing breakthrough technologies comes with significant challenges—especially when creating solutions capable of transforming entire industries. This is exactly the path chosen by Beatričė Laurinkutė, Co-founder and CEO of Lithuanian deeptech startup Strato Create. Through the startup, she is representing Lithuania in EPIC-X, one of Europe’s leading accelerator programmes for women-led deeptech startups, helping companies expand…
Croatia’s startup story has already defied all expectations. A country of just four million people has produced two unicorns – Infobip and Rimac Automobili – and notable exits including Photomath, acquired by Google in 2023. Together, these milestones have attracted hundreds of millions in investment and put Croatia firmly on Europe’s innovation map. But at…
Michaela Kasparek Mixova, Barbora Pesek / Make more The Czech Republic has enormous potential for deep tech innovation. However, to fully utilize it and bridge the gap between science and the market, we need a comprehensive ecosystem approach that actively engages female talent. Looking at the Czech startup scene, we see a clear shift. While…
Hungary’s deep tech moment is no longer just a promise hidden inside university labs. It is becoming a visible part of the country’s startup ecosystem, representing roughly 10% of local startups. That share is still modest, but it points to a deeper shift: more science- and technology-driven founders are beginning to see entrepreneurship as a…
Talking about deep tech often means talking about science becoming business: technologiesborn in laboratories – AI, robotics, new materials, space, biotech, cybersecurity, advancedcomputing – that require years of R&D, patient capital, and an ecosystem capable ofsupporting the leap from prototype to market. In Italy, it is also the terrain where the gendergap is most visible:…
Solvita Kostjukova, Serial Deep-Tech Entrepreneur and Ecosystem Builder, UniLab, Latvia We are living in changing times, and deep-tech is no longer a niche conversation. It is becoming one of the most important foundations of Europe’s future resilience, competitiveness, and capacity to act. From health and food systems to materials, energy, biotechnology, and increasingly defence- and…
The EPIC-X Acceleration+ Programme closed on 5 January 2026, receiving 128 eligible applications from women-led deep-tech startups across 16 EU countries, representing a total of €7.68 million in requested funding. Following a thorough evaluation process, 20 projects have been provisionally selected for support under the programme. The selected startups are currently undergoing the final contracting procedures, after…
End of content
End of content