🇪🇺🇵🇱 EU Innovation Journey'25

During the EU Innovation Journey in 🇵🇱 Warsaw, Kasia Piasecki and Kinga Stanisławska from European Women in VC moderated two key panels addressing innovation and startup growth in Europe and the CEE region.

Kinga moderated "Accelerating Innovation: Turning CEE Potential into Global Success" with panelists such as
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Marek Garniewski (Orlen VC), Stéphane Ouaki (EISMEA), Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme (EIT Food), Przemysław Pączek (Nevomo), and Aleksander Mokrzycki (PFR Ventures).

• Marek Garniewski (Orlen VC)
• Stéphane Ouaki, Director EISMEA
• Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme (EIT Food)
• Przemysław Pączek (Nevomo)
• Aleksander Mokrzycki (PFR Ventures)

The conversation covered key barriers holding CEE startups back: the struggle to scale globally, limited liquidity, and fragmented public support - and what it will take to turn the region’s strong potential into real global success stories. That includes building secondary markets, moving toward a 🇪🇺 Capital Markets Union, and tapping into the opportunities behind CEE’s growing contribution to EU-wide innovation and growth.

Kasia led the panel titled "Start Up & Scale Up Strategy" on the Day 2 of the conference with panelists:

• Iwona Biernat, Policy Advocate & Legal Strategist, EU-Inc
• Andras Inotai, Acting Head of Taskforce on Startups and Scaleups, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
• Bartłomiej Kot, Head of Public Policy, Startup Poland
• Jakub Dąbroś, Managing Partner, Innovations Hub
• Dariusz Łukaszewski, Head of the Innovation Policy Unit, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology
• Eve Peterson, Enterprise Estonia

‍Key takeaways from the event:

• CEE’s startup ecosystem has strong foundations but needs more capital access, especially for deep tech and growth stages.
• Harmonizing regulatory frameworks and incentive systems across Europe will enhance talent retention and attract global founders.
• Cross-sector collaboration between EU institutions, governments, corporates, and investors is crucial to unlocking liquidity and scaling innovation.

For more details on the EU Innovation Journey, visit euinnovationjourney.eu.