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Brussels to the Bay: Why Europe is the Next VC Frontier

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© EU


On October 16, the EU Office in San Francisco hosted a vibrant Brussels to the Bay session with a stellar panel: Techleap’s Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Forgepoint Capital’s Alberto Yepez, Structure Capital’s Jilian Manus, and Drumbeat Capital’s Steven Jacobs.

The livestream of this event is now available by clicking here.

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EU

Over the past decade, the European Union has built the foundations of a dynamic innovation ecosystem, anchored in a network of mature hubs across the continent. Massive investments, amounting to hundreds of billions of euros, in infrastructure, defense and security, AI, and digital sovereignty are unlocking new innovation potential. Combined with Europe’s world-class science base, deep talent pool, strong focus on deep tech, large single market, and stable rule of law, this makes Europe one of the most attractive regions for sustainable, long-term growth.

The Brussels to the Bay session, “Investing in Innovation: Why Europe is the Next VC Frontier,” organized by the EU Office in San Francisco, explored this transformation and the growing opportunities Europe offers to forward-thinking investors.

The discussion gathered prominent investors who exchanged views and experiences around key questions:

  • Rather than relocating Europe’s most promising startups to the U.S., is it time for more U.S investors to bet on European innovation?
  • Is the EU being rediscovered in the U.S. as an investable region, with perceptions starting to shift?
  • And finally, what are the most promising paths for mutually beneficial transatlantic collaboration in innovation, investment, and startups, especially between the EU and Silicon Valley?

To start, François Brizard, EIC Representative at the EU Office, gave a first-hand overview of Europe’s strengths as a global innovation powerhouse, from its strong industrial base, world-class universities, and research institutions to the rule of law, policy predictability, and high quality of life. He also outlined key challenges, including the funding gap at the growth stage, the limited engagement of corporates, and the absence of major EU pension funds in innovation financing as compared to the U.S. He presented the European Innovation Council (EIC), the EU’s flagship program for breakthrough and deep-tech innovation. With a €10 billion budget (2021–2027), the EIC bridges frontier research and market deployment, and its investment arm, the EIC Fund, is Europe’s largest early-stage deep-tech fund, backing over 700 startups and leveraging €2.6 billion in private co-investment.

The event continued with a panel discussion exploring two key questions: whether U.S. investors’ perception of Europe is evolving, and how to build an efficient transatlantic innovation partnership that benefits both sides and the broader global ecosystem. Panelists agreed that the goal should not be to compare Europe and the U.S., but to leverage their complementarities and respective strengths. Each needs access to the other’s innovation powerhouse to grow global champions.

They underlined Europe’s solid fundamentals, its talent pool, industrial excellence, and research capacity, while acknowledging the need to foster a stronger risk-taking culture and greater agility in deploying capital, especially by mobilizing all actors across the innovation value chain, including demand-side players. The discussion also challenged the outdated notion that success in innovation requires leaving Europe. Instead, incorporating and scaling in Europe should become a strategic end goal, reinforcing the EU’s innovation ecosystem.

Speakers recognized the EU’s growing efforts to bridge the financing gap and expand risk capital through initiatives such as the EIC and the ScaleUp Europe Fund. Together, these instruments signal a decisive shift toward building a true “risk industry” in Europe, one capable of turning frontier science and bold ideas into global market leaders.

Meet our speakers:

  • Prince Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau, Special Envoy for Tech, Techleap, NL
  • Alberto Yepez, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Forgepoint Capital
  • Jillian Manus, EIC ambassador, Structure VC
  • Steven Jacobs, Founding Partner, Drumbeat Capital
  • Joanna Smolinska, Deputy Head of the EU Office in San Francisco [moderator]
  • François Brizard, EIC representative, EU Office in San Francisco [presenter]


If you have any questions, please email us at invitation@euinsanfrancisco.eu.

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