Author: Veronica Fresneau

Keeping up with the startup and VC news is not an easy task. When it comes to understanding market shifts, investor controversy and not to mention making sense of new cutting-edge tech and being aware of the ever-changing trends – it can be a little overwhelming at times.

Rolling into summer, it’s been an energizing and busy few months in the European startup community. With the return of in-person events, there have been plenty of opportunities to get connecting and chatting with different entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders from across the ecosystem.  Looking at the current market downturn with high inflation, rising interest rates and the global food supply at risk, I wanted to find out first-hand if the need for sustainability, climate or cleantech investments has shifted.

A couple of years ago, I was at a startup event in Amsterdam. It must have been 2016/17. The room was full of young, vibrant people from very diverse backgrounds. As the evening unfollowed, I got into many conversations. There is only one that very clearly stands out in my mind today.

In Europe, investment in edtech is growing faster than in any other mature market and it is now home to three edtech unicorns (two of which passed the billion-dollar mark in the summer of 2021).

While the tech scene is undeniably booming, we shouldn’t get complacent. The road ahead might be still a long one. Europe needs to build much more than fintech and grocery delivery startups if it really wants a global startup ecosystem that’s a force to be reckoned with.

A couple of days ago, a new law was introduced in France providing 24-days parental paid leave for fathers. Many other European countries such as Denmark, Germany, Spain or Sweden have much better conditions.

There is no doubt that entrepreneurs are one of the most creative bunch out there. So many ideas being tested, so many boundaries broken every day. And so many issues to solve. One may think that it must be easy to identify THE best idea worth pursuing.