On November 12, scaleups, investors, ministers and policymakers gathered at Copenhagen City Hall for Scale-Up Europe, the official opening event of Global Entrepreneurship Week Denmark. The conference focused on what Europe must do to remain competitive and on how to ensure that startups choose to scale in Europe rather than elsewhere.
Throughout the afternoon, numerous high-level speakers contributed perspectives on Europe’s scale-up challenges and opportunities. Among them were Christina Egelund, Minister for Higher Education and Science, who opened the event together with Mikkel Sørensen, Managing Director at DTU Skylab, highlighting the importance of European cooperation and cross-border investment.
In a fireside chat, Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs, and Rasmus Holst, Founder and CEO at Zensai, discussed the widening gap between regulation and implementation and the need for clearer, innovation-friendly frameworks.
The event also featured remarks from Jens-Kristian Lütken, Mayor for Employment and Integration in Copenhagen, who highlighted the city’s growing importance as an emerging innovation hub. Citing the latest Startup Genome report, he noted Copenhagen’s position as one of the top five emerging ecosystems globally. As he put it: “Copenhagen is a city in balance; a place where entrepreneurs and their families can thrive, with jobs, schools, opportunities and an open, accessible business environment.”
Later in the programme, Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, joined Peter Kofler, Chairman of Danish Entrepreneurs, to reflect on Europe’s global economic position and the structural changes needed to strengthen competitiveness.
Across sessions and discussions, a clear and consistent message emerged: Europe must stop slowing itself down.
This was reflected in several notable comments:
- “If we want to compete in the global tech race, we need to stand united as a continent.” - Christina Egelund, Minister for Higher Education and Science
- “We’re not ready to explain how companies should comply with new regulation – yet we’re still creating more” - Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs
- “We see more accountants and not startups - that’s not how it should be” - Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs
Founders Ken Villum Klausen (Lunar) and Rasmus Holst (Zensai) added the perspective from the entrepreneurial frontline, stressing that without a renewed approach to risk, capital and scale, Europe risks losing its strongest contenders before they reach their full potential.
The event was moderated by Marie Høst, who guided discussions across panels, fireside conversations and a pitch spotlight.
Scale-Up Europe underscored the urgency of creating better conditions for European growth companies and marked an important moment in the wider conversation on how to strengthen Europe’s scale-up ecosystem.
Scale-Up Europe was organised by Danish Entrepreneurs, SMVdanmark, Danish Chamber of Commerce, Allied for Startups, Global Startup Awards, Enterprise Europe Network Danmark and SMEunited, with support from the Danish Board of Business Development. The City of Copenhagen hosted the event and provided the unique setting of Copenhagen City Hall’s Banquet Hall.
Read more about the event on https://gew.dk
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| Scale-Up-Europe.pdf | 11.69 MB |