Tech Sovereignty Summit is an impactful event, which gathered European tech leaders in Paris, in the Salon de l’Horloge, a place where in 1950 European Union foundational text was signed. The anticipated event, a precursor to Vivatech, reunited 150 founders of European scale-ups, policymakers, investors, and other influential players of the tech ecosystem.
This year, TechUkraine was invited to the summit, as a part of the Ukrainian delegation that also includes the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic, the Ukrainian Startup Fund, La French Tech, the French-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI France Ukraine), “Nazovni” platform and SET University.
Ukraine joined the summit as a part of those who currently fight for European freedom, and those who can supplement Europe with its power of innovations and technology. Special thanks to Diana Sidko and Dominique Piotet, working with La French Tech Kyiv and CCI France-Ukraine for ensuring the presence of the Ukrainian delegation at the event.
Leaders from public and private sectors discussed the future of tech and its strong impact on each part of the European system. From education to security, from partnerships to global standards, from regulations to investments.
Three leaders of the European innovation ecosystem, Philippe Huberdeau, leva Gaigala, and Maxime Paradis, spearheaded the European Tech Sovereignty Summit organization. The summit, part of the Scale-Up Europe initiative, launched by the French President, took place at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, June 13, from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
Agenda and Activities
The Summit celebrated the accomplishments of the Scale-Up Europe initiative and the European tech sector, also proposing strategies for further growth. Over the last decade, France has seen a surge in its unicorn companies from zero to 27, and the European Union has witnessed an increase from 30 to over 150 unicorns.
Significant announcements include the welcoming of six new countries into the European Startup Nations Agency (ESNA): Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Greece, Cyprus. Moreover, a Ukrainian startup delegation, led by Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation Alex Bornyakov, will attend a Scale-Up Europe program meeting for the first time, signaling expansion of the initiative to Ukraine with the support of the European Commission: The EIC has announced a 20M euros support to Ukrainian SUs, Ukraine has been fully integrated into the Digital Europe Programme and has an observer status in the European Blockchain Partnership.
A panel, including Niklas Zennström Founder and CEO of Atomico and ex-Skype, Antoine Bordes VP of Helsing and ex-Meta Al, and Thibaut Kleiner Director from DG Connect at the European Commission, explored strategies for enhancing European tech sovereignty. A key priority for President Emmanuel Macron aiming at establishing 10 global tech giants in Europe, each valued at €100bn by 2030. Laurence Boone, Secretary of State in charge of Europe, delivered a closing speech.
According to Maxim Paradise, French entrepreneur, VC and angel investor, Tech Sovereignty Summit outlined 10 key takeaways for a stronger Europe:
- Education & Skills: Invest in the education system to build a strong base of technologically proficient professionals. Foster an environment that promotes lifelong learning and re-skilling.
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Encourage the startup ecosystem, facilitate collaboration between corporations, governments, and startups. Innovation should be at the heart of our approach.
- Regulation & Policy: Strive for balanced regulation that safeguards citizens’ rights while supporting competitive growth of the tech sector. Data privacy should not be a barrier, but a competitive advantage.
- Investment: Attract venture capital and public investment into technology companies. Facilitate access to funds for startups and SMEs.
- Infrastructure: Invest in robust and reliable digital infrastructure. High-speed internet, cloud computing, and cutting-edge data centers are foundational to tech sovereignty.
- Research & Development: Allocate more resources to tech-related R&D. Collaborations between universities and industries can drive meaningful innovation.
- Security & Privacy: Build digital tools with security and privacy at their core. Empower citizens with control over their data.
- Partnerships: Strengthen alliances both within Europe and with other tech hubs globally. Leverage these relationships for knowledge sharing and growth.
- Global Standards: Participate in defining international technology standards. Europe’s voice should be heard in shaping the future of technology.
- Sustainability: Prioritize digital solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. Technology should be a key ally in the fight against climate change.
Nataly Veremeeva, the Director at TechUkraine also shared her thoughts about the European Tech Sovereignty Summit:
“We in Ukraine should be aware of the global agenda and challenges that our partners are solving. Ukrainian participation can reinforce the technological leadership of Europe to secure its spot among the leading innovation locations in the world.
The summit and the ideas voiced were super impressive. The very fact that the event was organized in the next hall to the one, where the EU creation papers were signed, was already symbolic. High level conversation about the challenges of catching up and keeping the global leadership as a region sounded powerful.
What distinguishes Europe most is the humanistic approach. Technology with a human face, solving problems instead of creating them – this is the distinguished feature of tech from EU and traditional focus. The biggest challenge is bureaucracy, but we hope with Ukrainian walls-breaking passion the structures, that are outdated and not working anymore, will fall apart, to unveil new healthy, flexible and resilient structures, nourishing healthy ecosystems. We are super excited to join this dialogue.”
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