EU-STARTUPS SUMMIT 2025: EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
© MeOut Group
On April 24–25, 2025, the GSA team participated alongside our strategic partners from MeOut Group, joining founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders in sunny Malta for the annual EU-Startups Summit, a two-day event celebrating the best of European innovation. The summit was the vibrant meeting ground for the continent's most promising startups and influential investors that its reputation predicted.
The summit was one of the most anticipated gatherings of the year, and it did not disappoint. The gathering brought together the continent's best startups and most influential investors. There was a vibrant exchange of ideas, insights, and opportunities.
© MeOut Group - EU-Startups Summit Registration Desk
From left to right; CEO and Co-founder, Kim Balle, and Director of Operations, Yazan Othman (Global Startup Awards)
A Showcase of Innovation, Collaboration, and Growth
(On stage) from left to right; Thomas Ohr (EU-Startups), Ekaterina Zaharieva (European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation)
The summit featured top-tier keynotes, insightful panel discussions, and high-energy networking that sparked collaboration across industries and borders.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, the European Commissioner for Startups, Research & Innovation, delivered an inspiring fireside chat on “How the European Commission is Supporting Startup Ecosystems Across Europe” outlining the European Commission's comprehensive support for startup ecosystems across Europe, including funding initiatives and fostering cross-border collaboration.
The future of drones was another major focus, with a dynamic panel "Aerial Revolution: How Drones Are Used for Good." Experts Ansgar Kadura (Wingcopter), Bobby Healy (Manna), and Mantas Vaskela (AISPECO) explored how drone technology is creating real-world impact in fields like healthcare delivery, logistics, and environmental monitoring.
Artificial intelligence dominated the panel "How AI Is Changing the Way We Work, Stay Fit, and Live." Industry leaders Nuno Brás (DareData), Rafie Faruq (Genie AI), and Tanya Parfenyuk (Zing Coach) shared how AI and automation are shaping new opportunities in business, wellness, and everyday life.
From left to right; Akansha Dimri (Tech Funding News), Bobby Healy (Manna), Ansgar Kadura (Wingcopter), Mantas Vaskela (Aispeco)
A standout keynote, “Scaling: Entrepreneurial Insights from the Journey of Being a Founder to Becoming a Scale-up CEO,” was delivered by Hristo Borisov, Co-Founder and CEO of Payhawk, one of Europe’s rising fintech unicorns and a proud former winner of the Global Startup Awards. Payhawk’s journey from startup to scale-up is a powerful success story rooted in the GSA network. Hristo shared deep insights on scaling from startup founder to scale-up CEO, offering a rare, firsthand look into building a high-growth, global company.
Femtech was also a notable focus at the summit with the “Transforming Women's Health – The Evolution of Femtech” panel featuring Ekaterina Gianelli (Calm/Storm), Natalie Getreu (Hertility), Ida Tin (Clue), and Valentina Milanova (DAYE). Their discussion highlighted how innovation in women's health is breaking barriers and opening new frontiers in healthtech. Hearing leaders like Ida Tin share their insights was a wake-up call. It is time for real conversations about women’s health. No more shying away from difficult topics. This panel made it clear: innovation in women’s health is not just important. It is urgent, and it is unstoppable.
The numbers reinforce that urgency. Despite women making up half the global population, only around 8.8 percent of NIH research funding between 2013 and 2023 focused specifically on women’s health. At the same time, global investment in Femtech startups surpassed 2.5 billion dollars in 2021, signaling rising recognition of the vast gaps and even greater potential in women’s health innovation.
Shaping Europe's Startup Future
As the EU-Startups Summit 2025 came to a close, the message was clear: European founders are not just building companies, they are building the future.
Driven by bold ideas, international collaboration, and a strong focus on impact, the next generation of global success stories is already taking shape across the continent.