Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we bring you candid conversations with Europe’s leading founders, corporate leaders, and investors shaping the future of venture collaboration.
In this episode, Thijs Povel, CEO of dealflow.eu, and Ekke Van Vliet, Investment Coordinator at the European Innovation Council (EIC), sit down to discuss one of the biggest challenges in Europe’s venture ecosystem: bridging the gap between corporates and startups.
From EIC’s €10B budget for deep tech to the lessons learned from more than 70 “corporate days,” this session explores what works — and what doesn’t — when building collaboration between Europe’s most innovative startups and its largest corporates.
🎧 Here’s what’s covered:
00:10 Why startups want scale and corporates want innovation — and why it’s still hard to align.
01:00 Inside dealflow.eu: making EU-funded startups visible and accessible to corporates and investors.
02:00 The EIC’s €10B fund — grants and equity for deep tech across Europe.
03:00 From grants to growth: how EIC supports startups after initial funding.
04:00 Lessons from 70+ corporate days — what works, what fails, and the magic ratio of corporates to startups.
05:00 Why in-person, 1:1 meetings matter — but too many can backfire.
06:00 Tomorrow’s corporate day at TechBBQ — a live case study in matchmaking.
07:00 Why deep tech startups in energy, climate, and healthcare are prime for corporate collaboration.
08:00 What corporates actually get: curated startups, ready-to-scale solutions, and no cost to participate.
09:00 Tomorrow’s 14 featured startups — from solar blinds to healthy air and construction tech.
You can listen to the full session on Apple Podcasts and Spotify 🎧
✍️ Show Notes
Dealflow.eu
Platform built to scale EU-funded startups by connecting them with corporates and investors.
Database of thousands of startups funded by the European Commission, accessible for deal sourcing.
EIC’s Role
€10B budget to fund Europe’s most innovative deep tech startups.
Up to €2.5M in grants + €10M in equity per company.
Over 6,000 companies funded to date, across climate, healthcare, energy, and more.
Corporate Days: Lessons Learned
Since 2017: 70+ corporate days, 1,000+ startups.
Best results come from curated, high-quality groups — not too many startups, not too few.
In-person, 1:1 meetings are critical — but overscheduling kills results.
What Corporates Gain
Access to top-tier, EU-funded deep tech startups.
Startups already vetted and financially supported by the European Commission.
Free participation — corporates only need to show up and engage.
Tomorrow’s TechBBQ Corporate Day
14 startups in construction, health, energy, and sustainability.
Innovations include healthy air, solar blinds, and sound engineering solutions.
Live demo of the corporate/startup matchmaking model.
💡 One-liner takeaway: Europe’s corporates get innovation “on a silver plate” — EU-funded startups with deep tech solutions, curated and ready for collaboration.
