Workshop: Unlocking European Funding Opportunities for Startups and Scale-ups
European funding can be a powerful growth lever for startups and scale-ups, but for many founders the landscape remains difficult to navigate. Between EU grants, national programmes, cascade funding, consortium-based applications, thematic innovation calls and private fundraising, it is not always clear where to start, what is worth pursuing, and when public funding can genuinely support a company’s growth strategy.
In this practical and founder-focused workshop, we will demystify the European fundraising landscape and explain how startups can approach non-dilutive funding in a more strategic way.
The session will help founders understand how the main European funding instruments fit together, when it makes sense to apply, what evaluators are really looking for, and how to avoid the most common mistakes. We will also discuss how public funding can complement private investment, increase valuation, support product development, accelerate market validation and strengthen international expansion.
The workshop will be interactive and practical, with concrete examples, open discussion and room for questions from participants.
Participants will learn:
• How the main European funding instruments fit together
• The difference between EU grants, national funding, cascade funding and other non-dilutive opportunities
• When non-dilutive funding does — and does not — make sense for a startup
• What evaluators typically look for in strong applications
• Common pitfalls that lead to weak or unsuccessful proposals
• How to connect public funding with a broader fundraising and growth strategy
This session is designed for founders, entrepreneurs and startup teams who want to better understand how European funding can support their growth without giving away equity.
Speaker bio
Régis Cazenave is a Strategic Advisor to founders, CEOs, investors and leadership teams on international expansion, go-to-market strategy, strategic partnerships, fundraising, institutional relations and European ecosystem development.
He has more than 25 years of international experience in technology, innovation and business development, with a strong focus on deep tech, cybersecurity, AI and software-driven innovation.
Alongside his advisory work, he serves as Vice-Chair at ITEA, the Eureka Cluster for software innovation, and contributes actively to the European cybersecurity and innovation ecosystem through advisory and ecosystem roles with organisations such as ECSO, TNO and French Tech Amsterdam. He also mentors entrepreneurs through incubation and acceleration programmes including YES!Delft, DutchBasecamp and Forward·Inc.
His approach is practical, direct and hands-on, combining executive experience, strategic judgement and an extensive European network to help startups and scale-ups move from strategy to execution and turn their international ambition into practical growth across Europe.