SME Tech Leaders Summit 2025
The SME Tech Leaders Summit is an invite only half-day “knowledge conference” on SME Tech brought to you in partnership with CMS Equip, EU VC and āltitude (www.altitude-vc.com) - Europe's SME Tech Fund and is bringing together key stakeholders to discuss Artificial Intelligence relevant themes, trends and topics in the SME Sector.
Attendees will explore strategies for scaling technology in SMEs with industry leaders and learn about scalable infrastructure, emerging tech adoption, and fostering innovation. Learn more about the Summit (https://smetechleaders.com/summit).
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Please note SME Tech, CMS, Altitude and EU VC will have access to your registration details for the purpose of this event only.
Who should attend?
SME owners and their successors
Private Equity Value Creation Teams
Pre-Seed Venture Capitalists & Angels
Search Fund Managers
Founders & Operators of SME Tech Start-ups (ideal for start up founders and business leaders seeking growth insights predominantly B2B software solutions selling to SMEs with 20-500 employees and potentially also enterprises)
SME industry experts and thought leaders
SME-focused stakeholders (e.g. consultancies, SMEs, PR firms)
Family Offices & Limited Partners (LPs)
CMS Law and EU VC ecosystems
11:30-12:00 / Registration opens 12:00-13:00 / Networking Lunch
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
13:00-13:10 // CMS Law - Welcome Note & Importance of SMEs
13:10-13:20 // Tom Laws, MD and owner of Gunfire (Fireside Chat)
Tom Laws shares a recent case study on how Gunfire leveraged AI to achieve tangible cost reductions and faster operations all without a dedicated IT or tech team. He’ll demonstrate how practical, low-barrier AI tools can deliver real business impact for SMEs today.
13:20-13:30 // Tom Olsen, CFO of Indurent a Blackstone Company (Fireside Chat)
Tom Olsen explores how financial strategy evolves as businesses scale from founder-led operations to institutional ownership. Drawing from his experience at Indurent and within the Blackstone ecosystem, he’ll unpack how CFOs balance growth ambitions with capital efficiency, governance, and strategic decision-making in complex environments.
13:30-14:00 // Coffee Break & Networking
SME TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
14:00-14:10 // Ingo Drexler, Videesha Boeckle, Marc Penkala - Use Cases for SMEs
Ingo Drexler, Videesha Boeckle, and Marc Penkala share real-world examples of how technology is transforming small and medium-sized enterprises. From automation to customer engagement, they’ll highlight practical, high-impact use cases that demonstrate how SMEs can leverage digital tools to boost efficiency, growth, and resilience.
14:10-14:20 // Lucile Cornet, Eight Roads - Embedding Fintech into operations
Lucile Cornet explores how fintech innovations are becoming the backbone of modern SME operations. She’ll discuss the integration of payments, lending, and financial analytics into everyday business workflows and how this embedded approach drives transparency, agility, and smarter financial decision-making.
14:20-14:30 // Alexandre Dewez, 20VC, Wedges in Vertical AI Solutions
Alexandre Dewez examines how vertical AI companies are finding powerful entry points or “wedges” into niche industries. He’ll share insights from early-stage investing in AI-driven startups, illustrating how deep specialisation and domain expertise can unlock defensible value and sustainable growth.
14:30-14:40 // Filip Van Innis and Hugh Phelan, Fortino Capital, Beyond Automation: Why Humans Still Matter in SME SaaS
As AI reshapes SaaS, it’s tempting to believe automation can replace people. But in SME vertical SaaS, growth still runs on humans. Fortino Capital’s Filip Van Innis and Hugh Phelan share lessons from Salonkee, MarginEdge, and Toast on the human side of scaling from field sales to onboarding and adoption, the key levers of sustainable vSaaS growth.
14:40-15:00 // Coffee Break & Networking
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: GTM & SALES
15:00-15:10 // Gerald Zankl - Sales strategies for selling more
Gerald Zankl shares proven frameworks for scaling sales performance, from refining your pipeline process to closing high-value deals with consistency. Drawing on his experience helping growth-stage companies expand revenue efficiently, Gerald will unpack the techniques that separate good sales teams from great ones.
15:10-15:20 // Will Maunder-Taylor - Driving more leads for your business
Will Maunder-Taylor dives into go-to-market (GTM) excellence: how to align product, marketing, and sales to drive predictable growth. He’ll explore how successful SaaS and tech companies structure their GTM engines, avoid common missteps, and continuously iterate to stay competitive in fast-changing markets.
15:20-15:30 // Cien Solon - Unlocking Growth Through Data-Driven Decision Making
Cien Solon will reveal how modern SMEs and startups can use data to accelerate growth and sharpen decision-making. From leveraging analytics to identify high-impact opportunities to building a culture of experimentation, Cien outlines the mindset and tools that empower leaders to make smarter, faster, and more confident strategic moves.
15:30-15:40 // Ole Wohltmann - Working partnerships with SMEs
Ole Wohltmann discusses the art of building effective partnerships with small and medium-sized enterprises. He’ll share insights into what makes collaborations succeed from trust and communication to value alignment and how large organisations and tech providers can co-create meaningful, long-term growth with SMEs.
15:40-16:00 // Coffee Break & Networking
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
16:00-16:10 // Husayn Kassai, Quench/Onfido (exited) - AI Implications for SMEs
Husayn Kassai explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape for small and medium-sized enterprises. Drawing from his experience leading Onfido from startup to successful exit, he’ll unpack both the opportunities and risks of AI adoption from automation and customer intelligence to ethics and regulation.
16:10-16:20 // Christina Chen - Bridging the Gap: From AI Potential to Real-World Impact
Christina Chen demystifies the process of turning AI theory into practical business outcomes. She’ll share actionable strategies for integrating AI into existing workflows, overcoming implementation hurdles, and ensuring teams are empowered but not overwhelmed by new technologies. Expect a grounded, real-world perspective on achieving measurable impact with AI.
16:20-16:30 // Csongor Barabasi, Bonsai - Practical Frameworks for implementing AI
Csongor Barabasi presents structured frameworks for embedding AI into business operations. From identifying the right use cases to scaling successful pilots, he outlines a pragmatic, step-by-step approach that helps leaders avoid costly missteps and realise AI’s full potential in driving performance and innovation.
DRINKS
16:30 onwards // Networking