The 2nd edition of the DEEP Startup Ecosystem Conference took place in Essen, Germany on 18th October 2021. The event was held at the Impact Hub Ruhr and convened ecosystem leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers and investors from across Europe and beyond. Their common goal was to foster discussion and strengthen connections between startup ecosystem counterparts. The event hosted a virtual think tank for a deep analysis on the most pressing challenges that startup ecosystems face today.
Get a summary of the insights
Ecosystem Builders from over 20 countries representing portfolios of more than 360 startups exchanged on the trends of ecosystem building and innovation management. In the summary report you can read about their insights and strategic recommendations for better innovation ecosystems in these fields:
Cities & Impact
In this high-level panel discussion representatives of the City of Stockholm, the Essen-based hydrogen innovation hub H2UB and the Climate Founders accelerator discussed how sustainable innovation can succeed. Find out how to build thriving ecosystems for environmental and social impact startups.
The Value of Exits
2021 has seen the highest number of venture exits since 2017 in Europe. During the conference we came together with experts from startup hubs all around Europe and discussed what the effects of exits on the ecosystem could be. Exits can mobilize capital to re-invest in new tech founders and thereby strengthen innovation ecosystems.
Future of Work
The Future of Work DEEP Dive jointly led by EdTech software leader GetBoarded and the University of Zurich Center for Leadership in the Future of Work explored emerging fields of innovations shaping the Future of Work. Transformations led by EdTech and HRTech are redefining how we work and innovate.
Funding for Social Entrepreneurs
The DEEP Dive on Financing Models for Social Entrepreneurship organized together with consolid8 from Romania, Naturland in Germany and EntreVistro in the Netherlands started with a look at the frenzy of investments being labelled “impact” in the past year. Yet social entrepreneurs continue to struggle for financing.
