European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes announced at Davos, the launch of a new accelerator – the Startup Europe Partnership – and a new think tank – the European Digital Forum. “Europe needs thriving start-ups and global internet companies to become a global growth centre again,” Kroes said.
Web entrepreneurs are using innovative technologies and platforms to create products and services that improve our daily lives. This drives economic growth and job creation. In order to accelerate economic growth and job creation, Europe must invest in new initiatives that support startups and web entrepreneurs.
To date, few startups have been able to break national borders and reach a pan-European size. The Startup Europe Partnership is designed to help small startups to do just that and to join the global business community. The Partnership will connect startups and corporate investors. This will enable European digital entrepreneurs to raise funds and overcome language barriers to reach maturity as global champions.
The European Digital Forum aims to become Europe’s leading policy network for digital entrepreneurs. The Forum will offer entrepreneurs a voice in policy debates and will be open to all European industries, companies and stakeholders.
Altogether, these initiatives are the Commission’s first concrete actions designed to create new business conditions in Europe following the delivery of the Startup Europe Manifesto back in October 2013.
Receive the Funding Newswire each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
Follow where the public and private R&I money is going and which collaborative opportunities you can pursue.
