As the new year approaches, attention is already turning to the moments that will shape 2026 – among them, the Growth Forum. This EIC Scaling Club’s final in-person event will take place in Paris on 18 March, bringing together corporate leaders, investors and public decision-makers to address one of Europe’s most pressing challenges: how to scale deep tech companies faster, with greater ambition and stronger partnerships.
A clear expression of the Club’s mission, the Growth Forum is designed as a focused exchange on growth, capital and collaboration, grounded in real market experience and policy insight. The first confirmed speakers already reflect this mix of perspectives.
Opening the forum, welcome remarks will be delivered by the EIC and EIC Scaling Club leadership, setting the scene for a day centred on execution, not theory. Stéphane Ouaki, Acting Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and William Stevens, Group managing Director at Tech Tour, will outline the perspective on scaling innovation in Europe and the role of public support in closing critical gaps.
Leadership and perspectives driving the programme
Growth Forum’s programme will be guided by two experienced moderators at the heart of Europe’s innovation and investment ecosystem. James Mawson, CEO of Global Corporate Venturing, will moderate discussions from the corporate and venturing perspective, while Shiva Dustdar, Director, Head and Dean of the EIB Institute, will steer conversations on capital, institutions and long-term impact.
A key session, Scaling Deep Tech Partnerships with Ambition: The Corporate Leader Perspective, will feature Magnus R. Björsne, Executive Director of AZ BioVenture Innovation Unit and CEO of AZ BioVentureHub AB, in conversation with James Mawson. The discussion will explore how corporates can engage more decisively with deep tech scale-ups and move from pilots to meaningful growth partnerships.
The panel Europe’s Missed Opportunity: Fixing the Growth-Capital Gap will bring together Marie Nicod, General Partner at Jolt Capital, and Stéphane Ouaki, moderated by Shiva Dustdar. The session will examine why promising European companies still struggle to scale and what needs to change across capital markets, policy and investor behaviour.
The forum will close with remarks and awards presented by Teresa Cunha on behalf of the EIC Scaling Club, recognising the ambition and leadership required to turn Europe’s innovation strength into global scale.
Find more detailed information on the Growth Forum’s event page.
About the EIC Scaling Club
The EIC Scaling Club is a curated community where 120+ European deep tech scale-ups with the potential to build world-class businesses and solve major global challenges come together with investors, corporate innovators and other industry stakeholders to spur growth.
The top 120+ European deep tech companies will be carefully selected from a pool of high-growth scale-ups that have benefitted from EIC financial schemes, other European and national innovation programmes, and beyond.
The EIC Scaling Club is an EIC-funded initiative run in partnership by Tech Tour, Bpifrance (EuroQuity), Hello Tomorrow, Tech.eu (Webrazzi), EurA and IESE Business School.
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