The Ambition Forum is approaching rapidly. We look forward to welcoming our members and industry investors to Riga on 3 September 2025. Have you registered yet?
More in this issue:
Interview with the EIC Scaling Club mentor, Candace Johnson;
Get to know our members – Basquevolt, GA Drilling, ElevenEs, PLD Space, and U-Space;
How to get media coverage with Jennifer Schenker (ex-Wall Street Journal, The Times, BusinessWeek);
And more!
Happy reading,
The EIC Scaling Club team
See You at the Ambition Forum!
Don't put it off for the last minute – register for the Ambition Forum now and start planning your trip! You can fly to Riga from close to 100 destinations across the Baltics, Europe, and the Middle East.
The programme promises to be exciting, with value-adding workshops and top-class speakers from the industry – to name a few:
Patrik Sobocki, Lead Deep Tech and Senior Investment Director at Industrifonden
Stephen Nundi, Partner at Lakestar
Stéphane Ouaki, Head of Department, European Innovation Council (EIC) Acting Director, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
Victoria Hernandez-Valcarcel, Member of several Boards of Directors
We're also expecting investors representing VC funds from across Europe, eager to meet the EIC Scaling Club member companies.
Find out more and express your interest, and see you in Riga!
Basquevolt: A solid-state leap toward Europe’s energy independence
Basquevolt, based in the Basque Country, is developing next-gen solid-state lithium batteries—safer, more efficient, and key to the future of electric mobility, grid storage, and portable devices.
GA Drilling: Drilling deeper to democratise energy
GA Drilling is a deep tech scale-up from Slovakia that focuses on solving the cost of drilling for geothermal energy. The company’s advanced technologies may usher in a new era in energy – one where it’s significantly easier to tap into the clean energy coursing under our very feet.
ElevenEs: A cobalt- and nickel-free answer to Europe’s growing battery demand
Serbian deep tech scaleup ElevenEs is Europe's first to develop a lithium-ion gigafactory using LFP blade cells, offering a cobalt- and nickel-free solution for vehicles, energy storage, and the continent’s green goals.
PLD Space: A launcher company making European space history
PLD Space is a Spanish deep tech scale-up that designs, develops, manufactures, and operates space rockets to deliver a payload into orbit. Today, PLD Space is a European leader in space technology.
U-Space: Charting the course for next-gen small satellites
U-Space (France) designs and builds nanosatellites for constellation operators, making space more accessible. Their advanced space products and dedicated team empower those who seek to improve life on Earth and explore the unknown.
Using space to make lives better on Earth – Interview with Candace Johnson
One of the many strengths of the EIC Scaling Club is the vast array of expertise it consolidates via its mentors. We gather the best professionals eager to share their knowledge to support the Club’s scale-ups in their growth journeys and beyond. One such mentor is Candace Johnson, a leader actively building space innovations for 40+ years.
Vay and Kodiak partner to incorporate assisted autonomy technology into Kodiak’s fully autonomous technology stack
Through this strategic partnership, Vay’s (Germany) technology is helping enable Kodiak’s proprietary Assisted Autonomy technology. Assisted Autonomy allows a human to remotely control a truck in certain low-speed and clearly-defined scenarios that benefit from human involvement. Assisted Autonomy is part of the functionality of Kodiak’s autonomous solution, the Kodiak Driver.
constellr launches second satellite, strengthening Europe’s sovereign thermal intelligence capabilities
European thermal constellation operator constellr (Germany) has successfully launched its second thermal infrared satellite, advancing European and international government access to near-real-time thermal intelligence from space.
Sensius secures €15 million to advance breakthrough cancer thermotherapy
Sensius (The Netherlands), a pioneer in precision thermotherapy for oncology, announced the successful completion of a €15 million funding round, with participation from the EIC Fund. The investment marks a pivotal step forward in Sensius’ mission to transform the treatment of cancer through advanced thermal technologies.
QuiX Quantum secures €15 million to deliver first-generation universal photonic quantum computer
The Dutch company QuiX Quantum has announced raising €15 million in Series A funding to deliver the world’s first single-photon-based universal quantum computer in 2026. The round was co-led by Invest-NL and the EIC Fund, with participation from existing investors, PhotonVentures, Oost NL, and FORWARD.one.
Securing media coverage isn’t just about having a good story – it’s about knowing how to tell it.
Here are tested and true tips on landing media coverage from the seasoned tech journalist, Jennifer Schenker (ex-Wall Street Journal, The Times, BusinessWeek, and more):
Tell a compelling story – focus on impact, not just tech details.
Know your audience – tailor your message to who you're trying to reach.
Use standout visuals – creative images make coverage more likely.
Acknowledge competition – show how you’re different; never say you have no competition.
Be media-ready – have a strong spokesperson.
Build a press kit – include visuals, bios, milestones, and facts.
Be smart with PR – do it yourself early; hire experts when it counts.
Grow media relationships – engage journalists before you need them.
The defence sector offers untapped opportunities for innovative start-ups and scale-ups, with strong EU support through the European Defence Fund (EDF).
The EDF funds R&D aligned with both defence and civil tech areas like cybersecurity, space, and energy resilience. Start-ups can benefit from tailored support under the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), including:
Defence-focused hackathons and accelerators,
Business coaching,
Open non-thematic SME calls,
Access to matchmaking services with investors or large corporations.
Join us for Tech Tour Space 2025 – the leading event for space sector pioneers and disruptors!
When? September 11-12, 2025
Where? Bodø, Norway
This dynamic two-day event covers commercial, dual-use, environmental, observation, and exploration technologies across three main domains: Marine, Ground and Air, and Space.
Open call:Do business with Procter & Gamble, Air Liquide, Chiesi Group, Merck, and Nestlé at Brussels’ Innovation Roundtable. (Apply by 12 August 2025)
Open call:Connect with Europe’s top investors at the EIC ePitching on Energy Transition & Sustainable Energy. (Apply before 3 August 2025)
Interview: EIC Coffee Break with Alice & Bob: Bringing cat qubits from lab to industry
Open call: Power up your digital innovation at MWC Barcelona 2026 with the EIC Pavilion (Registrations open until 1 September 2025).
Subscribe to the EIC Business Acceleration Services newsletter to receive all the open calls for business opportunities powered by EIC BAS.
That’s it for this month!
Make sure to follow us on social media to stay updated on all things European deep tech as we get busy building a vibrant EIC Scaling Club.
