GenePlanet was invited by the European Union to be part of the Top 35 EU Unicorns, European ventures with the highest potential, that will call upon EU institutions and the Member States to come forward with a new ‘European Moonshot’ in which the protagonists are the new breed of innovators: software and hardware startups, fintech, deep tech and green tech startups.
The Unicorns Group comprises 35 European Companies. The selection was based on the assessment of technology, capital raised, current and prospective company valuation (focusing on market potential), patents and other assets, or existing market leadership. In addition to GenePlanet, companies such as Zalando, Spotify, Hotjar, Cabify and Rimac were also invited to this mission of providing thought leadership and contributing to the creation of a new generation of global Champions coming from the EU.
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, research, Education, Culture and media, answered this call evoking that: “We need European Unicorns to pave the way towards Europe’s sustainable and resilient recovery, accelerate the green and digital transitions, and ensure Europe’s technological sovereignty.”
EU is currently home to 7,2% of worldwide unicorns. The sum of the value of all EU Unicorns plus EU tech and digital champions already public, is dwarfed by the value of today’s non-EU Big Tech, which allows them to buy out potential disruptors, solidify industrial control, build scale, and manage the global digital and tech agenda. This presents a risk to growth, jobs and Europe’s influence in key strategic areas.
Marko Bitenc, CEO and founder of GenePlanet adds: “We are extremely pleased we are part of this important group, and this recognition comes as a strong motivation for the entire company. It also proves that even startups with a strong focus on research and development can transform into a mature company and expand worldwide.”
Borrowing from the startup culture, Next Innovation EU will be inspired by a Lean Canvas ready for execution, with clear directions and ambitious flagships.
“My idea is not to have a one-off meeting, but to ensure that the voice of leading innovators is heard all along the process of building an ambitious European Innovation Policy”, says the Commissioner, who in her invitation letter announced that the group will be meeting twice or three times a year.
The main directions are Green Transformation, Digital Decade, Tech Sovereignty, Deep Tech Leadership, Innovation Cohesion. These directions set the route for flagships that will be fully implemented during the mandate of the Commission Von der Leyen to give Europe the leadership in the future digital and sustainable world.
