Commissioner Carlos Moedas discussing Startup Europe at South Summit.

South Summit’s first day just came to an end, and what a day!

The Startup Europe booth has been very busy from very early in the morning: many people seemed to be attracted to the European Commission logo, and to what the EU has to offer to the startup ecosystem.

In the early afternoon, a very special guest came to our booth: Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. He was kind enough to spare some of his very short time in Madrid to engage in a brief discussion on Startup Europe with us.

Some of the main points discussed were the need to share best practices and improve interaction amongst the EU Member States. Moedas argued how important it is to keep Startup Europe an umbrella initiative, where individuals are directly involved and can actually see what is happening and how. People need to be actively aware of what is taking place at European level, and need to establish a direct contact with the European initiatives to feel part of them. Without a doubt, getting startups in the political agenda is crucial.

We need to bear in mind that the end-user is our main objective.

Carlos Moedas, EC Commissioner, discussing Startup Europe with Matevz Gantar, Welcome project coordinator, at South Summit.

About South Summit:

South Summit is a leading startup conference in Europe aimed at showing to the world the talent, innovation and opportunity of the South.