A cohort of 10 high-potential, Enterprise Ireland-supported companies recently embarked on a mission to San Francisco for the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference. Hosted annually, the three-day event is one of the tech sector’s most influential globally, and one with which Enterprise Ireland has a long-standing partnership. It gathers over 10,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and tech specialists to showcase emerging solutions, explore new trends, and network with industry leaders. Read more from Grace Gavigan and Jack Hanley, Market Executives in Enterprise Ireland's San Francisco office, in the Irish Independent https://shorturl.at/O0FOD

When it comes to building products and brands, we often start with logic, features, functionality and proof points. But as Sara Kathleen Gordon reminded us at BoS Europe 2025, people don’t buy because of logic. They buy because of identity. Because something about your brand reinforces who they are and what they believe in. In her talk, The Seven Deadly Sins & Positioning, Sara unpacks the psychology behind why people care, using real examples from startups like Flow. She shows how understanding human motivations (even fear, pride, and desire) can help founders craft brands and products that truly resonate. Her talk will soon be available in the BoS Library, alongside dozens of others from world-class founders and leaders. If you want to see it first, subscribe now: https://lnkd.in/dS-J5TDU #BoSEurope2025 #BusinessofSoftware

When was the last time you stopped to ask why do people really choose what they choose? Sara Kathleen Gordon’s talk at BoS Europe 2025 dug into a powerful idea: “When it boils down to how we make decisions, people choose things that reinforce their identity and their purpose in life.” It’s one of those insights that sounds simple… Until you realize how deeply it shapes every customer choice, every brand and every moment of positioning. Her talk will soon be available in the BoS Library (and it’s a masterclass in how psychology, identity, and strategy intersect). If you’re leading a product or building a company, this one will change how you think about your customers (and maybe yourself).

🤸♀️ The Flip Conference & Cocktail What really happens when you flip your startup to the US? Last week in New York, The Galion Project and White & Case LLP gathered a select group of French tech founders to unpack one of the most strategic, and complex, steps in transatlantic expansion: the flip. A flip is when you create a U.S.-based holding that acquires your French startup, effectively turning it into a subsidiary of an American company. While it may sound simple on paper, the reality involves a maze of tax implications, equity structure shifts, and legal consequences. We explored the rationale behind this move, what it changes (and what it doesn't), and the hidden pitfalls founders should anticipate, with expert insights from Guillaume Vitrich and Anaïs Eudes. Comment Flip on this post if you would like me to send you the slides 🤓 Thank you to all those who joined the conversation Benjamin Fabre Bruno Van Haetsdaele Pierre Hebrard Xavier Starkloff Florent Facq Jules Minvielle Arthur de Boisfleury Louis Durance Audrey Saint-Léger Edwige JEANBART Vasco Alexandre Clementine Gazay 😁 Erwän Keräudy Patrick Bucquet Simon Elcham Benjamin N. Thank you to the prep team Clémence Marchisio Debora Freitas, and for hosting us ! More to come for Galion NYC in 2026, and even before with our Christmas Dinner 🎄

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Peter Vesterbacka recently at an investor dinner. And in true founder-style (and possibly without realizing it) he sold me on attending Slush 2025. But not in the way you might think. He didn’t tell me that Slush is one of the world’s leading start-up and #tech events, bringing together thousands of founders, investors, and innovators in #Helsinki. Instead, we talked about #Europe. We talked about his current passion: reinventing the #education system. We talked about #defense, politics, and the newest tech start-up hubs. Peter emulates the unique energy, drive, character and magnetism that one expects from stand-out founders. Entrepreneurs of his kind are the driving force to build a better world. #Slush is built around that belief. But that’s not the end of the story. If we only needed passionate #founders, Europe wouldn’t only be “winning” (as Peter likes to say), Europe would have already won. Europe has world-class science, talent, and a growing pipeline of spinouts. In 2025 alone, half of Europe’s newly minted #unicorns were deep tech ventures. Industrial deep tech M&A is accelerating. Strategic buyers are paying premiums for proven industrial technologies that solve real operational problems, especially those with embedded #decarbonization solutions. Yet too much #capital, talent, and value creation still flows abroad. Europe's critical dependency on external supply chains means that #industrial deep tech innovation across #automotive, #aerospace, #manufacturing, #logistics, and #agriculture here at home has never been more important for our #security, prosperity and the future of Europe. So, when someone asks me how we #build a better Europe or how can Europe transform its scientific excellence and industrial prowess into global market leaders, my answer is always the same: #Fund European industrial deep tech with #privatecapital. At every stage. In every asset class. Without hesitation. Without reservation. Because risk aversion is an excuse. Tech adoption rates have never been higher. Strategic buyers are poised for M&A. Funding gaps result in discounted quality assets. Bringing sharp, high-quality individuals together in Helsinki unlocks more than exposure. It creates #synergy. New businesses. Unexpected #partnerships. For #founders, #investors and #allocators alike. This is the sweet spot where Europe's future is being built. #SLUSH

𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡: 𝐀 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 Every Defence founder learns it the hard way: Building the product isn’t the hardest part, surviving the Procurement cycle is. At Bpifrance’s European Defence Week, one message was loud and clear: Europe’s Defence startups don’t fail for lack of technology, they fail for lack of "Access". The average procurement cycle in Europe now exceeds 𝟑𝟖 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 (Source: Open Opportunities).  That’s longer than most startup runways. There are two kinds of DefTech startups: 1️⃣ Those who gets to the field asap, test, iterate, and adapt. 2️⃣ Those who wait for procurement… and fade before the first contract. The difference isn’t talent, it’s a combination of strategy and structure. Founders who survive the Valley of Death apply the 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: 5 levers that define Defence-grade resilience: 𝐏 - 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: Build technology that can pivot mission fast 𝐑 – 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Design architectures that adapt under pressure 𝐀 - 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: Secure contracts, sovereign funding, and end-user testing 𝐒 - 𝐒𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲: Control the cap table, protect data, and safeguard IP 𝐎 - 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐭: Include at least one co-founder with Military or Operational DNA Defence isn’t SaaS. It’s weeks on the battlefield, not years in the pipeline. Founders who deliver at tempo, i.e. “in weeks, not years”, will shape Europe’s next industrial champions. This fourth post in the series "𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞" explores how DefTech founders are redefining Europe’s power in a world shaped by velocity and unpredictability. I work at d5n with corporates, investors, and dual-use founders to bridge that gap. Not to replace what works, but to add what’s missing. Grateful to EuroQuity - Bpifrance team and its partners Tech Tour, Défense Angels, ALVEVM, Jeantet - avocats for making the European Defence Week a catalyst for clarity and alignment. 📊 Key insights in the carousel → [4/4] #EuropeanDefenceWeek #DefenceTech #DualUse #ValleyOfDeath #Founders Pascal Lagarde Gilles Le Cocguen Jana Drzkova Nicolas Berdou Benoît Roblin Valentin Marin Lola Onipko Kateryna Chaikivska Sanyu Karani Guillaume Haviland Hubert Raymond Jérôme Jean

A small number of companies make an outsized contribution to productivity. For the latest story in our Productivity Unleashed series, BusinessDesk's Greg Hurrell explains how growing these sorts of companies might require a level of focus New Zealand has sometimes lacked in the past. NZ’s future prosperity will rely on a handful of new tech companies, drawn from thousands of eager startups, this year’s KiwiNet supreme award winner says.

This week’s Weekly Update newsletter is authored by our very own Stephen Adebayo Osunrinde — and he’s sharing something every founder should hear early: “Think distributed from day one.” It’s not just a tech decision — it’s a strategy for freedom, flexibility, and long-term growth. In this issue, Stephen breaks down what it means to build smart, not stuck — and why it matters more than ever for early-stage founders. Plus, we’re sharing: 🚀 The return of Startup Huddle Halifax 💻 Free laptops + mice for founders who need them 🌐 Ecosystem events and opportunities you won’t want to miss 📩 Tap the link to read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/gCfsUfbU #TribeNetwork #WeeklyUpdates #FoundersTips #ThinkDistributed #InclusiveInnovation

What does #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek look like in St. Kitts + Nevis? "Locally, our island’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem is mobilizing around one shared mission — to ensure that every dreamer, innovator, and builder has access to the tools and networks needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world." - Necola Charles, Dream Achievers Education Foundation Read more: https://lnkd.in/eXXTqQxD #GEW2025 #TogetherWeBuild

Most People Don’t Know This About SlideDeckk At SlideDeckk, we’re known for pitch decks that get funded. But what most don’t know — because of our discretion — is that we also prioritize partnerships that strengthen the startup ecosystem at its roots. Over the past few months, we’ve quietly begun partnering with Chambers of Commerce and local business organizations to help them streamline their monthly strategic tasks — from preparing presentations for sponsors and board members, to refining reports, proposals, and event decks. Why? Because when the organizations that support founders run efficiently, founders win too. ⸻ 🧩 Here’s a small (anonymous) case study: One Chamber team we partnered with struggled to keep up with board updates and community reports — their internal presentations looked rushed, even though their work was incredible. SlideDeckk stepped in to rebuild their visual and communication systems: • We transformed their monthly board deck into a strategic communication tool, not a formality. • Automated key updates so they could focus more on community programs, less on formatting slides. • Helped them design sponsor pitch decks that brought in two new local partnerships within one quarter. Sometimes the biggest impact isn’t just in helping founders raise millions — It’s in helping the ecosystem that helps founders. ⸻ 💡 Why Founders Should Care About Community 📊 According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, startups supported through local chambers and regional partnerships are 67% more likely to survive past their first five years. Founders who stay engaged with local networks tend to: ✅ Build deeper investor and supplier relationships ✅ Access faster growth opportunities ✅ Discover collaborations they’d never find online Building in isolation can be impressive. Building with community is unstoppable. ⸻ 💬 Final Thought At SlideDeckk, we believe true innovation happens not in silos, but in ecosystems. That’s why, behind the scenes, we’re just as invested in empowering local organizations as we are in helping founders raise capital. Because when the foundation is strong — everyone scales.