Startup Europe Partnership partners with ELITE 
to support the scale-up of Europe’s future champions

Serena OriziBlog, News, Scaleup, Senza categoria, Startup Europe, Startup Europe Partnership

Helsinki, 11 November 2015 – Startup Europe Partnership (SEP) announces today a partnership with ELITE, London Stock Exchange Group’s innovative business support programme. The agreement has been signed yesterday in occasion of the last SEP Matching Event held in Helsinki.

“LSEG-London Stock Exchange Group with ELITE have done a phenomenal job in guiding many companies on the way they can scale-up – Alberto Onetti, President of Mind the Bridge and SEP Coordinator, commented – For these companies, access to the SEP open innovation platform could further boost their capacity to grow and innovate.”

Both SEP and ELITE are leading platforms devoted to supporting the growth of Europe’s most promising companies.

SEP is the open innovation platform launched by the European Commission managed by Mind the Bridge. Its goal is to initiate qualified connections (“matching”) between top European scale-ups and medium and large corporations in order to foster commercial and strategic partnerships.

ELITE offers businesses a full programme to help them grow, including education training and direct contact with Europe’s financial and advisory community, through a unique online portal. Management teams are guided on how best to fast-track their development and capital raising processes, how to access the most suitable funding for their needs, whether private equity, venture capital or the bond or equity markets, and given advice on building their profile and reach.

“We are delighted to be partnering with SEP, allowing us to enhance our ELITE offering and support more of Europe’s business as they scale up – Luca Peyrano, Director of ELITE, London Stock Exchange Group, added – Together, we will provide ELITE companies with new resources, new relationships and additional ways to access opportunities.”

The partnership outlines several areas for closer collaboration, including:

  • Informing SEP and ELITE members about the opportunities available to participants on each programme;
  • Exploring cross participation opportunities for companies on both programmes, in order to maximize synergies;
  • Education support from Mind the Bridge for ELITE companies, sharing knowledge and expertise on innovation, entrepreneurship and the US market.