Bled, Slovenia, September 1, 2025 – The first Future 500 Forum concluded today in assembling a powerful coalition of policymakers, investors, and high-growth founders to redefine the momentum for Europe’s scale-ups and establish a platform to accelerate the continent’s most promising companies on their path to global leadership.
Co-led by the Atlantic Council and IEDC – Bled School of Management, and launched in collaboration with the Bled Strategic Forum, Podim, as the proud Startup Ecosystem Partner, and ISR – Institute for Strategic Solutions, the gathering brought together top European policymakers, investors, and founders of high-growth ventures. Over the course of the day, participants outlined how Europe can close its scale-up gap and unlock the continent’s entrepreneurial potential. The forum marked a pivotal first step toward a multi-year mission: identifying, accelerating, and empowering 500 of Europe’s most promising scale-ups.
“Europe can no longer afford to let extraordinary founders remain under the radar. What we witnessed in Bled today is proof that the region has the ingenuity and determination to compete globally, provided that we match this talent with visibility, capital, and strong transatlantic partnerships.”
– Stjepan Orešković, Chair of IEDC’s Supervisory Board, Founder of BOSQAR d.d., and Founder of Future 500
Key highlights of the Forum
The program opened with a strong policy focus. Slovenia’s Minister of Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, underlined how founders are reshaping national and regional economies. EU Commissioner Jozef Síkela presented the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and its relevance for new markets and capital, while Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama joined Stjepan Orešković in a conversation on Europe’s future and his country’s pioneering digital agenda and AI strategy.
In the financial discussions, Ingo Bleier (Chief Corporates and Markets Officer, Erste Group), Robert Knorr (Managing Partner, MidEuropa), Alex Kostić (Vice Chairman and Owner, AIK Bank/MK Group), and Dinko Lucić (President of the Management Board, Privredna banka Zagreb) shared how Europe’s banking and investment community can mobilize the capital required to turn hidden champions into global leaders. A parallel debate on ecosystem development, featuring Matevž Frangež (State Secretary, Ministry of the Economy, Slovenia), Guillaume Klossa (President, EuropaNova), Tamara Zajec Balažič (Director, SPIRIT Slovenia), and Miljan Ždrale (Regional Director for Central Europe, EBRD), stressed the importance of sovereign tools, institutional investment, and a positive mindset toward entrepreneurship.
The Forum also addressed Europe’s exit dilemma, with Tomislav Čizmić (CEO, Telemach), Gordan Kolak (President of the Management Board, Končar Group), Branko Milutinović (Founder & CEO, Nordeus), and Mark Pleško (Co-founder & CEO, Cosylab) debating strategies for scaling companies while retaining control and ensuring local impact. This was followed by a fireside conversation where Rafał Brzoska (CEO, InPost), Martina Dalić (President of the Management Board, Podravka d.d.), and Jure Knez (President & Founder, Dewesoft) offered personal insights and lessons from building unicorns and industrial leaders across the region.
A long-term European mission
The Future 500 Forum officially launched a multi-year initiative to identify, accelerate, and empower 500 of Europe’s most promising scale-ups, with the first comprehensive list to be presented on September 1, 2026. Supported by globally respected institutions such as Oxford University, Deloitte, and EY, the initiative will establish a professionally governed framework to ensure long-term sustainability.
Jörn Fleck, Senior Director at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, concluded:
“Europe’s future competitiveness depends on scale-ups that can grow fast and think globally. Future 500 has shown that the ecosystem is ready to collaborate and deliver lasting impact for the region and beyond.”
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