End of February in Copenhagen, we had our roundtable on cleantech innovation and European competitiveness, just a day after the launch of the Clean Industrial Deal. With Denmark preparing to take on the EU Council Presidency in July, the timing couldn’t be better to push for a faster-moving, more competitive Europe. 💪

Some key takeaways:
💸 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: How can we create strong demand signals and de-risk investments to accelerate cleantech deployment? The Clean Industrial Deal is a step in the right direction, but can Denmark take it further? We also can’t overlook key policies like the EU ETS and CBAM. By properly pricing carbon, these policies level the playing field, and we need to strengthen and support these market mechanisms even more.

📊 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: We discussed the need for a clear, long-term strategy so innovators and investors can move with confidence. Without it, who will take the leap on new technologies?

💡 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹: It’s about storytelling, risk-taking, and shared visions. A shift in mindset—from investors, innovators, researchers, and policymakers—could unlock new opportunities. Are we telling the right stories and fostering the right visions? What role does culture play in innovation, scaling, regulation, and policymaking?

🔬 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵-𝘁𝗼-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗽: Europe excels in innovation, but how do we turn research into scalable companies? We need better support structures and clearer pathways to bring innovation to commercialization. A key question is whether VCs have the right frameworks and capabilities to evaluate cleantech ventures?

There’s momentum building, and with the Danish Presidency ahead, we have a real opportunity to push for a faster-moving, globally competitive Europe. 🚀

A big thank you to everyone who joined! 🙏 Special thanks to Anders Kjær and PSV Hafnium for hosting us. Another big thanks to Tommy Ahlers and Marianne Thellersen for setting the scene with their opening remarks, as well as Jules Besnainou, Sune Lilbaek, Simon Ulvund, and Jan-Olaf Willums for insightful perspectives. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🌱