Against the backdrop of the world's most influential tech event, which attracted over 4,000 exhibiting companies, and more than 130,000 visitors from 150 countries and regions, these EIC-funded companies engaged in a dynamic process of business exchanges, shared technology insights, and discussed potential international collaborations.
Taking centre stage at this year's tradeshow, the European Pavilion put in the spotlight cutting-edge advancements made in Europe representing innovation in the fields of Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing and Optical Products. Designed to provide an immersive experience, the pavilion offered a firsthand encounter with the most outstanding deeptech solutions, inspiring attendees with the latest tech innovations.
Indeed, the European innovations on AI driven developments for high-speed connectivity, smart devices or information sharing, smart and inclusive solutions for the impaired or high performance/low power processing can hold their own in front of companies from other parts of the world – learn more about the delegation, meet the companies here.
The European delegation's presence at the Silicon Valley Funding Summit, on the day before the launch of CES, was a further highlight of the visit. The event featured a keynote presentation by Jean David Malo, Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), focusing on the EIC Fund's investment opportunities. The presentation provided valuable insights for potential investors, followed by a pitching session from the 15 EIC companies present in the European Pavilion at CES. This session served as a platform for these companies to showcase their projects, highlighting their unique technology offerings and providing attendees the opportunity to engage in bilateral meetings with investors. These one-on-one interactions created a conducive environment for meaningful discussions, fostering potential collaborations and future investment opportunities.
The European Pavilion was opened by Jean David Malo and Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event that gathered nearly 60 interested participants, including all EIC beneficiaries.
Addressing the EIC beneficiaries, Jean David Malo congratulated the delegation:
The European Pavilion comes this year 2024 to CES with 15 of the most innovative European scaleups in which the EIC has invested (grants and equity) more than 90M EUR, a record support that clearly shows the full confidence that we have in their solutions and business impact both present and future. These companies are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a time of incredible change and disruption for both businesses and the daily lives of people around the globe.
A standout event during CES was the European Night Reception, a gathering co-hosted by the EIC along with the national delegations from Belgium, Estonia, Italy, The Netherlands, and Poland. The reception offered attendees a unique opportunity to connect with some of the most accomplished innovators and influential entrepreneurs from Europe, alongside thought leaders from the global tech industry. The invitation-only business reception gathered over 250 participants, including distinguished personalities such as Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, special envoy of Techleap, HE. Mr. Jean-Arthur Régibeau, Belgian Ambassador to the United States; Mrs. Maria Belovas, Consul General of Estonia in San Francisco; Mrs. Raffaella Valentini, Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles; Mr. Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. Among the attendees were some of the most accomplished European entrepreneurs exhibiting at CES. This gathering provided an unparalleled opportunity for these visionaries to forge impactful partnerships and identify business prospects, further enhancing the collaborative spirit of CES.
Among a full agenda, a compelling high-level panel discussion on "AI & The Future of Smart Mobility" was moderated by Jonas Seyfferth, PwC, and featured the participation of Jean David Malo, Pasula Reddy, Global CTO of Microsoft and Evangelos Simoudis, Synapse Partners - AI investor, discussing on how AI is redefining what's possible in the world of smart mobility. The discussion delved into the enormous transformation potential of AI and emphasised the need for policies such as the AI Act, that align emerging technology developments with ethical considerations.
The CES programme included also 3 tour activities for EIC companies focused on the AI, Society 4.0 and Healthcare sectors, including group meetings with companies such as Google (Fiber, Ventures), Caterpillar, Intel, Meta, ST Microelectronics, TDK Corporation or IQVIA.
Get a glance at the highlights in the video.
Learn more about the EIC ITF 3.0 programme:
Continuing the legacy of its predecessor, the EIC International Trade Fairs & USA Soft-landing Programme 3.0 is dedicated to supporting the global expansion of European startups, following the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme OTF 2.0.
15 companies with outstanding innovations have just been selected to participate in the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 – learn more about the delegation here.
Stay informed about upcoming calls and access additional details on the EIC Community Platform, through our news, stories, and trade fairs related to ITF.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.