EU-Startups Podcast

This episode features Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a Barcelona-based neurotechnology company pioneering non-invasive brain stimulation for neurological and psychiatric conditions. Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from Starlab, Neuroelectrics has grown into a global digital brain health company operating in over 74 countries, with a presence in both Barcelona and Boston since 2014. Their tech enables clinicians to both read and influence brain activity in real time, offering applications in epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and anxiety disorders. The conversation explores how the neurotechnology landscape has evolved over the past decade - from a niche research field into a rapidly growing sector attracting significant investment. Maiques also discusses Neuroelectrics’ collaboration with NASA, where its technology has been used to measure cognitive fatigue in pilots. The interview examines the structural challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe versus the US, including access to capital, talent, and regulatory pathways. Maiques shares insights from her role as President of EsTech, an organisation representing leading Spanish scale-ups. Key Points: - Why Neuroelectrics was founded to address the lack of personalised, effective brain disorder treatments - How non-invasive brain stimulation works and why it offers advantages over surgical approaches - How COVID-19 accelerated adoption of remote brain treatment and telemedicine solutions - Challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe and the funding gap compared to the US - The current state of gender diversity in STEM and where progress is still needed Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Sponsor 2:43 - Interview

In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE and General Manager of NiCE Cognigy, about the journey of building Cognigy from a startup in 2016 to a $1 billion acquisition by NiCE Ltd. in 2025. Philipp reflects on the early frustrations that inspired the company, the rapid evolution of enterprise AI adoption, and how customer service is shifting from chatbots to agentic AI systems capable of acting autonomously within enterprise workflows. Cognigy was founded in 2016 by Philipp Heltewig, Sascha Poggemann, and Benjamin Mayr with the goal of transforming how enterprises engage with customers. In the conversation, Philipp looks back at Cognigy’s early years and the key milestones along the way, including the ~€36 million Series B in 2021, the €93 million Series C in 2024, and the strategic acquisition by NiCE in 2025. A major theme of the discussion is the rise of agentic AI — systems that can understand intent, take actions across enterprise systems, and orchestrate complex customer interactions. Philipp breaks down how these AI agents differ from traditional chatbots and why enterprises are increasingly adopting them to automate routine tasks while allowing human agents to focus on higher-value interactions. The conversation also explores the limits of current AI systems and the situations where human support is still essential, particularly when empathy, complex judgement, or sensitive decision-making is required. Key Points - Cognigy was founded in 2016 and acquired by NiCE Ltd. for $1 billion in September 2025. - Philipp explains the shift from basic chatbots to agentic AI, capable of acting autonomously within enterprise systems. - Enterprises increasingly use AI to augment human agents, handling routine interactions while humans focus on complex cases. - The interview explores how the founder role evolves after a major acquisition, and how AI strategy is shaped within a larger global company. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - Sponsor 02:39 - Interview

In this episode, we speak with Davide Dattoli, Founder and Executive Chairman of Talent Garden, about building one of Europe’s largest digital skills and EdTech platforms — from its launch in 2011 as a coworking experiment in Italy to a pan-European education group operating across 12 markets in Europe, Brazil, and Singapore. Today, Talent Garden trains 25,000 professionals and students annually, connects 4,500 startups and tech professionals, and attracts more than 500,000 campus visitors each year. We also discuss Davide’s role as Venture Founder at Italian Founders Fund, Italy’s founder-backed VC supporting pre-seed and seed startups, as well as his broader involvement in the European tech ecosystem. The conversation explores how the EdTech sector is evolving amid growing AI-driven learning investment (with roughly €52.7 million disclosed in European digital-skills funding rounds in 2025–2026), why physical learning communities still matter, and what “future-proof” skills really mean beyond the buzzwords.

In this interview, we sit down with Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of Olio, a community-powered platform built to redistribute surplus food and household items at scale. Growing up on a dairy farm in Yorkshire, Tessa developed an early understanding of the effort behind food production and a deep aversion to waste. That mindset later collided with a very common problem: moving house with a fridge full of perfectly good food. Knocking on neighbours’ doors with a newborn and toddler in tow, she realised there had to be a better way to share surplus – and Olio was born. Since launching in 2015, Olio has grown from a 12-person WhatsApp experiment into a global platform with over 9 million users, 135 million meals redistributed, 15 million household items rehomed, and around 300,000 tonnes of CO₂e prevented. To date, Olio has raised around €45 million in funding. Alongside neighbour-to-neighbour sharing, Olio now works with major partners including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Pret and Compass Group to safely redistribute surplus food at scale. In the conversation, Tessa reflects on moving from senior corporate roles at Dyson and Wonga to building a purpose-led startup, the power of volunteer-driven models, and why household food waste – which accounts for around half of global waste – remains one of the hardest challenges to solve. Key Points - How growing up on a dairy farm shaped Tessa Clarke’s views on food, work and waste - The moment that sparked Olio – and how a few sweet potatoes led to a global platform - Lessons from scaling a purpose-led startup from a WhatsApp group to millions of users - Why household food waste is harder to tackle than supply-chain waste - The role of community, volunteers and trust in making circular models work at scale - Where Olio’s peer-to-peer model fits within the wider European FoodTech ecosystem

In this episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, recorded during Leonard’s 2026 Launch Day in Paris, we speak with Dag Wirdenius, CEO & Founder of SiteAssist, one of the startups supported by Leonard, the innovation and foresight platform of the VINCI Group. Together with Leonard, we spotlighted selected startups from its incubation and acceleration programmes, showcasing solutions tackling real-world challenges in construction, infrastructure, energy, and mobility. In this conversation, Dag explains how Site Assist improves day-to-day support on construction sites, focusing on efficiency, safety, and practical operational needs. We discuss the realities of innovating in complex on-site environments. This interview is part of a five-episode Leonard series, recorded live during Launch Day, with new episodes released weekly. Key topics discussed in this episode: - The challenge Site Assist is addressing on construction sites - How the platform supports on-site teams and operations - Why construction remains a difficult sector to innovate in - Lessons from deploying solutions in real construction environments

In this special episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, we continue our five-part interview series recorded during Leonard Launch Day in Paris, in partnership with Leonard, the innovation and foresight platform of the VINCI Group. Leonard supports startups and internal projects shaping the future of construction, infrastructure, energy, and mobility, and during Launch Day we sat down with five companies from its 2026 cohort for in-depth conversations. This episode features Philippe Rival, CEO of Enlaye, a ConTech company building an AI-native Risk Lifecycle Management platform. Enlaye helps builders, developers, and infrastructure owners identify, compare, and manage risks across the entire project lifecycle - from bid to delivery - reducing cost overruns, claims, and delays. We discuss how risk is often underestimated or ignored in early project stages, where AI can surface hidden liabilities humans miss, and why better risk management can change how teams collaborate when things go wrong. This episode is part of our Leonard Launch Day series, with one interview released each day this week (Monday to Friday). Key points in this episode: - What “Risk Lifecycle Management” means in practice - How AI helps surface construction risks earlier and more accurately - Why risks are often visible long before projects break down - The challenge of managing risk across multiple stakeholders - How better risk data changes accountability and decision-making

In this episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, host David Cendon Garcia sits down with Friedrich Schwandt - founder of Statista and CEO of ECDB - to unpack nearly two decades of building one of the world’s most trusted data platforms, and why he decided to step back as CEO to start again. Friedrich founded Statista in Hamburg in 2007 with a simple idea: make reliable data accessible. Seventeen years later, it had become a global data and business intelligence platform with over 1,400 employees, millions of users, and customers ranging from media giants to global enterprises. In 2024, he moved into a chairman role and turned his focus to ECDB, a company built to bring clarity to the fast-moving world of eCommerce data. We talk about: • The early problem Statista was really trying to solve • The hardest moments of scaling that never make it into success stories • What corporate life at Deutsche Telekom and BCG prepared him for - and what it didn’t • Letting go of control as a founder, and knowing when it’s time • What young SaaS and data founders get wrong • How AI is changing the way data companies are built • And our shared connection to Ireland (and his fondness of card games) This episode is about data, yes - but also about leadership, timing, and the long game of building something that lasts.