The European Commission’s new Startup and Scaleup Strategy, published on 28 May 2025, outlines a bold goal: making Europe the best place in the world to launch and grow innovative companies. As a contributor to the Commission’s public consultation, EIT Urban Mobility advocated for more inclusive startup ecosystems, innovation-friendly procurement policies, and targeted support to help Europe’s brightest ventures thrive.  

Among the biggest challenges the strategy aims to address are market fragmentation, limited financing—especially deep tech—risk-averse public procurement, and a wide gender gap in entrepreneurship. For EIT Urban Mobility, these are not abstract policy hurdles, but daily operational realities. 

“Our message to the Commission was simple: Europe doesn’t need to start from scratch—it needs to scale what works,” said Bernadette Bergsma, Head of EU Affairs and Communications at EIT Urban Mobility. “This Strategy recognises what we experience every day: startups are ready to deliver impact, but they need an ecosystem that grows with them.” 

The Commission’s focus in this strategy on innovation-friendly regulation, including support for regulatory sandboxes and smarter public procurement, aligns directly with our experience with what we have noticed with our ecosystems and partners. In the consultation, learnings from our Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) programme enables cities to test and implement mobility solutions from startups quickly and effectively. So far, 43 real-world pilots in 36 cities across 21 countries have led to a 95% rate of procurement or adoption – proof that public procurement can be a powerful driver of innovation when barriers are reduced. 

The Startup and Scaleup Strategy notes that only 3% of venture capital in Europe reaches all-women founding teams.  While this underscores a wider systemic issue, EIT Urban Mobility is taking concrete steps to support more inclusive entrepreneurship. For instance, 36% of the startups we support have at least one woman in a leadership role. This progress stems from structured support through initiatives like SUPERNOVAS, which promotes women’s entrepreneurship and increases female participation in early-stage funding; to hosting networking Women in Tech Breakfasts. 

Beyond mobility, we contribute and have shared learnings from entrepreneurial education programmes across Europe like Girls Go Circular, which has trained over 40,000 girls aged 14-19 in green, digital, and innovation skills – helping break gender stereotypes and inspire the next generation of female change-makers. 

Looking ahead, EIT Urban Mobility will continue to align its work with the Strategy’s objectives, sharing evidence from pilots, investments, and educational initiatives to inform implementation on the ground. As the European Commission moves from policy to action, we stand ready to support the next phase – ensuring that innovation ecosystems are not only more competitive, but also more inclusive, diverse, and future-proof.