From Start-up to Global Markets:

Scaling Up Europe's Future Champions

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Due to exceptionally high interest, the Future 500 Launch Forum will now take place at Bled Rose Hotel (just a 3-minute walk from IEDC).

We look forward to welcoming you there!

Europe stands at a crossroads. Rich in talent and ideas, but slow to scale them globally.

Future 500 is a strategic response. Not just an event, but a long-term European platform to identify 500 of the most promising scale-ups, connect them with growth capital and strategic partners, embed entrepreneurs into competitiveness policymaking, and build the visibility and trust they need to lead on the global stage.

Join us for the official launch.

The inaugural Future 500 Launch Forum will take place on 1 September 2025, just ahead of the opening of the 20th Bled Strategic Forum. It will bring together scale-up founders, investors, policymakers, institutional leaders, strategic partners, and leading media for a focused dialogue on scaling Europe’s most promising companies.

From the Stage

Jozef

Síkela

European Commissioner for International Partnerships

Matjaž

Han

Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Republic of Slovenia

Edi

Rama

Prime Minister of Albania

Rafał

Brzoska

CEO, InPost S.A.

Guillaume

Klosa

President, EuropaNova

Jörn

Fleck

Senior Director, Europe Center at the Atlantic Council

Stjepan

Orešković

President of IEDC SB, Founder and Majority Shareholder of Bosqar Invest

Dinko

Lucić

President of the Management Board of Privredna banka Zagreb (Intesa Sanpaolo Group)

Miljan

Ždrale

Regional Director for Central Europe, EBRD

Gordan

Kolak

President of the Management Board, KONČAR Group

Ajša

Vodnik

President of AmChams Europe

Ingo

Bleier

Chief Corporates and Markets Officer, Member of the Management Board, Erste Group Bank AG

Mark

Pleško

CEO, Cosylab

Matevž

Frangež

State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport

Alexandra

Vacroux

Kyiv School of Economics

Peter

Grk

Secretary General, Bled Strategic Forum

Maja

Piščević

Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

Branko

Milutinović

Founder & CEO, Nordeus

Aleksandar

Kostić

Vice Chairman and Owner, AIK Bank, President MK Group

Martina

Dalić

President of the Management Board, Podravka

Robert

Knorr

Managing Partner, MidEuropa

Mislav Ante

Omazić

President of the Management Board, IEDC

Igor

Rudan

University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh

Jure

Knez

President and Founder, Dewesoft

Tomislav

Čizmić

CEO, Telemach Slovenia, United Group

Tamara

Zajec Balažič

Director, SPIRIT Slovenia

Petra

Kovič

Editor-in-Chief, Business Week Capital

Strategic Partners

General Sponsor

Major Partners

Institutional Partners

Outreach Partners

Reception Sponsors

Key program highlights include

Mobilizing Europe’s Scale-Up Strategy: opening session with senior political leaders and economic strategists
Capital for Champions: how to close the scale-up financing gap with support from EIB, EBRD, IFC, and private capital
Entrepreneur Spotlight: fireside conversation with with visionaries who scaled from small towns to the world stage
Europe’s Exit Dilemma: a candid panel on how to retain talent and technologies in Europe
Strategic Launch of the Future 500 Platform: unveiling of the initiative’s long-term agenda

Participation is by invitation only.

Seats are limited; once capacity is reached, a waiting list will be made available.

This high-level event is co-organized by the Atlantic Council under its Southeast Europe United for Success (SEEUS) initiative, the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), and the IEDC – Bled School of Management.