Western Investors Say They’re Interested in CEE Startups but Fail to Follow Through with Real Actions, Says Sesamers Founder
Ben Costantini, a French entrepreneur focused on European tech growth, says Western investors express interest in Central and Eastern European startups but too often don’t follow through with action. He believes there’s untapped potential in connecting innovative startups with traditional industries and improving access to markets and clients through better-designed business exhibitions. Costantini argues that such efforts could help bridge the persistent gap between Western capital and the CEE innovation ecosystem.
Ben Costantini is a French entrepreneur with a bold vision: let’s grow the European tech sector tenfold. He aims to bring about this change by connecting startups with old-school industries through in-person business exhibitions.
He considers B2B exhibitions a €40 billion industry with significant underserved potential, and a distinctly European business tradition.
“There is an untapped opportunity to accelerate the access to markets and clients for startups, which exhibitions can help with,” explains the entrepreneur. “By making it more startup-friendly and efficient for a founder to get access to these events and markets, we’re accelerating their path to profitability, delivering the product, and thus achieving the impact they are meant to have.”
This approach could also help eliminate the barriers that continue to stand between Western investors and the CEE innovation ecosystems.
In our interview with Mr. Costantini, he also talks about:
Does Europe need its own Silicon Valley to stay competitive?
Why does the barrier between Western and CEE ecosystems persist?
How can conferences elevate the innovation sector in Europe?
How can political instability threaten the EU’s plan to become a major startup player?
Why does Europe often lack follow-through on crucial business decisions?
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