CERN Venture Connect Summit – Boosting Innovation
In November 2024, CERN Venture Connect (CVC) marked its first anniversary, expanding its innovation network to 48 deep-tech partners across 15 countries, supporting five pioneering startups, and adding two cutting-edge technologies to its portfolio.
To celebrate this milestone, the CVC community gathered for the first time, marking the true launch of the ‘connect’ element in CERN Venture Connect. The half-day summit brought together more than 100 participants, including technology experts, investors, mentors, and startups, to celebrate achievements, foster new collaborations, and chart the path forward.
In just one year, CVC has become a thriving innovation network, bringing together over 40 deep-tech partners across 15 countries and actively supporting five pioneering startups. With the addition of two cutting-edge technologies to its portfolio in 2024, CVC now boasts seven state-of-the-art CERN innovations.
Key Discussions and Insights
The summit was structured around three key pillars of CVC’s mission – the selected CERN technologies, diverse partner network, and both deep-tech startups and soon-to-be startups that are part of the programme. These themes were explored through a series of discussions and interactive sessions:
Keynote Speech – Financing Disruptive Innovations in Europe
Kicking off the event, Olav Carlsen from SPRIND – CVC’s German partner – delivered an insightful keynote on the challenges and opportunities in financing deep-tech innovation in Europe, setting the stage for discussions on how research-driven ventures can navigate the funding landscape.
CERN Tech Deep Dive
CERN technology experts Eduardo Granados, Jean-Christophe Gayde, Salvatore Danzeca, and Sarath Kundumattathil Mohanan provided an in-depth exploration of three key CERN technologies, including the two newly added ones, ACCURATE 2A and Astromesh. This session gave attendees a first-hand look at how these technologies are being adapted for industrial applications.
Panel Discussion – Accelerating Innovation: When Breakthrough Research Collides with Market Needs
A highlight of the summit was the panel discussion featuring six deep-tech experts, each representing a crucial part of the deep-tech startup world. The session was moderated by James Miners (FONGIT) and panelists included Bobby Gomez-Reino (Cleverdist), Christian Ziach (Hightech-Gründer-Fonds), Joris Jansens (HTXL), Snehal Deshmukh (NVIDIA for Startups Europe), and Tom Cironis (Startup Kitchen). They explored how research institutions like CERN can drive innovation ecosystems and the essential elements needed to advance science-based startups to create impact and address real-world challenges.
Showcasing Breakthrough Startups
One of the most anticipated moments of the summit was the Startup Pitches session, where 10 founders and soon-to-be founders from the CVC Programme took the stage. They demonstrated how they leverage a specific CERN technology to develop innovative solutions across various industries, from clean air turbulence detection to weed control on agricultural fields.
Beyond presentations, the summit fostered valuable networking opportunities, including a guided tour of the Laboratory to give a unique behind-the-scenes perspective to the community and dedicated matchmaking sessions, allowing startups, investors, and technology leaders to explore potential collaborations.
As the summit concluded, the message was clear – CERN Venture Connect is just getting started. With a growing community and a strong portfolio of technologies, CVC remains committed to accelerating the entrepreneurial journey of deep-tech founders.