Weekly essays for founders who build like artisans.

November is stacked with matchmaking events—from WomenINvestEU to the EIB’s female founders forum. Finish the year by shipping proof, not just optimism.

WomenTechEU just funded another 135 deep-tech teams and Lisbon’s Women in Tech summit doubled attendance. If you’re not nurturing that pipeline, you’re invisible.

JRC says 60% of European micro-entrepreneurs launched to create their own job, yet credit is still rationed. Let’s build funding stacks that respect that reality.

Eurostat says only 22% of EU firms train staff on ICT, yet 46% of SMEs hit AI tools daily. That mismatch is how operations snap when the next shock hits.

The ECB warned banks to price climate risk properly even as it pursues rate cuts. Founders need climate data in their credit story, not just ESG slides.

The Data Act is live this week. No more rehearsals—it’s time to prove your APIs, consent flows, and contracts actually work.

Forty-seven European CEOs just begged Brussels not to water down digital laws. SMEs simultaneously warn they can’t keep up. Let’s find the middle path.

Platforms now run “implementation dialogues” on DMA/DSA data access. Being the founder who can brief researchers precisely is a brand advantage.

Platforms now have to deliver ad transparency, recommender controls, and researcher access. Even if you’re not a gatekeeper, your content and campaigns ride on theirs.

Q2 Bank Lending Survey says banks tightened again even before the latest macro drama. Assume credit is rationed and plan accordingly.

Textile extended-producer-responsibility fees are on the way. Fashion-adjacent founders need cash buffers and reverse logistics before the invoices land.

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is locked in. Circular design isn’t a “nice to have” briefing slide anymore—it’s a legal requirement by 2026.

The EU Data Act comes into force in September. Sharing customer data on request won’t be optional, so architect your pipes before a regulator does it for you.

Apple and Meta are clocking daily fines under the Digital Markets Act. Use that energy to make sure your own growth stack isn’t over-reliant on gatekeepers.

The EU’s AI standards won’t land until 2026, but enforcement starts sooner. Here’s how to build your own checklist instead of waiting for a template.

A fresh EntreComp study shows women in STEM have the same entrepreneurial intention as men when you build the right competence sets. Let’s architect those reps.

Google’s AI-generated overviews are crowding old-school SEO while regulators pressure the ad machine. Treat search like a shifting lineup, not a static channel.

TikTok just crossed 200 million users in Europe, and small businesses generated €4.8B off the back of it. Here’s how to keep your feed weird yet cash-positive.

Loan growth flatlined in May. That means your banker wants receipts, not optimism.

European women founders are surfing the next wave with or without legacy accelerators.

Rate cuts are useless if your books still look like a board chewed by the reef.