” We were happy to take part in the 8th Annual International Bar Association European Start-up Conference, held in Cascais, Portugal, on 24–25 September 2025, a key event that brought together leading professionals from the worlds of innovation, investment and entrepreneurship.
Our managing partner, Panagiotis Drakopoulos, attended alongside partner Petros Fragkiskos, who had the opportunity to moderate the insightful panel discussion, ‘Empowering Startups: EU and national support strategies for market growth and innovation”.
The panel explored how Europe can transform its world-class research ecosystem into scalable ventures while competing with the US and Asia in the DeepTech race and tackling the associated structural and financial hurdles. The speakers highlighted key challenges related to EU funding, regulatory frameworks, investment dynamics and geopolitical influences, providing practical insights into what is needed for Europe to take the lead.
We would like to thank Karim Maizar, co-moderator and partner at Kellerhals Carrard, as well as the speakers – Veronica Costa Orvalho, Founder and CEO of Didimo and Ambassador of the European Innovation Council, João Fonseca Santos, Head of European Investment Bank Group Office and Arthur Jordão, Executive Director of Europe Startup Nations Alliance, – for sharing their valuable insights.
At DRAKOPOULOS , we are committed to supporting the startup and innovation ecosystem across Europe and beyond as well as leveraging our expertise in DeepTech, AI, and regulatory frameworks to provide strategic legal guidance and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.”