European Deeptech Week: EuroQuity’s Gilles Le Cocguen on Building the Networks Europe’s Deeptech Needs to Scale
As Europe prioritises technological sovereignty and industrial competitiveness, connecting breakthrough innovators with capital, partners, and markets is more vital than ever.
This March 16-20, Paris will host a pivotal gathering of the continent’s deeptech ecosystem during European Deeptech Week, organised by Bpifrance. As part of this strategic week of collaboration, the Tech Tour Growth50 Europe summit will convene Europe’s top 50 ‘soonicorns’ together with leading investors, corporates and industry experts.
We recently had the opportunity to speak to Gilles Le Cocguen, Head of EuroQuity at Bpifrance, who shares how curated platforms and trusted networks help deeptech founders navigate the journey from research lab to global impact — and why building stronger European connections is key to shaping the continent’s next generation of technology leaders.
TT: EuroQuity has been connecting startups, investors, and partners for nearly two decades. Why is a trusted, curated matchmaking platform like EuroQuity especially critical today for scaling European deeptech companies?
GLC: Deeptech founders often come from research backgrounds. They are outstanding scientists and engineers, but they are not always trained to communicate with investors or navigate the business side of building a company.
At EuroQuity, we support them on several levels. We provide guidance and training on fundraising and investor readiness, but we also help them build the right network around their company. In coordination with Bpifrance’s Deeptech team, we connect founders with potential co-founders, board members, and advisors through initiatives such as Tango and Tandem that we are deploying internationally.
EuroQuity also plays a key role in connecting startups with the right investors and opening access to European and international opportunities, including funding programs from the European Commission. As a National Contact Point myself, I work with the team to support companies seeking European funding. We have also built dedicated communities on EuroQuity, such as EIC Accelerator France, to help these startups navigate these opportunities.
Finally, EuroQuity works closely with innovation agencies and private and public stakeholders, across Europe, in Canada, Africa and GCC countries. These relationships help companies access the right ecosystems and expand beyond their home market. All of this contributes to creating connections that deeptech companies need to grow.
TT: Tech Tour Growth50 Europe brings together Europe’s top scale-ups and growth investors. In your view, what enables European companies to successfully make the leap from scale-ups to global leaders?
GLC: If I had to highlight one factor, it would be connections.
The right introductions to investors, partners, and experienced entrepreneurs can dramatically accelerate a company’s trajectory. Being embedded in strong ecosystems where these interactions happen naturally makes a significant difference. Companies that succeed globally are often those that are well-connected to the right networks at the right time.
TT: European Deeptech Week reflects a strong ambition around sovereignty and competitiveness. How does this initiative help better align innovation, capital, and industry across Europe?
GLC: Innovation ecosystems only work when all parts of the value chain interact.
You need policymakers who shape the regulatory framework, investors who provide capital, industry experts who bring market perspective, and startups that create the technology. European Deeptech Week brings all these actors together in one place for an entire week.
Having the full ecosystem around the same table makes a real difference. It creates dialogue, builds trust, helps share good practices, and accelerates collaboration across sectors and countries.
TT: With Europe’s technological sovereignty now a strategic priority, what role do platforms like Tech Tour and EuroQuity play in helping European companies scale while staying anchored in Europe?
GLC: For deeptech companies, access to capital remains the key challenge.
Platforms like TechTour and EuroQuity help address this by facilitating connections with investors and by enabling collaborations between companies that can lead to strategic partnerships or alliances.
Cross-border collaboration is also essential, if Europe wants to build technologies with real continental impact. EuroQuity, for example, is a founding member of the Defence Angel Ecosystem Network (DAEN), a pan-European network of business angels that brings together investors across 16 countries to support early-stage defence and security technologies. The goal is to enable cross-border investment and strengthen Europe’s strategic capabilities.
Ultimately, building strong coalitions and alliances across Europe is essential. Moving alone may be faster, but moving together allows us to go further.
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As Europe enters what many call a decisive decade for innovation and industrial leadership, the message is clear: scaling deeptech requires not simply capital, but also trusted networks, shared ambition, and strong cross-border collaboration.
Through platforms like EuroQuity, and gatherings such as the Tech Tour Growth50 Europe summit during European Deeptech Week, Europe’s founders, investors, and industry leaders are creating the alliances needed to accelerate growth and position European deeptech on the global stage.
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