EIC brings 14 European cleantech companies to Silicon Valley for an immersive soft-landing week
- ›From 9 to 13 December 2024 fourteen EIC-backed cleantech companies from nine European countries participated in an immersion week in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
- ›The programme combined mentorship, investor introductions, demo sessions and visits to innovation hubs including Stanford and Bloom Energy to accelerate US market exploration.
- ›US partners included the EU Office in San Francisco, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, INSEAD San Francisco Hub and law firm Orrick among others.
- ›Organisers positioned the week as part of the EIC Soft-landing programme and the broader EIC Global Business Expansion approach, offering tailored support but leaving open questions about follow-up and long term market traction.
EIC-backed cleantech founders take Silicon Valley for a week of immersion and investor access
Between 9 and 13 December 2024 fourteen cleantech companies supported by the European Innovation Council undertook an immersion week in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The activity was delivered under the EIC Soft-landing programme. It aimed to give European founders a concentrated exposure to US investors, corporate partners and innovation hubs while testing messaging, building networks and accelerating plans for expansion beyond the EU.
Why the trip matters and what it offered
The week combined mentorship, pitching opportunities, curated introductions and site visits. EIC organisers framed the mission as a way to speed up market validation and business development in the United States while avoiding the upfront costs of a full scale market entry. For many European cleantech companies, gaining traction in the US requires both investor access and local technical partnerships. The immersion format compresses introductions and learning into a short, high intensity programme.
Programme partners and participants
The San Francisco week enlisted a mix of private, academic and public partners. Notable contributors included Jillian Manus from Structure Capital who also serves as an EIC US Venture Advisor, the EU Office in San Francisco, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, INSEAD San Francisco Hub, Bay Area Council, INNOVIT and international law firm Orrick. The mission gathered more than 80 attendees at a European Innovation Spotlight networking reception where founders pitched and demonstrated their technologies.
Agenda highlights and on-the-ground activities
| Day | Main activity | Key partners and themes |
| Monday | Speeches and pitch presentations at INSEAD with panels including Microsoft, venture capital investors and cleantech startups | INSEAD San Francisco Hub, Microsoft, VC community, scaling strategies |
| Tuesday | Visit and discovery tour of Bloom Energy, followed by VC and legal panels from Orrick | Bloom Energy, Orrick, corporate operations, legal and fundraising guidance |
| Wednesday | Investor lunch and preparation for the European Innovation Spotlight demo day | Investor introductions and corporate engagement |
| Thursday | Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability visit and meetings with StartX and the Stanford Robotics Center | Stanford ecosystem, research partnerships and technology transfer |
| Friday | Panels at Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center on landing and expanding in the US with investors, founders and advisors | Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, market entry tactics, investor lessons |
European Innovation Spotlight and demo day
An evening event branded European Innovation Spotlight brought together more than 80 attendees to showcase 'Innovation Made in Europe' and the connection between the European Innovation Council and Silicon Valley. Founders delivered demo presentations and a fireside chat titled Investing in Innovation featured speakers including Consul General Strozzi from the Italian Consulate in San Francisco, Agnieszka Stasiakowska Head of EIC Business Acceleration Services at EISMEA and Gerard De Graaf Head of the EU Office in San Francisco.
Voices from founders and organisers
Participants highlighted the compressed learning and networking value of the week while emphasising the importance of peer exchanges. Ryan Guterman CEO and Founder of FaradaIC Sensors said that beyond investor exposure the best value came from exchanges with the other founders. He noted that in one week the group had the beginnings of a European cleantech community in Silicon Valley.
Nassima Ferahtia EIC International Trade Fairs and Soft-landing Programmes Coordinator described the mission as bringing together the innovation engines of Europe and the United States to accelerate the growth of EIC-backed companies and improve ecosystem traction. She used an African proverb to stress collaboration.
Context within the EIC and wider programmes
The immersion week was presented as part of the EIC Soft-landing activity and aligns with the EIC Global Business Expansion Programme. The Global Business Expansion initiative is intended to evolve soft-landing pilots into a more structured service offering that helps EIC-backed innovators test markets without overcommitting resources. The EIC ecosystem includes funding instruments such as the EIC Accelerator and the EIC Fund which co-invest with private capital when startups scale.
A cautious assessment: benefits and limitations
Short immersive visits deliver immediate benefits in terms of introductions and visibility. They also carry limitations. A week of meetings cannot substitute for local sales presence, regulatory preparation, customer discovery and hiring. US market entry often requires months of follow-up, legal and compliance work and substantive pilot projects with corporate customers. The EIC offer helps reduce initial barriers but alumni will still need funding and operational capacity to convert introductions into contracts or investment.
Practical information and next steps
The EIC Soft-landing programme provides matchmaking, pitching and tailored market workshops. Companies selected for these activities are EIC beneficiaries. For questions about this mission participants or interested parties were invited to contact the EIC Community Helpdesk and to select 'EIC Soft-landing December 2024' as the subject. Organisers also flagged upcoming missions under the Global Business Expansion Programme with more announcements expected in February 2026.
A standard disclaimer noted that the information about the week is for knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations.