EIC’s first US soft-landing: 15 cleantech awardees take Silicon Valley test drive
- ›The European Innovation Council ran its first US Soft-landing programme in partnership with Plug and Play, bringing 15 EIC-backed cleantech companies to Silicon Valley in December 2023.
- ›Activities included prep weeks, participation in Plug and Play Winter Summit, targeted investor and corporate meetings, and a DemoDay at the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco.
- ›EIC leadership and Plug and Play framed the programme as a bridge to US investors and partners but outcomes beyond meetings and early leads remain to be confirmed.
- ›The initiative sits within broader EIC Business Acceleration Services and the ITF 3.0 trade fairs activities that aim to support internationalisation of EIC awardees.
EIC’s first US soft-landing: what happened in Silicon Valley
In its first organised US Soft-landing activity the European Innovation Council partnered with Plug and Play to take 15 EIC-supported cleantech companies to Silicon Valley and San Francisco. The programme ran from October 2023 with remote preparation and culminated in an intensive working week from 4 to 8 December 2023. The package combined investor and corporate introductions, mentorship from Silicon Valley professionals, participation in Plug and Play’s Winter Summit and a DemoDay hosted at the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub Innovit in San Francisco.
Structure and key events
Participants followed a multi-week preparation phase with experts from the Valley. The in-person week featured attendance at the Plug and Play Winter Summit where each EIC awardee pitched, plus curated meetings with investors, corporates and potential business partners. The programme closed with a DemoDay titled European Innovation Spotlight at Innovit. The DemoDay convened more than 100 invitees including consulates, investors and business partners and included a fireside chat pairing EIC Head of Department Stéphane Ouaki with American investor and media figure Jillian Manus.
Who took part
Fifteen cleantech companies selected from the EIC portfolio attended. The official list published by the EIC is below. For several of the companies public descriptions are available and indicate a mix of hardware, energy, mobility, materials and industrial deep tech.
| Company | Country | Core technology or sector | Short description |
| BEEODIVERSITY | Belgium | Environmental monitoring | Provides biodiversity monitoring and nature based solutions including bio‑monitoring using bees. |
| BIOWEG | Germany | Bio-based ingredients and materials | Develops biodegradable, bio-based microbeads and polymers for cosmetics, agriculture and food using microbes and green chemistry. |
| Blue Planet Ecosystems | Austria | Sustainable aquaculture | Develops integrated aquaculture systems and software to grow seafood locally with AI-driven automation. |
| Brite Solar | Greece | Agrivoltaics and solar glass | Nanomaterials company producing variable transparency solar glass for greenhouses and agrivoltaics. |
| Circu Li-ion | Sweden | Battery disassembly and recycling | Automated battery disassembly solutions to recover components and enable circular battery value chains. |
| DAC | Poland | Cooling and refrigeration | Dynamic Air Cooling technology that claims to cool without synthetic HFC refrigerants and to recover thermal energy. |
| Dracula Technologies | France | Cleantech (unspecified) | Listed as a participating EIC cleantech awardee. Public profile not provided in the event announcement. |
| Elonroad | Sweden | Electric mobility infrastructure | Works on electrification solutions including automatic charging while parking and electric roads for in‑motion charging. |
| Envola | Germany | Smart building energy systems | Develops smart energy building technology aimed at efficiency and control for commercial or residential properties. |
| inPhocal | Netherlands | Laser-based inkless printing | Patented laser printing technology that can mark curved surfaces, reduce ink use and print high speed QR codes. |
| Kasi Technologies | Sweden | Vehicle electrification | Offers the NESS e‑hybrid retrofit system to convert fossil and biofuel vehicles into plug‑in hybrids with rapid installation. |
| VOOL | Estonia | EV charging hardware and software | Provides chargers, load managers and software for homes, offices and fleets with load balancing and price‑aware charging. |
| Neuron Soundware | Czech Republic | AI for industrial predictive maintenance | Uses AI and sound analysis to monitor machine health, reduce downtime and optimize industrial processes. |
| Sakowin Green energy | France | Decarbonised hydrogen production | Developed plasmalysis to decompose methane into hydrogen and solid carbon with low electricity use and no water requirement. |
| XSUN | France | Solar powered long endurance UAVs | Builds autonomous solar electric unmanned aerial systems for mapping, environmental protection and maritime use. |
Messages from organisers and participants
The public messaging from organisers highlighted the potential of cross‑Atlantic collaboration. Plug and Play founder Saeed Amidi called hosting the EIC cohort an honour and framed the week as evidence of the power of overseas collaboration to accelerate sustainable solutions. EIC Head of Department Stéphane Ouaki presented a keynote at the Winter Summit outlining EIC support for innovation and later described the event as a tailored opportunity for the cohort to 'shine in the Valley' and to benefit from the local ecosystem of investors, corporates and partners.
At DemoDay Ouaki and Jillian Manus took part in a fireside chat about collaboration opportunities between the EIC and the US innovation ecosystem. A participating CEO, Alexander Schechner from Envola, described the initiative as 'an exceptional opportunity' and underlined the value of meetings with potential investors and partners. These testimonials underline the programme’s immediate value in helping companies access meetings and market knowledge.
How this fits into EIC’s wider internationalisation offer
The soft‑landing activity is one element of the European Innovation Council’s Business Acceleration Services. The EIC BAS portfolio includes coaching, mentoring, investor readiness, corporate partnership programmes, the EIC International Trade Fairs programme ITF 3.0 and the EIC Global Business Expansion initiatives. The ITF 3.0 programme runs trade fair support across sectors and regions and aims to help awardees commercialise in key markets such as the US, the MENA region and within Europe.
Analysis and caveats
The programme delivered exposure and meetings, which are legitimate near‑term goals of a soft‑landing activity. That said the press announcements focus on meetings, pitches and positive feedback without independent verification of concrete commercial outcomes. Typical risks that European deep tech companies face when entering the US market remain present. These include adapting product certification, finding reference customers for pilots, aligning with US supply chains, negotiating IP and procurement conditions and raising follow‑on capital on US timelines.
To convert introductions into scalable outcomes companies usually need sustained local engagement and operational follow up. The EIC indicated it intends to develop the acceleration service further. Observers and participants should watch for data on measurable outcomes such as signed pilots, funded rounds with US investors, distribution agreements or procurement contracts.
Suggested follow up metrics to judge success
Organisers and stakeholders should track and publish standardised follow up metrics. Useful indicators include number of investor term sheets and amounts, number and value of pilot contracts with corporates or public buyers, number of commercial contracts signed, jobs created in the target market, and measurable revenue attributed to the programme within 6 to 12 months.
Selected technical concepts mentioned by cohort companies
Conclusions and outlook
The first EIC US soft‑landing week delivered the predictable immediate benefit of meetings, exposure and tailored coaching. That aligns with EIC BAS goals to bridge European deep tech with global partners. Public statements from organisers show intent to continue and scale such activities. For the broader innovation ecosystem the important next step is transparency on outcomes. Stakeholders should press for verified follow up on funding, procurement or pilot deals resulting from the trip before judging the long‑term impact of the programme.
For EIC awardees considering similar programmes, the main practical takeaway is that short immersions can open doors but require a plan for sustained local engagement. Success in the US often depends on follow up capacity, local partnerships and adapting to US procurement and regulatory contexts. The EIC’s role in facilitating introductions is valuable. The ultimate test will be whether these introductions convert into funded pilots, commercial contracts and durable market presence.
Further information
Programme context and related EIC offers include the EIC Business Acceleration Services, the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme ITF 3.0 and other Global Business Expansion activities. These services are designed to complement grant and equity support by adding coaching, matchmaking, trade fair presence and support to pursue procurement opportunities.