Eight EIC-backed startups to pitch AI and deep tech at the EU-Startups Summit

Brussels, April 16th 2025

Summary

›Eight European startups backed by the European Innovation Council will pitch AI and deep tech solutions at the EU-Startups Summit on 24 April.
›The cohort spans biodiversity monitoring, anti-counterfeiting, industrial energy efficiency, offshore storage, cross-border credit scoring, microturbines, nano-coatings for hydrogen, and greenhouse automation.
›Several companies cite large performance gains or high accuracy rates but independent validation and scaling remain open questions for many of these technologies.
›Attendees can request introductions via Dealflow.eu and the event offers ticketing options and promotional discounts through the event page.

EIC-backed startups to watch at the EU-Startups Summit

On 24 April at 16:30 on the Stepup Startups stage, eight startups supported by the European Innovation Council will present AI and deep tech projects to investors, corporates, and fellow entrepreneurs. The selected teams address a mix of regulatory, industrial, energy and agricultural problems. Their presence at the EU-Startups Summit signals both the growing focus of EU innovation funding on climate and digital challenges and the continuing need to translate prototypes into industrial scale solutions.

Why this lineup matters

The group reflects a cross-section of priorities for European innovation policy. Several companies target decarbonisation in heavy industry and energy systems. Others aim to solve pressing market frictions such as counterfeit medicines and fragmented cross-border consumer credit. The European Innovation Council provides visibility and follow-on support that can accelerate scale up, but EIC backing is not a substitute for market traction, independent validation, standards compliance or long lead times for industrial adoption.

The startups on stage

3Bee (Italy):3Bee’s XNatura division combines IoT sensors, satellite imagery and AI to monitor biodiversity and ecosystem health. The company positions its platform as a tool to help companies, municipalities and nature reserves comply with emerging disclosure regimes such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and associated standards. The product matches a clear market need as biodiversity metrics move into corporate reporting. Challenges include achieving representative spatial coverage, ensuring data provenance and auditability, and integrating outputs with auditors and corporate reporting systems.

Cypheme (France):Cypheme-Vrai is presented as an AI system that detects counterfeit products from a smartphone camera using proprietary foundation models trained on industrial datasets. The company cites a reported accuracy figure of 99.71 and case deployments in pharma where it claims to have flagged counterfeit anti-cancer medication. If accurate, on-device image verification could be a low-cost complement to supply chain controls. That said, smartphone-based verification faces limits from lighting, packaging variability and the need for robust chain of custody in regulated sectors. Independent peer review and regulatory acceptance will be key to broader adoption.

Efenco (Estonia):Efenco markets a ceramic-based HERC device intended to improve thermal conversion in high temperature industrial heating, such as steel, cement and district heating. The firm claims at least an 18 percent reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel costs from retrofits. Retrofit solutions for heavy industry are strategically important but face long procurement cycles, certification hurdles and high uptime requirements. Verification of durability under industrial conditions and realistic lifecycle cost calculations will determine adoption. The company has substantial R and D history and visibility from EU programmes, which helps but does not eliminate industrial deployment risks.

FLASC (Netherlands):FLASC develops a non-battery offshore energy storage system based on a hydro-pneumatic liquid piston that compresses air to store excess renewable energy. The firm highlights an Open-Gas Cycle and international patents and refers to recognition from classification bodies. Compressed-air and liquid-piston storage offer alternatives to electrochemical batteries in marine environments where lifecycle and safety differ. Key technical questions include round-trip efficiency, response time, integration with offshore platform operations and maintenance regimes in harsh marine conditions.

Mifundo (Estonia):Mifundo uses AI to aggregate and standardise credit bureau records across countries and combine them with open banking data to compute a unified EU-wide credit score. The stated aim is to create a portable credit profile that reduces fragmentation in cross-border lending. The concept addresses a real barrier to a single capital market in Europe but will need to navigate data protection rules, varying data quality across bureaus and lender risk models. Regulatory acceptance and buy-in from national credit repositories will determine how portable such scores can become in practice.

MITIS (Belgium):MITIS focuses on compact, decentralised energy converters that pair flameless combustion, aerodynamic airfoil bearings and proprietary recuperators to build oil-free microturbines and hydrogen-capable units. Flameless combustion reduces peak temperatures and NOx formation while airfoil bearings aim to remove lubrication needs. These are technically ambitious components that could fit distributed power and hydrogen pathways. Integration with existing systems, manufacturing tolerances and demonstration under long runtime conditions will be crucial to validate efficiency and maintenance projections.

Naco Technologies (Latvia):Naco develops high-performance nano-coatings for fuel cells and electrolyzers using a High-Speed Magnetron Sputtering process. The coatings aim to reduce reliance on platinum group metals and improve component durability under harsh electrochemical conditions. Reducing noble metal use is a recognized bottleneck in hydrogen technology supply chains. Technical questions to watch include coating adhesion under cyclic loads, scale up to industrial component geometries, throughput of PVD processes and cost per part compared with incumbent catalyst routes.

SAIA Agrobotics (Netherlands):SAIA has rethought greenhouse automation by making plants movable. Instead of navigating robots through dense crops, SAIA’s system brings single plants to a central handling area for harvesting and inspection. The approach can improve traceability and reduce labour dependency, and the company reports working systems. The trade off is a requirement to redesign greenhouse layouts and capital investment in conveyance infrastructure. Grower economics and compatibility with existing varieties and supply chain timing will determine uptake.

At-a-glance comparison

Company	Country	Primary focus	Core technology or claim	Notable considerations
3Bee	Italy	Biodiversity monitoring and ESG	IoT sensors, satellite imagery, AI for biodiversity reporting	Supports CSRD/ESRS reporting but needs data auditability and coverage
Cypheme	France	Anti-counterfeiting	Smartphone image verification with foundation models, reported 99.71 accuracy	Promising low-cost checks but needs independent validation for regulated sectors
Efenco	Estonia	Industrial energy efficiency	Ceramic HERC retrofit unit claiming >=18% fuel and CO2 reduction	Large potential but requires industrial trials and long term durability data
FLASC	Netherlands	Offshore energy storage	Hydro-pneumatic liquid piston compressed-air system, Open-Gas Cycle	Alternative to batteries; efficiency and marine integration are key
Mifundo	Estonia	Cross-border consumer credit	AI aggregation of credit bureaus and open banking to compute EU-wide score	Data protection, bureau cooperation and regulatory acceptance are hurdles
MITIS	Belgium	Decentralised energy converters	Flameless combustion, airfoil bearings, recuperators for microturbines	Technical complexity and manufacturing scale up need demonstration
Naco Technologies	Latvia	Nano-coatings for hydrogen components	High-Speed Magnetron Sputtering coatings to limit platinum use	Coating durability and mass-production readiness will decide impact
SAIA Agrobotics	Netherlands	Greenhouse automation	Mobile plant systems and centralised robotic harvesting guided by AI	Requires greenhouse redesign and capital investment; clear labour savings potential

Context and realism: what to watch beyond the pitches

European public funding instruments like the EIC are intended to derisk early commercialisation and bridge deep technology gaps. The startups profiled show how public backing is channelled into climate and digital priorities. Investors and customers should look for independent third party performance data, pilot results in representative operating conditions, clarity on IP and manufacturing readiness, and a path to certification where relevant. Bold percentage or accuracy figures are common in early-stage communications. They should be treated as indicative until validated in peer reviewed tests or long runtime industrial pilots.

Regulatory relevance:Several businesses explicitly link their offerings to regulatory drivers. 3Bee frames its product around biodiversity reporting standards that are becoming mandatory for many firms. Mifundo targets cross-border financial friction that the EU is trying to address. For climate technologies, alignment with EU industrial decarbonisation policy and access to public procurement can accelerate adoption but also impose compliance requirements.

Scaling and industrial procurement:Technologies aimed at heavy industry or energy infrastructure face longer procurement cycles, tighter reliability expectations and complex retrofit logistics. Winning pilots are necessary but not sufficient. Partnerships with OEMs, system integrators and utilities are often essential to move from pilots to rollouts.

Event logistics and next steps

The EIC-backed startups will present on 24 April at 16:30 on the Stepup Startups stage during the EU-Startups Summit. The summit is a networking and pitching event that includes a main-stage pitch competition. If you want direct introductions to the presenting companies, the article points to Dealflow.eu as a channel for requesting meetings and company profiles. The event page and ticketing portal provide registration and discount information.

Practical note on access:Attendees should verify schedules on the official event page and use the platforms organisers provide to request meetings in advance. Promised discounts and codes are accessible via the event or partner communications and may change between announcements.

Final assessment

The eight startups illustrate the breadth of deep tech and AI projects coming out of Europe with public backing. They target credible, high value problems ranging from biodiversity compliance to green hydrogen components and industrial efficiency. Their claims are noteworthy but will need rigorous external validation and commercial partnerships to deliver systemic impact. For investors and corporate partners, the summit is an opportunity to interrogate proof points, understand deployment timelines and explore meaningful pilots rather than accepting headline performance figures at face value.

For more details on each company and to request introductions, visit Dealflow.eu and the EU-Startups Summit event page. The information in this article is provided for knowledge sharing and should not be taken as the official view of the European Commission or any other organisation.

Eight EIC-backed startups to pitch AI and deep tech at the EU-Startups Summit

EIC-backed startups to watch at the EU-Startups Summit

Why this lineup matters

The startups on stage

At-a-glance comparison

Context and realism: what to watch beyond the pitches

Event logistics and next steps

Final assessment

Read More

Beyond catch-up: EIC Board urges systemic reforms to make the EU a leading home for startups and scaleups

EIC Board endorses 2025 work programme and flags operational priorities including STEP-driven calls

EIC Accelerator June 2023 cut-off: 47 deep tech and engineering firms win nearly €350 million amid intense competition

EIC asks beneficiaries for input on Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-investment Support