European Innovation Council at CES 2025: delegation, events and early results

From 6 to 10 January 2025 a delegation of 15 companies supported by the European Innovation Council travelled to Las Vegas to showcase technologies at CES 2025. The initiative was part of the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0. CES billed itself as one of the world’s largest technology shows and this year reported over 4,500 exhibitors including 1,400 startups and roughly 141,000 visitors from across the global tech industry.

What the EIC brought to CES and the services offered to companies

The EIC delegation took part in a program of activities designed to raise visibility and connect companies with investors and corporates. EIC services before and during CES included targeted training, coaching, market briefings, B2B matchmaking, curated meetings and in-person networking. On-site activity comprised the official opening of the European Pavilion, European Night, a dedicated European Day with themed panels, reverse pitch sessions, corporate tours and more than 200 pre-arranged business meetings for the selected companies.

Who represented Europe at CES 2025

The 15 selected EIC beneficiaries attended preparatory events such as CES Unveiled Amsterdam and a pre-departure workshop on 26 September 2024. At CES they exhibited in Eureka Park under the European Pavilion and benefited from coaching and matchmaking services.

Key events, awards and corporate engagements

The delegation participated in multiple headline activities. On 6 January they attended the Silicon Valley Funding Summit at the University of Nevada where startups pitched to US venture capitalists and corporate investors. Multiverse Computing won the pitching award at that summit. The European Pavilion had an expanded opening ceremony where Jean-David Malo, Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency accompanied CTA leadership and visited multiple Member State pavilions.

European Night was an invite-only reception attended by nearly 500 guests from more than 20 European nations, US venture capitalists, corporate executives and investors working in AI, IoT, cleantech, blockchain and digital health. The event was organised by the EIC in collaboration with several national partners and the Choose Europe network.

European Day brought together policy officials, startups, investors and corporates in panel sessions on sustainable innovation, AI and IoT for industry, cross-sector AI transformations and investment in deep tech. Speakers included representatives from large industry players and investors and featured case discussions with EIC-backed startups.

The European Pavilion stage also hosted reverse pitches and technical talks by corporate innovation leaders including representatives from Netflix, Capgemini and the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development. Tours and one-to-one meetings allowed the companies to engage with senior contacts from Abbott, Merck, Siemens and Digi International.

Awards to EIC beneficiaries included Multiverse Computing winning the Silicon Valley Funding Summit prize and Dotlumen or branded .lumen receiving first prize in a Department of Defense related competition. The report highlights these accolades as notable successes for the delegation.

Voices from organisers

Jean-David Malo, Director of EISMEA, framed the programme as focused on company satisfaction and said the agency aims to catalyse European innovation in the US market. He presented the award at the Silicon Valley Funding Summit and emphasised the EIC role in supporting the business goals of beneficiaries.

Kinsey Fabrizio, President of the Consumer Technology Association, described the EIC as a valuable partner for connecting European innovators with the global marketplace. Fabrizio noted past collaboration such as CES Unveiled Amsterdam and highlighted European innovation showcasing household names and startups across healthcare, sustainability, mobility and accessibility.

Context and programme mechanics

EIC materials also provide contact channels including the EIC Community helpdesk for queries about the International Trade Fairs Programme and list forthcoming trade fairs under the ITF 3.0 umbrella through 2026.

A measured assessment and open questions

The EIC report highlights strong activity, curated meetings and several awards. Organisers explicitly use company satisfaction as the primary success metric. That is a defensible short term indicator but it is not the same as hard commercial outcomes. The write up does not publish conversion metrics such as signed contracts, follow-on investment or measurable revenue increases attributable to the CES participation. Those figures are essential to assess whether expensive trade fair deployments translate into sustainable market entry or scale up in the US.

Other open questions include transparency around selection constraints, the cost per company for participation, and the longer term tracking of pipeline deals from matchmaking. For a programme seeking to close the European scale-up gap and strengthen industrial sovereignty it will be important to publish standardised outcome metrics across multiple editions so policy makers and companies can evaluate return on public investment.

Why this matters for the European innovation ecosystem

Large trade fairs like CES offer visibility and networking that are difficult to replicate. For deep tech and high growth startups the access to US investors and corporates can be a stepping stone to international scale. The EIC is positioning the ITF 3.0 programme to play that role by combining funding, coaching and matchmaking.

At the same time Europe still faces structural challenges in scaling deep tech, for example smaller late stage capital pools, longer commercialisation cycles and fragmented domestic markets. Programmes such as ITF 3.0 can help address those weaknesses by accelerating market exposure, but they will only be a part of a broader set of measures needed to translate European invention into large scale companies.

Practical details and contacts

EIC beneficiaries interested in the International Trade Fairs Programme can find open calls and programme materials on the EIC Community platform. For specific questions the community helpdesk accepts queries where requestors should select the subject "EIC International Trade Fairs Programme". The EIC also publishes reports and FAQs on programme impact and lessons learnt.

Location at CES 2025. The European Pavilion was installed in Eureka Park, Hall G, booth 60633.