SPIN4EIC Pitching Session at EIC Summit 2024: what happened, who showed up, and what to watch for next
- ›SPIN4EIC held a pitching session during the EIC Summit 2024 on 19 March to link EIC-backed innovators with corporate buyers from the First Movers Coalition.
- ›Corporate participants named in communications included Constellium, Salesforce, Boeing, SSAB Swedish Steel, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
- ›Pitches focused on green hydrogen, alternative fuels and chemicals, carbon capture and utilisation, and carbon dioxide removal technologies.
- ›Organisers published a highlights video and testimonials but did not publish measurable outcomes or follow up contracts in the announcement.
- ›SPIN4EIC remains active through the EIC Business Acceleration Services and a community platform organised into sector groups and buyer-only spaces.
SPIN4EIC Pitching Session at EIC Summit 2024: what happened, who showed up, and what to watch for next
On 19 March 2024 the SPIN4EIC pitching session ran as part of the European Innovation Council Summit. The organising teams positioned the event as a bridging moment between EIC-supported innovators and large corporate buyers, delivered in partnership with the First Movers Coalition. The public recap emphasised bright moments, testimonials and a highlights video. The announcement celebrated participation by major corporate names but provided little in the way of verifiable outcomes beyond the recorded material.
Who organised and who participated
The session was run under SPIN4EIC, a programme inside the EIC Business Acceleration Services, and held during the EIC Summit. It was presented as a collaboration with the First Movers Coalition, a corporate-led buyer group that aims to accelerate uptake of climate technologies through early procurement commitments. The organisers named a number of FMC members that joined the initiative in some capacity.
| Named corporate participants | Sector or noted role | Source comment |
| Constellium | Aluminium and lightweight materials | Listed among FMC members participating in the event |
| Salesforce | Enterprise software and corporate buyer | Listed among FMC members participating in the event |
| Boeing | Aerospace and industrial buyer | Listed among FMC members participating in the event |
| SSAB Swedish Steel | Steelmaker with fossil-free steel ambitions | Listed among FMC members participating in the event |
| Breakthrough Energy Ventures | Climate tech investor | Listed among FMC members participating in the event |
What was on the agenda
According to the organiser's write up the pitching session concentrated on climate and industrial decarbonisation topics. The public description highlighted four thematic areas where suppliers pitched solutions: green hydrogen, alternative fuels and chemicals, Carbon Capture and Utilisation, and Carbon Dioxide Removal technologies. The session was framed as an exchange between pioneering suppliers and forward-looking investors and buyers.
Outputs, publicity and transparency
The public follow up focused on a highlights video that compiled pitches, awardee testimonials and FMC member testimonials. That video package is useful for a sense of tone and who spoke but the public announcement did not publish concrete metrics such as number of pitches, identities of individual pitch teams, winners or agreed pilots and offtake commitments. The organisers invited viewers to join the SPIN4EIC community and to contact a helpdesk for further engagement.
That pattern is common in early-stage buyer‑innovation events. Visibility and signalling matter. But for innovators, the practical value of a pitching session depends on whether it leads to funded pilots, procurement contracts, technical due diligence or binding purchase agreements. The press material did not document such follow‑on steps.
Why events like this matter for the European innovation ecosystem
Bringing EIC-backed startups and researchers into front of large corporate and institutional buyers is an established channel in EU innovation policy. Publicly funded innovators often need customer validation, industrial partners and early revenue to scale. Programmes such as SPIN4EIC and the EIC Business Acceleration Services try to lower matching friction by organising procurement-focused events and buyer engagements.
When it works, procurement of innovation can derisk new technologies by promising demand and providing testing environments. When it does not produce enforceable offtake commitments it risks being a visibility exercise rather than a pathway to scale.
A critical read: claims versus evidence
The event announcement used celebratory language about convergence of 'leading minds' and 'revolutionising' climate technology. Those are legitimate ambitions. They are however not the same as demonstrable impact. The public text did not list concrete follow up activities, pilot contracts or procurement timelines arising from the pitching session. Judging success therefore requires follow up information on measurable outcomes such as funded pilots, signed memoranda of understanding, technical testing agreements or procurement tenders.
Organisers and buyers should also clarify how they will handle IP, confidentiality during buyer interaction, and the procurement models they plan to use if they want the pitching exercise to translate into investment and deployment. Without these details, innovators and investors may view such sessions as useful for publicity but uncertain in terms of commercial payoff.
Next steps and how innovators can engage
The SPIN4EIC announcement points innovators to a highlights video and to the SPIN4EIC Community on the EIC platform. The community is organised by sector groups and includes two restricted groups for buyers. Interested parties were encouraged to contact the SPIN4EIC helpdesk and to subscribe to the EIC BAS newsletter for future pitching events and procurement opportunities.
| SPIN4EIC Community groups | Purpose | Access |
| Health & Life Sciences | Marketplace and information exchange for healthcare buyers and innovators | Public |
| Energy, Environment, Sustainability, Mobility | Focus on decarbonisation, transport and environmental tech | Public |
| Construction, Infrastructure, Manufacturing | Solutions for buildings, heavy industry and manufacturing processes | Public |
| Agriculture, Food and Beverage | Innovation in agri-food systems and processing | Public |
| Digital Transformation | ICT, AI, security and digital public services | Public |
| Private Buyers | Restricted group for private sector procurers | Restricted, registration required |
| Public Buyers | Restricted group for public sector procurers | Restricted, registration required |
If you are an EIC beneficiary or an innovator seeking procurement-led scaling, check the EIC BAS channels, register on the SPIN4EIC community, and contact the SPIN4EIC helpdesk. For buyers, making follow through commitments explicit and publishing procurement paths and timelines will increase supplier confidence and improve the quality of proposals.
Bottom line
The SPIN4EIC pitching session at the EIC Summit 2024 signalled interest from large corporate buyers in a set of climate and industrial decarbonisation technologies. The session and its highlights video offer an entry point for innovators to receive visibility with strategic buyers. The retained public record is light on measurable outcomes. For the encounter to deliver real industrial change it will need concrete follow up in the form of funded pilots, procurement commitments and transparent timelines. Observers should treat the publicity as a useful signal but follow up with organisers to confirm whether the event produces the kind of binding demand that innovators need to scale.