We’re proud that Future 500 joins Podim 2026 as a Golden Unicorn Partner — an initiative focused on strengthening Europe’s ability to scale globally competitive companies.
Founded by Stjepan Orešković and developed within IEDC – Bled School of Management, Future 500 connects investors, institutional capital, policymakers, and ambitious founders to support the next generation of European growth champions.
For the Podim community, this mission is highly relevant. The Alps-Adriatic and wider CEE region continues to produce companies with global potential, but scaling them into truly global leaders requires stronger alignment between capital, policy, and entrepreneurship across Europe.
Initiatives like Future 500 help ensure that the next generation of global companies can grow from Europe — and remain European.
Champions of Growth
From €10 Billion to Trillion Ambition
📅 March 24, 2026
📍 European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Brussels
Future 500 invites members of the Podim community — investors, scaleup founders, and ecosystem leaders — to a closed strategic gathering in Brussels.
The event will bring together European commissioners, senior policymakers, institutional investors (EIB, EIF, EBRD), and founders of leading European growth companies.
The central question:
What does it take for a European founder to build a trillion-dollar company — and keep it European?
Insights from the event will contribute to the development of the Future 500 Index, designed to identify and support Europe’s next generation of growth champions.
Featured speakers
Among the speakers are European Commissioners, leading investors and founders of globally scaling companies.
Stjepan Orešković
Founder, Future 500
Founder & Majority Shareholder, Bosqar Invest
President of the Supervisory Board, IEDC – Bled School of Management
Maria Luís Albuquerque
European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union
Marta Kos
European Commissioner for Enlargement
Kerstin Jorna
Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission
Michiel Scheffer
President of the Board, European Innovation Council (EIC)
Rafał Brzoska
Founder & CEO, InPost
Delphine d’Amarzit
Chair & CEO, Euronext
And many other leaders from across Europe’s innovation and investment ecosystem.
Why investors and scaleup leaders should attend
This gathering is designed for people actively shaping Europe’s growth ecosystem.
You should consider attending if you are:
- A VC or growth investor looking at Europe’s next generation of scaleups
- An institutional investor or capital allocator shaping European growth capital
- A scaleup founder building a globally ambitious company
- An ecosystem leader influencing policy and growth frameworks
Participants will gain access to:
- direct dialogue with European policymakers
- conversations with institutional capital providers
- founders of Europe’s fastest-growing companies
- discussions shaping the future of Europe’s growth ecosystem
This is not a large conference.
It is a curated strategic gathering of investors, policymakers, and founders shaping Europe’s growth agenda.
Practical information
📍 Location: European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Brussels
📅 Date: March 24, 2026
The conference takes place within the Future 500 initiative, a strategic platform of IEDC – Bled School of Management, in partnership with the Atlantic Council and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
