X-Europe

What X-Europe does

X-Europe was a pan-European, equity-free deeptech acceleration programme that operated from February 2020 to April 2022 under the European Commission's Horizon 2020 framework (grant agreement No 871795, Startup Europe initiative). The programme ran six sequential six-month cohorts covering HealthTech & BioTech, AgriTech, AI & ML, Smart Cities & Sustainability, SpaceTech & Aerospace, and FinTech, supporting 150+ startups and scaleups selected from 700+ applications originating from 17+ European countries with emphasis on the Baltics, Visegrad region, and Western Europe.

The programme was delivered by a five-partner consortium led by F6S (coordinating partner and largest tech founder community with 4.4M global members), alongside media partner TNW, Baltic event operator TechChill, Central European accelerator Design Terminal, and growth training provider Growth Tribe. Service delivery was primarily remote (accelerated by COVID-19) with in-person components via flagship conferences (TNW 2020/2021, TechChill 2021/2022, Web Summit, 4YFN, Design Terminal summits) and limited incubation in Amsterdam and Riga. Core services comprised training (growth hacking, workshops, mentoring), matchmaking (corporate, investor, talent), and promotional visibility at major tech events.

X-Europe was not a commercial entity: it charged no fees, took no equity, and derived no product revenue. Its sole financial backing was the EC Horizon 2020 grant; portfolio outcomes (€125.8M+ raised, 500+ mentoring sessions, 230+ jobs created, 88% participant recommendation rate, 500+ investor/corporate engagements, 200+ ecosystem builders) are reported as programme impact metrics rather than business KPIs. The programme concluded in April 2022 with the entity recorded as closed and ownership reverting to the European Commission framework.

Name

X-Europe

Legal name

X-Europe

Website

https://xeurope.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

X-Europe was a European Commission Horizon 2020-funded, equity-free pan-European deeptech acceleration programme (Feb 2020–Apr 2022) that ran six cohorts across HealthTech, AgriTech, AI/ML, Smart Cities, SpaceTech, and FinTech, supporting 150+ startups via a five-partner consortium led by F6S with TNW, TechChill, Design Terminal, and Growth Tribe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Acceleration Programme

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Deeptech acceleration
• Startup mentoring programs
• Corporate matchmaking services
• Investor matchmaking services
• Equity-free accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. European Commission Grant (Horizon 2020): X-Europe was a non-profit European Commission-funded project under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 871795). The programme was equity-free for participating startups — no equity or fees were charged. The programme ended in April 2022.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

X-Europe was a 6-month remote equity-free acceleration programme that connected deeptech startups across Europe with corporations, investors, and ecosystem builders through six sequential cohorts covering HealthTech & BioTech, AgriTech, AI & ML, Smart Cities & Sustainability, SpaceTech & Aerospace, and FinTech. Core services included training, mentoring, investor and corporate matchmaking, event promotion at flagship tech conferences, and incubation in Amsterdam and Riga. The programme operated from February 2020 to April 2022, supported 150+ startups, and was funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 grant.

Product overview

X-Europe was a pan-European deeptech acceleration programme offering a comprehensive 6-month remote acceleration experience. The programme connected startups with corporations, investors, and ecosystem builders through six specialized cohorts: HealthTech & BioTech, AgriTech, AI & ML, Smart Cities & Sustainability, SpaceTech & Aerospace, and FinTech. Services included training (growth hacking, business development workshops, one-on-one mentoring), matchmaking (corporate, investment, and talent), and promotion (events and media). The programme ran from February 2020 to April 2022, supporting 150+ startups across Europe with a focus on the Baltics, Visegrad region, and Benelux. X-Europe was a project under the Startup Europe initiative, co-funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme, and delivered by consortium partners F6S, TNW, TechChill, Design Terminal, and Growth Tribe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• X-Europe 6-Month Remote Acceleration Programme A comprehensive equity-free 6-month acceleration programme for European deeptech startups, providing training, mentoring, matchmaking with investors and corporations, and event promotion across six deeptech verticals.
• Cohort 1: HealthTech, MedTech & BioTech Acceleration cohort focused on HealthTech, MedTech, and BioTech startups, launched at TNW 2020 with 27 selected companies.
• Cohort 2: AgriTech Acceleration cohort focused on agricultural technology startups, launched at The Future of Agritech Summit.
• Cohort 3: AI & ML Acceleration cohort focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning startups, launched at TechChill 2021.
• Cohort 4: Smart Cities & Sustainability Acceleration cohort focused on sustainable urban development and smart city technology startups, launched at TNW 2021.
• Cohort 5: SpaceTech & Aerospace Acceleration cohort focused on space technology and aerospace startups, launched at the Space Terminal Summit.
• Cohort 6: FinTech Final acceleration cohort focused on financial technology startups with 25 selected companies, launched at TechChill 2022.
• Investor Matchmaking Service Service that connects portfolio startups with investors and public funds, with focus on cross-border investment opportunities. Engaged 500+ investors and corporations throughout the programme, and approached 1,221 investment firms for the FinTech cohort alone.
• Corporate Matchmaking Service Service facilitating connections between portfolio startups and corporate partners for business development, innovation sourcing, and partnership opportunities.
• Training and Mentoring Services Training services including growth hacking workshops, business development sessions, and one-on-one mentoring for portfolio startups. Over 500 mentoring sessions delivered across the programme.
• Event Promotion and Showcase Service Service providing portfolio startups with opportunities to attend, pitch, and showcase at major European tech conferences including TNW 2020 & 2021, TechChill 2021 & 2022, Design Terminal summits, Web Summit, and 4YFN Barcelona.
• Incubation Services (Amsterdam & Riga) In-person incubation services providing selected startups with workspace and intensive acceleration support in Amsterdam (at TNW) and Riga (at TechChill).

Quantifiable outcome

• 157 startups and scaleups supported across 6 deeptech verticals
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• F6ScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020F6S served as the coordinating partner of the X-Europe consortium, managing project management, consortium coordination, and digital operations. F6S is the largest tech founder and startup community with 4.4 million global members. F6S team members Sofia Esteves (X-Europe Project Coordinator and Head of PMO) and Aleksandar Zobec (Project Manager) led the programme from its January 2020 kick-off through April 2022 completion.
• TNW (The Next Web)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNW (The Next Web) was a founding consortium partner and the visionary behind the X-Europe programme concept. TNW hosted flagship X-Europe events at its TNW Conference in Amsterdam (TNW 2020 and TNW 2021), contributed media coverage through its platform, and provided marketing reach for programme startups.
• TechChillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechChill was a founding consortium partner, providing the leading Baltic tech startup event platform as a flagship venue for the AI/ML and FinTech cohorts. TechChill 2022 in Riga served as the final X-Europe flagship event, with TechChill 2021 held online and TechChill 2022 drawing 2,400 in-person attendees and 134 digital attendees, including 260 investors and 670+ startup representatives.
• Design TerminalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign Terminal was a founding consortium partner providing Central European acceleration expertise. Design Terminal hosted acceleration weeks in Budapest for X-Europe startups and organized virtual summits including The Future of Agritech (2020) and Space Terminal Summit (2021) as flagship X-Europe events.
• Growth TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowth Tribe was a founding consortium partner providing growth hacking training and expertise to X-Europe programme startups. Growth Tribe contributed business development workshops and one-on-one growth coaching sessions as core acceleration services within the programme.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Station F: Paris-based mega-incubator running multiple partner-operated accelerator programmes (incl. deeptech) and hosting startup programmes across Europe. Comparable in hosting cohort-based accelerator streams and as a European hub competing for the same founder pool, but anchored in France rather than pan-EU.

Broad incumbents

• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's global corporate venture accelerator providing equity investment, corporate matchmaking, and event exposure to startups across multiple verticals. Comparable in operating model (corporate-driven cohort acceleration, cross-border scope) to X-Europe's corporate match-making pillar.
• Techstars: Largest global accelerator operator running vertical- and city-specific 13-week programmes with mentor networks and demo days. A broad incumbent that operates many pan-European and industry-specific programmes competing for the same deeptech deal flow as X-Europe.
• Y Combinator: World-leading US-headquartered startup accelerator running twice-yearly cohorts and recently expanding in Europe. The reference benchmark for cohort-based acceleration, demo days, and investor matching, addressing a similar population of early-stage tech founders across verticals including fintech and AI.

Direct peers

• EIT Digital Accelerator: EU-funded (EIT/KICs) pan-European deeptech accelerator that scales European tech startups through internationalisation, investor matching, and corporate connections. Closely comparable to X-Europe in funding model (public EU backing) and target founders in AI, digital, and deeptech verticals.
• Startup Wise Guys: Pan-European (Baltics/CEE-heavy) early-stage accelerator investing in B2B SaaS and deeptech startups with mentor-driven cohorts and investor matching. Direct competitor for the same regional founder pool and similar vertical scope to several X-Europe cohorts.
• EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator: EU-funded (EIT KIC) accelerator focused on climate and sustainability ventures, structured as cohorts with mentorship and investor/corporate matchmaking. Directly comparable to X-Europe's public-funding model and cohort-based deeptech delivery, particularly the Smart Cities & Sustainability cohort.
• Antler: Global early-stage investor and accelerator running cohort-based residencies across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, with strong emphasis on pan-European deployment and sector-agnostic deeptech. Directly comparable cohort structure, geographic spread, and founder-support model.
• Seedstars: Swiss-rooted global accelerator focused on emerging markets with regional cohorts, investor matchmaking, and a flagship competition. Comparable cohort-driven, multi-region accelerator model targeting deeptech and tech-enabled startups.
• MassChallenge: Global equity-free accelerator running sector-specific cohorts (including HealthTech and FinTech) with mentor networks and corporate/VC matching. Closely comparable equity-free, cohort-driven, sector-agnostic model to X-Europe's programme design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/xeuropeproject
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLCae9wYXHZ2OIcfjONH7iA/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xeurope
• Instagraminstagram.com/xeuropeproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about X-Europe