New Volume on Talent and Entrepreneurial Culture Released as Part of Independent Series Supporting the EU Startup and Scaleup Agenda
The Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) has released a third Issue of its strategic five-part series aimed at supporting the implementation of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy. Launched today at the Innovation Radar Prize 2025 in Lisbon, the new publication focuses on one of the main pillars of the Startup and Scaleup Strategy: Talent as well as Entrepreneurial Culture.
Lisbon, 10 November 2025 – Titled “Building a Competitive Europe the role of startup and scaleup ecosystems – Joint Volume III and IV: Talent and Entrepreneurial Culture”, the document brings a deeper understanding on the need to elaborate a stronger entrepreneurial culture, were risk and embracing uncertainty are on the core of Europe’s competitiveness.
By combining a set of national best practices, cross mapping the EU Missions with specific industries and adding possible correlations of skills needed on a set of eleven main critical industries, this volume acts as a practical support for policy makers on their way to understand and read better the talent dilemma as well as the weight of having a society with a higher risk approach and entrepreneurial values.
Each chapter offers a unique lens on the key enablers of Europe’s competitiveness - from financial literacy and entrepreneurial education, beyond university level, to skills anticipation systems linked to critical industry mapping, and policy alignment with Ursula von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines, the Letta and Draghi Reports, Niinistö’s Competitiveness Compass, and Horizon Europe.
Part of a broader effort to complement the European Commission’s renewed focus on startups and scaleups, the publication translates EU ambition into actionable national reforms providing a dual perspective that connects Europe’s innovation ambitions with tangible, human and social capital and an evidence-based approach grounded in comparative policy assessment and best practices.
Developed through a collaborative process with ESNA’s Advisory Board and Partners, this document merges strategic foresight with empirical analysis to provide actionable policy guidance, practical recommendations and a roadmap for implementation. a roadmap for implementation.
Key Recommendations
Talent
Reskilling & Lifelong Learning
Scale EU and national programmes to systematically retrain workers for deep tech, clean tech, health, and AI.
Embed entrepreneurial competencies, resilience, creativity, and problem-solving into all education levels.
Link skills forecasting to startup and scaleup needs, not only large corporate demand.
Attraction of Global & Intra-EU Talent
Build a 28th Regime for Talent to streamline visas, mobility, and qualification recognition.
Enhance ESOP frameworks to make entrepreneurial ownership truly competitive.
Engage diaspora and global founders to position Europe as a talent magnet.
Retention & Scale-Up Readiness
Create startup-friendly labour and tax regimes to reduce talent leakage.
Expand growth-stage skills through the EIC Scaling Club and similar initiatives.
Strengthen university-to-startup pipelines to retain researchers and engineers.
Entrepreneurial Culture
Cultural Change & Entrepreneurial Identity
Promote entrepreneurship as a respected career path through role models and storytelling.
Support peer networks that democratise access to mentoring and knowledge.
Root Europe’s innovation model in inclusion, sustainability, and sovereignty.
ESNA’s Executive Director, Arthur Jordão, stated: “Through collaboration, foresight and decisive action, Europe can unlock the full potential of its human capital and ensure that the entrepreneurial spirit continues to shape the continent’s future. To achieve this, Europe must evolve into an environment where startups can scale efficiently, innovation is embedded across sectors as a driver of long-term prosperity, and talent development and entrepreneurial culture are actively supported as strategic assets.”
A final volume on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer to be published at the beginning of 2026 will conclude the series. Together, these publications aim to offer timely, reform-oriented contributions to Europe’s startup policy agenda at a crucial moment for its global competitiveness.