A comprehensive series of events and webinars at Eurobike offered companies the chance to meet one of the EU’s senior experts in the field, Oliver Kozak, and network with other companies who are leading innovation and growth in cycling. 

A new collaboration between ECF’s Cycling Industry Club and European Union experts offers businesses with up to 250 employees the chance to learn more about this international support for growing businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs. This unique funding scheme is a business accelerator that offers equity-free funding, full support package, and a grant success rate often 3 times higher than comparable growth funding from other sources.

On Wednesday 30^th August, Oliver Kozak held an interactive presentation and discussion about the way the EU supports business with financing at the booth of Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (ADFC). It had a special focus on the potential for German companies to benefit from international support.

In the afternoon on Wednesday 30th August, Oliver Kozak, and our colleagues from the Flanders Bike Valley, Harm Ubbens and Niels Heuvelman, led the Accelerator Workshop – fast track to growth for cycling SMEs and Start-ups. This was an interactive workshop for innovators, start-ups, small and medium companies. It offered a practical exchange on the issues faced by entrepreneurs, starting from great ideas through to growing an established company. The workshop went very well. The participants were really enthusiastic about the exchange of knowledge and interaction during the workshop.

The EU’s SME Instrument is an accelerator programme offering support and funding to growing businesses. It has a pot of €3 billion to distribute as well as supporting services like finding clients, suppliers, and aid with business management. But so far cycling business have not taken part - the digital, automotive and energy sectors have all been huge beneficiaries – so why not cycling?

We would like to thank Eurobike, EASME, Flanders Bike Valley, Zehus for all the support in making this event possible!