A Guided Tour of Europe’s Innovators … 15 Inspiring Cities and 15 Innovative Companies … from Adyen in Amsterdam to DeepMind in London, Too Good to Go in Copenhagen and GoodAI in Prague

May 16, 2025

From AI labs in London to climate pioneers in Zurich, Europe’s cities host a wealth of innovation. Each city offers a unique perspective on solving global challenges — from how we move, eat, bank, and live to how we explore space or communicate across languages.

Europe’s rich innovation heritage stretches back centuries, from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution, and has been shaped by a unique blend of scientific curiosity, cultural diversity, and deep philosophical inquiry. Its long history of invention — from Galileo and Gutenberg to Pasteur and Tesla — reflects a tradition of challenging established norms and imagining new possibilities. Europe’s patchwork of nations, languages, and ideas has fostered a culture of cross-border collaboration and creative problem-solving.

This legacy continues today, particularly in the realm of sustainable innovation, where historical values of craftsmanship, social welfare, and environmental stewardship intersect with cutting-edge technologies. As Europe grapples with climate change, energy transition, and circular economy goals, its commitment to responsible progress is inspiring a new wave of innovations — from green hydrogen and vertical farming to eco-design and regenerative business models — rooted in a vision of a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve worked in 15 European cities – coaching business leaders and supporting innovation teams, inspiring keynotes and educational workshops. Travel is also a way to discover so much more, and for me, that means seeking out the most interesting companies (typically start-ups, but not always!) lurking in each city.

So here is my travel log around Europe’s capitals, discovering the entrepreneurs and innovators shaping Europe’s future:

London … DeepMind

Once the heart of a global empire, today London is a sprawling metropolis known for its culture, finance, and innovation. Landmarks like the Tower of London and the Shard showcase its journey from royal power to modern skyline. London is also where I live, and I recently delivered the FT/Headspring Summer Lecture, launching my new Megatrends 2035 report.

London has become a hotbed for artificial intelligence, and DeepMind stands at its summit. Founded in 2010 and acquired by Google in 2014, DeepMind develops general-purpose AI with transformative potential. Its most famous breakthrough — AlphaGo — defeated the world’s Go champion, while AlphaFold cracked the protein folding problem, revolutionising biology. DeepMind’s London HQ remains its creative epicentre, blending neuroscience, computer science, and ethics to push the limits of machine learning in health, energy, and science.

Other innovators: Improbable (virtual worlds), ZOE (personalised nutrition), Wayve (autonomous vehicles).

Paris … Mistral AI

Paris, the City of Light, is known for its art, cuisine, and architectural grandeur. I was in Paris to work with the OECD and various other international organisations like IMF and ECB, helping them drive innovation inside their organisations, and with the businesses they seek to inspire. From the Eiffel Tower to the tech-driven Station F, Paris is reinventing itself as a European AI hub.

Mistral AI is leading the Parisian AI revolution. Founded in 2023 by former Meta and Google DeepMind engineers, the company is developing open-source large language models (LLMs) that rival closed American counterparts. Its Mixtral model shocked the tech world with high performance and transparency. Mistral is betting on Europe’s regulatory-first ethos to drive innovation responsibly — making cutting-edge AI accessible, sovereign, and secure.

Other innovators: Doctolib (telehealth), Back Market (refurbished tech), Ynsect (insect protein).

Amsterdam … Adyen

Once a maritime trading powerhouse, Amsterdam today is a hub of design, cycling, and digital business. The city blends historic canals with cutting-edge tech. Amsterdam is also a city of entrepreneurs and innovators, and I was here to support them with a keynote on future business models, particularly driven by AI.

Amsterdam’s fintech scene, in particular, is thriving, and Adyen is its crown jewel. The global payment platform powers seamless transactions for companies like Uber, Spotify, and eBay. What makes Adyen innovative is its single-platform architecture that handles everything from point-of-sale to online payments, risk management, and real-time analytics. By eliminating fragmented systems, Adyen empowers businesses to scale effortlessly, while staying agile in the fast-moving world of digital commerce.

Other innovators: Framer (no-code design), Mosa Meat (cultivated meat), Bunq (green banking).

Copenhagen … Too Good To Go

Copenhagen is a city of hygge, cycling lanes, and sustainability. With historic sites like Nyhavn and the royal Amalienborg Palace, it blends charm and progress. I spend a lot of time working with Danish companies, and recently launched a new executive learning program, ESP, with all the best new ideas to build a better business.

Copenhagen is home to some of the most purpose-driven startups in Europe, and Too Good To Go exemplifies this ethos. The app connects users to surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores — letting them buy meals that would otherwise go to waste, at a discount. It’s a clever blend of impact and convenience, with over 100 million meals saved so far. By making food rescue easy and rewarding, Too Good To Go is turning sustainability into a mainstream habit.

Other innovators: Lunar (neobanking), Labster (virtual science labs), Seaborg (compact nuclear energy).

Stockholm … Klarna

Stockholm, set across 14 islands, is renowned for its design, music, and tech startups. From ABBA to IKEA, it’s a city of global impact. I was working with Nordea Bank, helping its leaders to navigate a new world, and be inspired by some of the banking innovators locally and from around the world.

Born in Stockholm, Klarna helped define the “Buy Now, Pay Later” model — now used by over 150 million shoppers globally. But Klarna’s innovation goes deeper: it’s building an entire financial ecosystem for consumers, from price comparison and budgeting tools to loyalty rewards and banking services. Klarna’s approach to credit is rooted in transparency and user control — challenging traditional banks with sleek UX, low fees, and real-time payments.

Other innovators: Northvolt (green batteries), Epidemic Sound (music for creators), Normative (carbon accounting).

Helsinki … ICEYE

Helsinki, perched on the Baltic Sea, is a design-forward city with a thriving startup scene. Landmarks like the Oodi Library and Suomenlinna Fortress reflect its past and future.

ICEYE is changing the way we observe Earth. This Helsinki-based company has launched dozens of microsatellites with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can capture high-resolution images of the planet, day or night, rain or shine. Its tech is used in flood response, defense, insurance, and environmental monitoring — giving governments and companies near real-time insights. With its agile and affordable space tech, ICEYE is making satellite data more useful and accessible than ever.

Other innovators: Wolt (food delivery), IQM (quantum computing), Varjo (mixed reality headsets).

Tallinn … Bolt

Tallinn, with its medieval old town and digital infrastructure, is a pioneer in e-governance and startup culture. I’ve been visiting the Baltics for many years, and Tallinn, with its recent enetrepreneurial history of companies like Skype is definitely the most tech advanced. Just look at the incredible e-Estonia journey of the last decade or more, making Estonia the world’s most advanced digital nation.

Tallinn’s Bolt started as an Uber competitor — but today, it’s much more. From ride-hailing and e-scooters to grocery delivery and car sharing, Bolt has evolved into a full-blown super-app for urban mobility. Its key innovation lies in localisation and sustainability — operating with lower fees, faster service, and greener fleets than global rivals. Bolt’s vision is a cleaner, more convenient future of transport, built on tech, not traffic.

Other innovators: Veriff (identity verification), Pactum (AI negotiation), Skeleton Technologies (ultracapacitors).

Dublin … Flipdish

Dublin, a city of literary giants and fast-growing tech firms, combines Georgian elegance with startup grit. Dublin has become a tech city, largely attracting US tech giants with its low tax incentives, and acting as a European base for many. I was here talking to Irelend’s business leaders about business reinvention, and how to drive effective transformation.

Dublin’s Flipdish helps restaurants thrive in a world dominated by big delivery apps. It offers white-label digital ordering solutions, allowing eateries to manage orders, marketing, and customer data without surrendering margins or brand identity. Flipdish’s innovation lies in empowerment — giving small and medium businesses the tools to build loyalty and profitability online. As hospitality increasingly goes digital, Flipdish puts local control back on the menu.

Other innovators: LetsGetChecked (health diagnostics), Workhuman (employee recognition), Tines (security automation).

Berlin … Celonis

Berlin, with its creative energy and layered history, has become Germany’s startup capital. Beyond the Brandenburg Gate, a huge number of entrepreneurs are thriving, particularly in digital engineering of different forms. I first visited Berlin just days after the wall came down (and still have many fragments of the wall which lay all around!).

Celonis is a global leader in process mining, a technology that visualises and optimises how work flows across large organisations. By tapping into data from ERP and CRM systems, Celonis identifies inefficiencies, delays, and bottlenecks — then recommends fixes, often automated with AI. Its customers include Siemens, Dell, and Lufthansa. Celonis is turning enterprise data into a strategic weapon, powering faster, cleaner operations in complex industries.

Other innovators: CoachHub (digital coaching), Infarm (urban farming), N26 (digital banking).

Prague … GoodAI

Prague, with its gothic spires and baroque beauty, is also home to future-focused tech. I was here with a venture capital business, working with the leadership team to explore the best opportunities for investment in Central Europe.

While many AI startups chase immediate productisation, Prague’s GoodAI takes the long view. Founded by computer game developer Marek Rosa, the company focuses on building artificial general intelligence (AGI) — machines that learn, reason, and adapt like humans. GoodAI is developing cognitive architectures and cooperative multi-agent simulations, exploring what it means to learn in open-ended environments. It’s a quiet but ambitious lab imagining AI that evolves with purpose.

Other innovators: Productboard (product management), Rossum (document automation), Mews (hotel software).

Vienna … Gustav

Vienna, city of music and imperial history, is also a rising player in the HR tech world. On this occasion I was delivering a keynote for Raiffeisen Bank, exploring what it takes to be an innovative business culturally and organisationally, as leaders and in terms of potential value creation.

In Vienna, Gustav is transforming the way companies source temporary talent. It connects businesses with pre-vetted staffing agencies and freelance recruiters, cutting out middlemen and speeding up hiring. Its platform is powered by AI matching and workflow tools that make external hiring faster, cheaper, and more transparent. Especially for industries with high churn or seasonal needs, Gustav offers a smarter way to manage contingent workforces.

Other innovators: Refurbed (circular tech), PlanRadar (construction SaaS), Mostly AI (synthetic data).

Zurich … Climeworks

Zurich, nestled by the Alps is a hub for banking and engineering. Working with the nearby St Gallen Business School gave me the opportunity to explore the Swiss business world. My largest client is currently Holcim, the Swiss building materials companies seeking to be a leader in decarbonisation.

Zurich is also the home of Climeworks, the world leader in direct air carbon capture, who I first met in Iceland when visiting their new Mammoth facility. Their technology literally pulls CO₂ from the atmosphere, using giant fans and filter systems, then stores it safely underground or reuses it. Climeworks opened the world’s largest DAC plant in Iceland, and is scaling fast. As climate urgency grows, Climeworks offers one of the most promising paths to reversing emissions.

Other innovators: Scandit (computer vision), Sygnum (crypto banking), Numab (biotech).

Rome … Brumbrum

Rome, city of Caesars and cobblestones, is embracing digital reinvention. My Italian clients range from Ferrari, seeking to diversity its business beyond automative as a lifestyle brand, to industrial companies like Coesia, creating smart factories.

Rome’s Brumbrum is bringing the digital-first experience to used car buying. Customers can browse inspected, warrantied vehicles, finance them, and have them delivered — all online. Brumbrum uses dynamic pricing, 360° imagery, and end-to-end logistics to simplify what was once a stressful process. In a country where car ownership is cultural, Brumbrum is reshaping the market for convenience, trust, and tech.

Other innovators: Telespazio (space services), Greenrail (recycled rail infrastructure), BeSafe (travel insurance tech).

Madrid … Wallbox

Madrid, with its grand boulevards and electric vibe, is probably where I spend most of my working life. I love the central Retiro park for morning runs, but then head to IE Business School where I lead their senior executive programs.

Wallbox, headquartered in Madrid, builds smart EV chargers for homes and businesses. Its devices do more than charge — they sync with the grid, optimise energy use, and enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality. Wallbox is pioneering bidirectional charging, where your car can return power to your home or the grid during peak hours. As EV adoption grows, Wallbox is turning every driver into an energy innovator.

Other innovators: Cabify (mobility platform), EcoAlf (sustainable fashion), Jobandtalent (gig work platform).

Lisbon … Unbabel

Lisbon, a sun-drenched city of cobbled alleys and ocean breezes, is now a rising tech star. To be honest I love spending time in nearby Cascais, a short 20 minute train ride along the coast, which is home to surfers and those in search of a relaxed life. It’s also a great location for conferences, which is why Im often there.

Lisbon’s Unbabel combines neural machine translation with human post-editing to deliver fast, high-quality customer support in any language. Its platform integrates with Zendesk and Salesforce to help global brands communicate authentically with local customers. Unbabel’s innovation is in scaling empathy — blending AI speed with human nuance to make customer service both efficient and personal, across borders and time zones.

Other innovators: Sword Health (digital physiotherapy), Codacy (code quality), Pleez (AI menu pricing).

Europe’s future

• London: DeepMind, Octopus Energy, ZOE, Improbable, Wayve