HPI Engine – Panel Talk: AI Startups in Europe – Succeeding from Zero to Unicorn

What does it really take to build a tech company in Europe?

This Founder Roundtable hosted by HPI Engine (the entrepreneurship center of the Hasso Plattner Institute) brings together founders from successful German start- and scale-ups Praxipal, Element, Buena, and voize and investors from 20VC, Project Europe, HPI Ventures for an open, honest discussion about building category-defining tech companies in Europe.

Instead of pitches or frameworks, this session is about:

​– How founders actually got started
– The decisions that mattered early — and the ones they’d rethink
​– What building and scaling in Europe really looks like
– ​How students can best prepare if they want to build one day

You’ll get direct insights from top founders in an intimate setting, with plenty of room for questions and discussion.

Founder Roundtable 1: Getting Started
With Project Europe · HPI Ventures · Praxipal · Element
How do founders move from curiosity to commitment? We’ll talk about first ideas, first steps, early doubts, and what helped founders get going.

Founder Roundtable 2: Building & Scaling in Europe
With 20VC · HPI Ventures · Buena · voize
What changes once things start working? This roundtable focuses on growth, scaling teams and customers, and what makes Europe a unique place to build.