Dealflow has launched matchmaking.dealflow.eu, a platform that enables large enterprises to address innovation challenges, procurement, and receive proposals from Europe’s most innovative startups. The platform delivers year-round what has long been done in person: connecting companies with cutting-edge startups and selected startups capable of delivering real pilot projects and acquisition contracts.
In the last two years, the company has organized more than 35 Corporate Innovation Days with leading European multinationals such as P&G, ABB, Philips, Galp, Thales, and Engie. On average, 20% of the startups that pitched to corporate clients have secured pilot and collaboration agreements, with an average of 70 startup applications per event. The new platform expands that proven model into a digital format available 24/7.
At the heart of the platform lies a directory of over 7,500 EU-funded startups, companies that have won competitive grants from programs like the European Innovation Council and Horizon Europe, meaning that each has been independently evaluated for the strength of its technology. Startups outside the EU funding ecosystem can also apply to join, subject to Dealflow.eu’s selection process. For companies, all startups on the platform have already cleared a credibility threshold that unsolicited proposals typically do not meet.
Challenges and Solutions
Companies publish innovation challenges and receive applications from startups that meet their mandate. The entire pipeline is managed through an integrated backend. For each published challenge (free to post), the Dealflow.eu team also actively seeks relevant startups from its network to apply. Companies can browse the startup database by sector, geography, keyword, and more, and directly request pitch presentations from relevant startups. This creates a bilateral model: on one side, innovation challenges that attract startups, and on the other, proactive outreach and engagement with selected companies.
Startups can browse all open corporate challenges, apply to those that align with their solutions, and track the status of each application in one place.
“This platform is the natural next step for an ecosystem that has been telling us, loudly and clearly, that the connection between large companies and innovative startups must be faster, more transparent, and always-on,” explains Thijs Povel, founder and CEO of Dealflow.eu. “We have spent years building trust with both the corporate innovation teams of Europe’s largest companies and the thousands of EU-funded startups working on technologies Europe needs. The platform now puts both sides in the same room, every day of the year.”
“Our in-person Corporate Innovation Days have a proven format with clearly defined challenges, carefully selected startups, and a networking system designed for decision-makers,” adds Merel Kraaijenbrink, COO of Dealflow.eu. “What we’ve built online preserves that quality. Each challenge is structured, each startup application is reviewed, and our team continues to actively seek out and secure the best matches for every company that joins. Companies receive a curated funnel amid a flood of cold pitches.”
