I attended the “European Playbook: Scaling European Tech Leaders” event at AI House Amsterdam on April 1st, 2026. Hosted by VivaTech, La French Tech Amsterdam, and Prosus, the evening brought together 146 attendees at Gustav Mahlerplein 5 for an honest conversation about what scaling across Europe actually looks like.
A lot has been said about scaling in Europe, but this discussion got to the real point: building a category leader across Europe is not just about growth capital. It is about navigating fragmentation, building the right partnerships, and creating an operating model that can handle complexity without losing speed.
The screens in the main hall billed the evening as part of the VivaTech Tour Amsterdam, with AI House Amsterdam “Powered by Prosus”.
In the main hall at AI House Amsterdam, with the audience behind me.
The main stage screen: VivaTech Tour Amsterdam, European Playbook - Scaling European Tech Leaders.
The Agenda
The evening was structured around progressively deeper conversations:
- 5:30 PM — Guest arrivals and welcome
- 6:00 PM — Introduction by Prosus and La French Tech Amsterdam
- 6:10 PM — VivaTech presentation (Europe’s biggest startup and tech event, Paris, June 17-20, 2026)
- 6:20 PM — Fireside chat with Andrey Khusid (Founder and CEO, Miro) and Sebastiaan Vaessen (Head of Strategy, Prosus)
- 6:45 PM — Panel discussion with Gregory De Vroey (General Manager Benelux, Upway) and Heidrun Luyt (Chief Growth Officer, Qonto), moderated by Masha Moisseyeva (Co-Founder, Ogni)
- 7:15 PM — Networking and drinks
Fireside Chat: Miro and Prosus on Building at Scale
The fireside chat with Andrey Khusid (Miro) and Sebastiaan Vaessen (Prosus).
The highlight was hearing Andrey Khusid share the Miro journey — from a collaboration tool born in Russia to a global platform with a major European presence. Sebastiaan Vaessen from Prosus offered the investor perspective on what makes European scale-ups succeed or struggle.
The fireside chat from the back of the room.
Prosus, the technology investment arm of Naspers, has deep experience backing companies across multiple European markets. Their vantage point on the structural challenges — regulatory divergence, talent mobility, market-by-market go-to-market — added real depth to the conversation.
Panel: The Operators’ Perspective
Gregory De Vroey from Upway brought the marketplace scaling lens — how a refurbished e-bike platform expands across Benelux markets with different logistics, regulations, and consumer behaviors. Heidrun Luyt from Qonto shared how a European finance platform for SMEs and freelancers navigates banking regulations across multiple jurisdictions while maintaining a unified product experience.
Masha Moisseyeva from Ogni kept the discussion sharp and practical, steering away from platitudes toward operational specifics.
VivaTech: The Numbers
VivaTech celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026, running 17-20 June in Paris.
The Startup Momentum slide behind the numbers below.
The VivaTech presentation shared impressive momentum:
- 14,257 startups in the ecosystem
- 2,655 startup exhibitors
- 48% international
- 120 countries represented
- 60% C-level attendees
- 25% of annual leads made at VivaTech
- 95% startup exhibitor satisfaction
“Where the Tech Agenda is set”: 450+ speakers across 5 stages.
“Showcase your Product and Get Business Done”, with the 25% and 95% figures.
Top business decision-makers attending VivaTech include Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Christel Heydemann (Orange), Hans Vestberg (Verizon), Mohamed Kande (PwC), Nicolas Hieronimus (L’Oreal), and Peggy Johnson (Magic Leap).
The “Top Business Decision-makers” slide.
My Biggest Takeaway
Europe does not need to copy Silicon Valley. It needs to play to its own strengths — deep talent, strong technical ecosystems, and more deliberate, durable company building. The winners will be the teams that can combine local execution with a truly pan-European ambition.
The fragmentation that everyone complains about is actually a moat once you learn to navigate it. A company that can operate across French, German, Dutch, and Southern European markets with a single platform has built operational capabilities that are extremely hard to replicate.
Why This Matters for Tech Leaders
For technology advisors and architects like myself, the scaling conversation connects directly to infrastructure decisions:
- Multi-region deployment is not optional when your customers span regulatory boundaries
- Data sovereignty requirements differ by country — your architecture must accommodate this from day one
- Platform engineering becomes critical when you need to ship features across markets without per-market engineering teams
The companies that scale successfully across Europe are the ones that treat infrastructure and platform decisions as strategic, not operational. This is exactly the kind of challenge I help enterprises solve through AI integration and platform engineering.
About the Organizers
AI House Amsterdam at Gustav Mahlerplein 5 (powered by Prosus) has become a central hub for the European tech community. Between this event and the Models to Machines robotics session I also attended, the venue consistently attracts high-quality speakers and engaged audiences.
VivaTech takes place June 17-20, 2026 in Paris — the largest startup and tech event in Europe.
La French Tech Amsterdam bridges the French and Dutch startup ecosystems, creating cross-pollination opportunities that exemplify the pan-European approach discussed throughout the evening.
Thanks to the organizers and speakers for a thoughtful conversation and a room full of ambitious builders.
Related Posts
- AI House Amsterdam: Models to Machines
- The State of AI in Europe: What Leaders Need to Know
- Digital Sovereignty and European Cloud Strategy
- KubeCon Europe 2026 Side Events Guide
About the Author
I am Luca Berton, AI and Cloud Advisor based in Europe. I help enterprises scale their technology infrastructure across European markets. Book a consultation.
