Felix Zeltner:
And you are here today. To talk less about Italian food which I would love to spend a podcast on, and a little more about finances and the sort of perspective of Europe in that context. And I think it's by now a known fact to everybody who's listening here to all of us in this tech community. That there is no shortage of ideas. There is no shortage of ambition, of entrepreneurship, even IP, intellectual property when it comes to new technology companies being put together, started in Europe, but Europe seems to fall short every time when the moment comes to write a really big check. As we say in the US, we still actually use checks when it comes to the moment to write a big check for a promising startup.

And I would like to invite you both, to rant a bit here in the beginning. Yes, this is the Optimist podcast, but let's rant a little bit. What is the problem, Marco? I would ask you to go first.

Marco Iannaccone:
So, one issue here I see is that Europe, the financing processes here are not necessarily synchronized with the growth that is in the DNA of a startup. And what I mean is that sometimes there is a disproportion of size, but also of the understanding. So I think as financial institutions, one of the things we need to do, we need to learn faster, where the value is when you look into a company that because you call a startup, but we also have a lot of company that are not necessarily startup. They're much smaller probably than the one that you're used to the U.S. But they're sizable and they grow very fast.

And in a fast-growing company, what is needed is not necessarily the same set of tools that the bank can offer when you're looking into a stable, a big, but stable type of economic reality. So in the US you have a much broader and deeper venture capital ecosystem, which is what normally you would use to finance, especially at the beginning, startups. And you have decades of allocation from different types of entities in this type of space. Whereas here we have an issue. And now I think this issue is becoming more and more, let's say, urgent to be solved, which is that we need to catch up for about at least 25 years. So. It's not only financial institutions, but it's also the political intention and goodwill there to go into the direction of creating a competitive landscape that can allow this company to develop and to grow.

Definitely banks have a key role there, but again, I think here the key word would be speed and understanding.

Felix Zeltner:
So you're saying: The banks, your peer group, your industry, they're not fast enough. They're not learning fast enough what's needed for these fast-growing companies. You're saying the ecosystem that needs to be there to foster a landscape of young technology companies is lacking. And you're also saying the problem is we are by now 25 years behind. I mean, that's a lot. Alexander, what would you add, what would you say is the problem why Europe is falling short when it comes to, you know, really supporting its young companies.

Alexander Kudlich:
Yeah, I, look, I think so Marco put it very right. If you take into comparison, you know, this ecosystem that we all admire, the Silicon Valley ecosystem, they just have the simple advantage. They started in the 1960s, so they have, I would even say they have 40 years of a head start. You know, our ecosystem really only started in the two thousands. And when the first bubble burst around 2000, you know the investors, LPs and VCs and their LPs already made good returns in the US. So they made money, they saw that the asset class works and they took a small hit, but they just carried on.

And in our case here in Europe, we all remember the ecosystem was in such an infancy that this bubble not only led to a small hit, but to a huge drawback that almost an entire generation of investors burned their fingers. And then really it took a very long time to recover. So I think my reading is, we have almost everything. Yeah. So we have a number of like really great entrepreneurs. We have great early stage capital, enough funds. So every good entrepreneur that is looking for money typically is now capable of raising the first one to 3 million. But if we look back 10 years ago, we had a big discussion around the early stage funding gap and that's all resolved. And now it's really about, you know, taking the next step. And my positive reading of that obvious problem is that it's just a matter of time.

Felix Zeltner:
Interesting. Alexander, so can you maybe share with us how you do that when you speak to a big institution or big fund these days? Why? How, what do you tell them? What's your elevator pitch to them that helps them understand? Yes, it's okay. It's good. It's helpful. It will make you successful to invest your money in European startups and take a lot of money into your hands, and not just that early stage, not just that little money.

Alexander Kudlich:
If you zoom out a little bit and look left and right. So we have a very well established early stage venture capital industry. So we have many very good funds that give an entrepreneur the first 1, 2, 3, 4 million. So that's, it took a long time, but it's well established. And I would say that we don't have a problem. And then at the later end of the spectrum, so if you talk about private equity buyout funds, you also have, I'd say, a very good selection of very good and large funds that would, you know, finance a buyout of a large established company. Just this piece in the middle.

So when we go out and fundraise, we don't not only have to convince investors that 468 Capital is a good fund, but also we do have to sell the entire, basically growth capital industry.

I would say a couple of years ago you still had to sell venture capital. So people thought venture capital is a bad asset class. I think we now are beyond that point. There's enough evidence to show that venture capital, if done well, is a good mix in an asset allocation. And we have also now, I think, crossed that point where, you know, people said, okay, maybe venture capital is good, but European venture capital is bad compared to US venture capital. I think also on that side, we have now enough evidence from multiple reliable sources that actually, if done well, European venture capital also is at least on par with US venture capital. And it's now really about explaining that growth capital — you know, not providing the first 5 million, but, you know, the 50–200 million that a company needs to really scale — that's an attractive or maybe the most attractive piece of technology investing.

Alexander Kudlich:
And we could, on the one hand say, you know, the investor that puts in growth capital has typically businesses that are much more mature. So you have faster time to liquidity. You have a lower loss ratio, and you can a bit choose your risk appetite a little bit more according to, you know, the characteristics of the company that you see, right? There's just much more to see and much more things to look at, and there's much more ways to manage your downside risk.
So you can say it's a good asset class but secondly, it's also a good moment in time, to start looking to that asset class. You know, I think if you'd done the same thing, if you started investing in growth capital in 2020, most likely you would've you know, probably invested in inflated valuations. So I think you're coming out of a couple of years with very high valuations. And if you compare the time today, I think we have never had more good companies raising growth capital.
At the same time, many of those players that would provide growth capital in the last years, just think of the large US cross-over funds or of, you know, the Eastern sovereign wealth funds that invested, but directly in Europe, they are nowhere to be seen.

So there's much less capital, I would say ballpark, around 10 billion euros a year. That is missing now every year in financing those businesses. So if you take those things together, you see it's. Assuming that you now understood that, you know, growth is a good asset class, it's also very good point in time to start looking into that since, you know, competition or supply and demand has shifted very much in favor of the investor.

Felix Zeltner:
But Marco, that sounds so simple what Alexander is putting at a table. You have a more mature company, you have a lower chance of losing your money. You can choose your risk appetite, you get your money and more money back quicker. When you invest in a company that is growing and it, I mean, even to me as a journalist and by no means run a fund. That makes total sense. So Marco, you said to me, preparing for this podcast, you said, well, there is a gap between those who have the money and those who have the expertise. So what is the misconception here about this gap?

Marco Iannaccone:
Generally speaking? You know, there is. Misconception that startups are not interesting for banks yet. And I think that's a very major misconception. But one thing, when we're talking about learning, it's both ways. So imagine that within a bank you do need to develop those skills to understand the risk differently. So, one of the main jobs of a bank is to manage risk and evaluate risk. So, in a company that has a very fast growth trajectory, the cash flow is not necessarily the only indicator. You need to look into it when you want to evaluate the potential, but also the risk one of those companies, so. In a way, and this is for example, what we do with Alexander. So we are learning from those companies, and those venture capital that have a very long and successful tradition in the sector.

And we are taking that learning curve internally in our models, for example, no. And then vice versa, because sometimes when we are having discussions, I have to explain also to Alexander the way we are looking into things and sometimes they need to adjust to help us to help them, right? Because it's never like a black and white. And I give you a very practical example. When we are speaking about Europe, we do have a very large network of investors or different kind of investors in different jurisdiction. So when I need to convey an idea to someone, I have a very large audience, if you wish. Right? Which is very helpful for companies that are supposed to be, for example, going international because it helps if you are partnering with a bank like us, because we are a credible partner. No, especially when you're thinking about going international and how did we manage to somehow build that the skills internally?

It's a lot of work, obviously, and it's also not something that we have started the other day, its over 10 years that we built, and not accidentally in Berlin our tech team. According to official statistics, we have like 75% of the 200 most funded tech companies that have been supported by that team over the years. So looking at a language, which we are used to, you can call it market share. We are a very large player when it comes to tech. And that's why, for example, it's relatively easy to deal with us because we do have that understanding. Somehow just to give another indication about 90% of the deal volumes, if I look at the KfW statistics on a venture tech growth financial program, have been somehow initiated by us, and I will mention only a couple of them.

I mean, we have Delivery Hero, which, we have been basically in every capital market transaction with them in the last eight years. We have done quite important transaction with Zalando, with Flex Mobility and Hello Fresh, just to mention names that people know because they're very popular and now that the speed is becoming exponential. It's not getting easier. Yes. So you need to put even more effort there to to be able to keep up the pace with companies like the ones that Alexander is dealing with normally.

Felix Zeltner:
So Marco, what I hear from you is, yes, there's a problem, but we at UniCredit we're not necessarily part of the problem. We are part of the solution. But also your market capitalization might help. I'm reading 81.7 billion. So there could be a few checks around 50 to a hundred million that you can write in the future. And I'm wondering what are you learning from Marco, Alexander when it comes to speaking his or his teams or his institution's language. That doesn't match, Marco said, naturally with the VC language all the time.

Alexander Kudlich:
Yeah, no, I mean it was very interesting to hear that UniCredit is almost a hectacorn, yeah. To put it in our language. I mean, we have been working with the UniCredit, or you know, the German HVB, I mean, for many years. Marco mentioned a couple of the names. In my first life, I spent almost 10 years at Rocket Internet and already back then practically. All of the large transactions we work with UniCredit, and now of course at 4 6 8 it's continuing and not only as a banking partner, but also as a partner to many of our scaling companies.

And I think as Marco put it: We are coming from a time where the world are very far apart. You know, the world of startups was very far away from the world of the real money and the world of the startups was also very far away from some of the largest, you know, large customer base of HVB in Germany is the mid-market. And the mid-market companies. 10 years ago, they just, they couldn't care less about what venture capital funds would do. Right. And then startups, or 10 years ago, we had the choice of investing into online pizza or online shoes, and you just couldn't get a lot of interest from neither the world of real money or the world of real industry to be interested in selling shoes or selling pizza online.

Alexander Kudlich:
And now I would say, ten years later, the worlds are coming much closer to each other. Startups that used to be small "pet startups" are now suddenly huge firms. The names Marco mentioned – everyone knows them. People have smart homes, use Spotify, buy shoes from Zalando, order pizza from Delivery Hero, sell their cars on Auto1 – these are real, large-scale companies. Of course, they’re not yet as big as their U.S. counterparts in most cases, but we've come a long way.
And I do see these worlds getting significantly closer.

What we can learn from UniCredit is their ability to translate – to build bridges between worlds. They’ve helped us understand how institutional investors view our asset class and what metrics they use to compare what we do with other asset classes. That was very important.

Felix Zeltner:
Like what? Can you give an example of something Marco helped you with that became a success?

Alexander Kudlich:
I think ultimately, the most important thing is that people need role models and leadership. Entrepreneurs need role models – they see successful founders like Oliver Samwer or Elon Musk and want to be successful themselves. That’s why they start companies. In the world of money – the world of LPs – nobody gets fired for writing a check into Blackstone Infrastructure Fund IX. But if a big institution starts reporting on working with less-established firms – as a banking partner to scaling companies – that sends a signal. It shows leadership and sets a role model for many other players from the same financial universe.

If UniCredit invests time in funds, or in tech companies, then clearly there must be a business case. Of course we all want Europe to succeed, but ultimately this is not about donating money or supporting non-profits – it’s about doing good business. What has helped us most is that firms like UniCredit act as role models and show leadership in taking our industry seriously – both the tech companies and firms like ours that are starting up and scaling and need professional support.

Marco Iannaccone:
I have to say – and I’m not just saying this because we’re recording a podcast – Alexander and the world he represents are also role models for us. When a bank like UniCredit joins forces with an ecosystem like 468 or Alexander’s broader world, and we bring that combination into our network – that’s when the magic happens. Because it’s not just about venture capital anymore. There are many more players today who are interested in investing in companies that have strong economic potential and a clear vision for the future. I’m talking about wealth management clients, family offices, institutional investors. So it’s not only about VC anymore. A bank like ours can leverage Alexander’s leadership to educate a relatively broad group of investors about this asset class and get them involved.

And what are they looking for? Not just high yield, or safe investments, or capital gains – they want to learn. And what Alexander does extremely well – really well – is to open the door for these potential investors into his world. He teaches them, shows them how it works. It takes years to acquire that kind of understanding. Alexander – you’ve been a leader in your sector for at least a couple of decades now, even though you’re still young. You just started very early. That’s rare and incredibly valuable. So, imagine: on one side you have investors who want opportunities but feel lost because it’s a complex world. On the other side you need someone who can represent the financial reality – that’s where UniCredit comes in. By partnering with someone who is an expert – like Alexander – we enable that exchange of ideas in a very safe space, where people can learn who the true leaders in the field are. And that’s the beauty of it. That’s actually something we’ve had the courage to do over the past ten years – and even more so now.

Alexander Kudlich:
Yes. And it’s an interesting image you just painted. UniCredit represents a trusted financial reality to people who have invested with you and known you for a long time. You create a safe space where you invite people who don’t know much about startups or venture capital. What I’m hearing is: You’re building something. You’re building something that puts learning at the center and provides a solution to the problem you mentioned at the beginning.

Felix Zeltner:
Alexander, is there anything you’d like to add to what you're building right now? It really sounds fascinating.

Alexander Kudlich:
Yes.

Felix Zeltner:
To me it sounds like a learning journey – for people with money – into a new world. One that helps them earn more money, but also helps Europe finally build a complete tech and VC ecosystem.

Alexander Kudlich:
If you look at Europe in terms of technology and growth, you’ll see that compared to other established economies in the world, there is much less exposure to tech and growth on a per capita basis. For some reason, the institutions that typically invest in technology and growth in other markets are doing much less of that in Europe – even though there’s plenty of evidence suggesting it would make sense. There are several ways to shift more capital into tech and growth in Europe. Some are political measures – but those are above my pay grade. What I can do is help educate potential investors on why this is a worthwhile space to spend time in. We can’t force anyone to invest, but what we are learning. is that it’s a lot about market education – especially with many very smart financial institutions.

They just have spent very little time on technology and growth, and they are lacking, maybe, yeah, a bit of handholding to understand the asset class. I think that's what we, in partnership, can do well – to just explain to potential investors why this is an attractive space. And I think that’s where the combination of UniCredit and us works well – in reaching an audience that now spends time understanding the attractiveness of technology in Europe. Whether they invest now into 468 or one of the many other good funds – that’s really just a secondary goal. The real goal right now, is to make sure we educate decision-makers within financial institutions – potentially LPs – to spend more time on technology and growth in Europe.

Felix Zeltner:
If this dream of yours – where mature companies now suddenly have the chance to grow and get the money that has been lacking for so long – were, to come true, what would actually happen? Can you paint a picture for us? First, what’s the size – in Euros – that we’re talking about here, that you would imagine or hope for? And second, what kinds of companies do you see rising, that may be a little stuck right now?

Alexander Kudlich:
Yeah. I think that image, if you scroll five to ten years into the future, you will see at least half a dozen funds of several billion in size that are dedicated to supporting European tech growth companies, writing €100–300 million tickets to help them grow. These funding rounds are already happening today. The best companies already have access to that capital – it’s just not coming from local investors. And you might say that’s not a problem – money is money. As long as these domestic companies get funding, does it really matter if the money comes from the USA, Silicon Valley, or Europe?

But the way I see it, the presence of local capital matters. Many international funds have not necessarily invested well in Europe. There are even articles, stating that U.S. or Eastern funds have misunderstood the European landscape – often going after shiny objects that turned out not to be the best businesses.

Felix Zeltner:
Like what?

Alexander Kudlich:
Yeah, I mean, we all know that a lot of money has gone into sectors in Europe where technology wasn’t really at the core of the business model. Think of things like electric scooters, many delivery firms – and we ourselves have done a lot of that in the past. But if you look at today’s technologies, we’re entering a decade where technology is back at the center of investment. Venture capital was originally designed to pre-finance technology. Then we had 20–30 years where it was mostly used to pre-finance marketing – to help companies scale. We focused on marketing economics – how much do you spend to acquire a customer, what’s the customer lifetime value, etc. A lot of great businesses came out of that.

But now we’re shifting into a decade where technology is truly at the core. Venture capital and growth capital are once again being used to fund real technologies. And the current landscape of companies seeking capital looks vastly different. You now have many defense tech companies raising capital. You have AI companies. You have space tech companies raising large rounds. That’s something new. And this is only possible because we have such a healthy early-stage landscape in Europe. If we can add more local capital to that, I believe it creates a more efficient funding market. Also, when local investors have a larger stake in the company, they tend to have a stronger stay in the strategic direction – which often leads to more of the value creation staying local. If you have U.S. investors, it’s not black and white, but sometimes that leads to value creation happening abroad. With more European investors on the cap table, there’s a stronger tendency to retain that value creation in Europe – and that in turn strengthens the ecosystem even further. That said, larger funds probably won’t lead to a dramatic increase in the number of new companies. We already have good companies. But I do think, it will raise ambitions – both in terms of scale and the kinds of technologies entrepreneurs dare to pursue, knowing they will need to raise large amounts of capital.
and again, I believe it will help, to keep a larger share of the value created here in Europe.

Felix Zeltner:
So the picture you're painting is different from now – where the big successes, like the ones Marco mentioned – Delivery Hero, Zalando, Flix, HelloFresh – are not really deep tech. These are networks of buses, or platforms for ordering sneakers. They’ve been very successful with consumers. But you’re saying there’s going to be a shift – toward much more complex areas that take a longer time to prove themselves?

Alexander Kudlich:
I think what’s important is: We needed this decade of marketing-led e-commerce and SaaS companies. They were crucial to establishing the ecosystem – and to enabling entrepreneurs to become successful. So that was a very important and positive period – maybe even two decades – with businesses we participated in heavily. It’s not about saying that was bad – it was essential to create the foundation of the ecosystem. But now, I’ll give you an example. There’s an entrepreneur we backed in his first company – he built an Amazon FBA aggregator. That didn’t work out.

In his second venture, he started a company called Star Cloud – sending GPU clusters into space.  They use 24 hours of sunlight for space-based data centers – they call it “data centers in the sky.” That’s obviously much more ambitious from a technological standpoint. But he became more ambitious as a repeat entrepreneur. So an ecosystem really develops over cycles – cycles of funding, of entrepreneurship, of successes, of role models. That’s a very natural evolution: You start with something that has lower barriers to entry, and over time you gain self-confidence as an entrepreneur – and the confidence that you can actually access enough capital to tackle something more ambitious. And now we’ve arrived at a point where we have ten different exciting technologies to choose from – as entrepreneurs or as investors. That’s a very good thing.

Of course, it doesn’t make things easier for investors, because now you suddenly have to understand more technologies than just software. But overall – as we’ve discussed before – it’s much more relevant for industries. There’s not a single company in Germany today that isn’t affected by technology. Ten years ago, people said: “I find it interesting, but it doesn’t touch my core business.” Today, every business in Germany is affected by technology in some way. And I also see this in Marco’s audience – or more specifically, the customer base of UniCredit. Many of the clients that UniCredit serves are now showing much greater interest in real, substantive technology.

Felix Zeltner:
Marco, when you hear the picture Alexander is painting – full of ambition, with more complexity – where do you see UniCredit’s role in that ambitious future? Let’s do a quick exercise: It’s 2028, and European founders are now getting funding without leaving the continent – without relying on U.S. or foreign capital. What has changed structurally, culturally, and financially at UniCredit since May 2025 for this to happen?

Marco Iannaccone:
One very important thing Alexander said today: Technology touches everyone. It doesn’t matter if you work in a steel mill or in a tech company – technology is everywhere. You have to understand it – there’s no option not to. As bankers, we’re using artificial intelligence for many things – even though not all of us fully understand what that means. But it’s here – and it’s very practical. So what we do is: We use the skills we’ve developed to act as an accelerator and facilitator of growth –
making sure these skills are available to both investors and corporates.

Felix Zeltner:
You’re clearly working closely together – it almost feels like a bit of a love story having you both on the podcast. You’re headed in the same direction, building something that – if successful – will help a lot of people learn and eventually make more money. But what’s something you disagree on?

Marco Iannaccone:
When we first met, I thought maybe Alexander is a little too much of a cowboy. And maybe he thought, I was a little too conservative. But not because of how we dress – rather because the language we use to present ourselves isn’t naturally the same. But it didn’t take long for us to realize we have a lot in common. So sorry to disappoint you – I can’t come up with a better disagreement.

Felix Zeltner:
Then let me ask the cowboy.

Alexander Kudlich:
Where we disagree is probably on the required depth of due diligence. That’s maybe a natural...

Marco Iannaccone:
Fair. Absolutely fair.

Alexander Kudlich:
And honestly – UniCredit is, of course, a huge institution. But if you look at the pace of growth – there are a lot of similarities: In terms of ambition, in how we both try to transform industries or seize new markets and growth opportunities. We’re very aligned on that – even though we’re several hundred times smaller. Of course, we as a fund represent the opposite of UniCredit – UniCredit stands for one of the oldest industries in the world: the industry of money. Whereas most of our businesses are a few days, weeks, or months old. That’s a natural difference. But what we, as a fund, have to do is: Understand their world a bit better, speak their language a bit better – and help UniCredit navigate the world of tech companies, which looks very different today than it did ten years ago. At first glance, it’s a big cliché – two very different types of companies. But when you sit in the same room, you quickly notice: We see the world in very similar ways.

We mostly talk about opportunities. And even though technology is already an established field, we’re still at the very beginning. We, as a firm, are still very early. But if you look at the overall penetration of technology – especially in investing – we’re still in the early stages.

Felix Zeltner:
To wrap things up, I have two final questions. First: For those listening – aspiring entrepreneurs who may be thinking about what you’ve said, Alexander – about being bold, being ambitious... maybe they’re thinking: “Now is the time to start that AI or space idea I’ve been carrying around.” What would be your advice to them?

Alexander Kudlich:
Everything I’ve learned from entrepreneurs tells me: The longer you wait, the less likely it is you’ll ever start. Most businesses fail before even reaching the starting line. That’s why my advice is always: just start. Often, the business model changes along the way – but many people wait too long. And then opportunity costs rise, real costs rise, complexity rises – and even hunger decreases. I’ve seen many founders waiting years for the perfect idea or moment – but it rarely comes. And most of them regret not starting earlier. You really need to have a strong bias – or be a little crazy – to do it. Because the statistics always say: Don’t start. The chances of failure are high. But maybe you fail the first time and succeed on your second or third try. And we’ve often seen people leave jobs in consulting or banking, start a business that doesn’t work out – and then return to their previous employer with a better job, because they’ve learned something real about technology. Knowledge they wouldn’t have gained otherwise. So: Start for the right reasons. Start because you see a problem or an opportunity – not because of lifestyle or money. That won’t work.

Challenge your own motivation. But if you have a real reason and you feel the time is right – don’t wait.

Felix Zeltner:
Wow – that was almost a full seminar in entrepreneurship. Thank you, Alexander.

Marco – anything you’d add for aspiring entrepreneurs listening right now?

Marco Iannaccone:
Intuitively, I’d say the same thing: Don’t wait. I don’t think dreams should be postponed. And that doesn’t just apply to entrepreneurs – as a banker, I feel the same way. Yes, you need to feel uncomfortable. One of today’s issues is that we think being comfortable is the right way. Personally, I always choose the harder path – it’s a matter of principle, but also because – looking back at nearly 30 years of experience in banking, across over 10, nearly 15 countries – I can say the challenges have always been worth it. While you’re in it, being uncomfortable isn’t fun. But afterward, when you look back – you have zero regrets. And I think, not starting something you truly want to do will likely lead to regret – and that’s not good.

So my advice: Just go and do it. Life is too short not to fulfill your dreams – or at least to try very hard.

Felix Zeltner:
Tech by Handelsblatt is debuting in a few days – a gathering of European leaders for the first time. And the dream here is to build a “Cluster of Optimism” – those are the actual words you’ll find on the website: tech-europe.org. UniCredit is a co-host of this event. You are both part of this new community of European leaders that's being co-created right now. What is the best that could come out of this first gathering? Alexander, please go first.

Alexander Kudlich:
The best outcome would be a sense of “tech optimism” – a shared belief that technology is something positive. And a reminder that Europe – especially Germany – has always been a high-tech nation. The reason we live in such prosperity today is because we have always been a technology-driven country. We invented cars. We invented mRNA vaccines. We invented GLP-1 drugs. We’ve always been a source of technological innovation. Technology is a good thing – it is a source of growth.

Our prosperity comes from technology. And I think people sometimes forget that. Many descendants of entrepreneurs who invented cars or started companies a hundred years ago don’t allocate nearly enough capital today into the very field that created their family’s wealth: technology. So I believe that if we remind ourselves that we are here because someone before us invested and financed technology, then we must not stop doing the same today. We need to allocate more capital into growth and into technology – because that’s what brought us here. And if we want to remain relevant a hundred years from now, and continue to live in a prosperous society, we have to keep seeing technology as something positive – and be optimistic about what it brings to society and business.

Felix Zeltner:
Tech optimism coming out of Tech. Alexander, thank you. Marco, the final word is yours. We’ve traveled from Munich around the world. What would you like to come out of this gathering?

Marco Iannaccone:
Another example of brave entrepreneurship. Because this is the first edition – and I still remember one of the early meetings where we discussed the idea: “Let’s build a big tech ecosystem in Europe, starting from Germany.” We believe in Europe’s future – as a global economic powerhouse, and as a leading hub for digital and AI-driven innovation. Coming back to Alexander’s point: Our mission is to empower communities to progress, to deliver investment-class solutions for all stakeholders, and to unlock the potential we believe our people and clients have across Europe. The Tech conference by Tech by Handelsblatt creates this impactful environment – where we bring in a lot of bright minds, like Alexander, and invite decision-makers to discuss the future. Remember what you asked me at the beginning – what am I optimistic about? I’m optimistic about the future. And this gathering is one step toward that future.

Felix Zeltner:
Marco and Alexander – thank you so much for being our guests on The Optimist today.

All:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thanks.

Outro:
Thanks for listening to The Optimist. For more insights and updates about tech, visit us at  techeurope.org. The Optimist is produced by Tech by Handelsblatt. Music by Christian Heinemann.

Stay curious.