The initiative addresses a recurring problem within the European Union: the gap between available capital and the ability to scale domestic startups into global leaders. While the European Investment Bank mobilizes up to 80 billion euros for scale-up investment, organizers argue that funding alone is insufficient. The project seeks to refine the selection process by connecting promising enterprises with targeted expertise, markets, and institutional support.
Europe tests data-driven model to identify next global corporate giants
Slovenia has become the testing ground for the Future 500 Initiative, a new methodology designed to identify high-growth firms with the potential to challenge US and Chinese market dominance. The pilot program unveiled 100 Slovenian companies that have collectively doubled their annual revenues to 2.1 billion euros.
Developed by researchers from the IEDC – Bled School of Management alongside counterparts at Harvard, Oxford, and other international institutions, the model focuses on early identification. Stjepan Orešković, founder of the initiative, emphasized that simply providing capital will not secure competitiveness. Instead, he advocates for a strategy of selecting, connecting, and supporting firms to ensure they survive the transition from regional players to international heavyweights. The unveiling in Bled drew high-level officials, including Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and various representatives from the European Commission and Nasdaq, signaling broad institutional interest in scaling the pilot across the continent.
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