Building a thriving startup ecosystem

A gathering to shape the future of European tech.

A thriving and united startup ecosystem across Europe is within reach — but only if we act together.

At the heart of Syndicate One Summit 2025 is a keynote that tackles one of the most urgent and overlooked challenges for European founders: legal fragmentation. Iwona Biernat, the legal strategist behind EU Inc — a grassroots initiative working to create a pan-European legal framework for startups — will outline her vision for a streamlined “28th regime”. The goal: simplify how startups raise capital, hire talent, and scale across borders.

Biernat is no stranger to legal innovation. As former Head of Global Legal Operations at Entrepreneur First and advisor to funds like Cocoa and Common Magic, she brings hard-won insight into the legal and policy shifts that could redefine the rules of entrepreneurship in Europe.

Her keynote will be followed by a panel of top VCs from Italy, Portugal, the UK, and France. They’ll bring local context to a shared ambition: a more integrated, founder-first ecosystem that works across borders — not against them.

This event is an initiative of Syndicate One.

speaker

Iwona Biernat leads legal efforts and legislative strategy at EU-Inc, working closely with the European Commission. She played a key role in developing proposal.eu-inc.org and continues to drive EU-Inc’s collaboration with the Commission. Before joining EU-Inc, Iwona spent nearly a decade at Entrepreneur First as its first legal hire, where she built and scaled the firm’s legal operations, supporting its growth from a small incubator to a global VC. Currently, as a Fractional Operations Partner, she advises solo GPs and emerging fund managers on fund operations, compliance, and risk management.

speaker

Elisa Tarzia is a passionate ecosystem builder dedicated to empowering early-stage startups and strengthening innovation communities. As Co-Founder and Vice-President of 351 Portuguese Startup Association—Portugal’s largest and most active startup community—she leads initiatives supporting thousands of founders, fostering collaboration, and shaping a more inclusive and opportunity-rich ecosystem. She is also a Board Member of the European Startup Network, advocating for Portuguese entrepreneurs at the European level. With a strong background in marketing and growth, Elisa has helped scale multiple startups from idea to multi-million-euro revenues. Her experience includes co-founding Simplifyer.io and serving as Marketing & Growth Director at BRIDGE IN. Her strategic and hands-on approach makes her a driving force in startup success stories across Europe.

speaker

Lorenzo Franzi is the Founding Partner of Italian Founders Fund and a seasoned investor in the European startup ecosystem. He previously served as Founding Partner of Flash Ventures and Partner at Global Founders Capital. Lorenzo began his entrepreneurial journey as the Founder of Zipjet and initially built his career at J.P. Morgan and McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MSc from Maastricht University and has been an active angel investor for over 10 years.

speaker

Rory is a partner at Connect Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm investing across Europe. Connect investments include product-led champions like Accountable, Aikido, Oyster, TrueLayer and Typeform. Rory founded a startup in 2007 and has been obsessed with technology and company building ever since. At Connect, Rory loves working on product-led fintech, founder leadership development and supporting portfolio companies with fundraising strategy. Prior to Connect, Rory was a Partner at BGF Ventures and MMC Ventures where his investments included Gousto, NewVoiceMedia and Brightpearl.

speaker

Cyril is CEO and Managing Partner of XAnge. He represents XAnge on Siparex' Executive board and leads XAnge fundraising efforts. He began his career in the TMT sector as a software architect and embedded systems designer, launching Alcatel’s first Wi-Fi product in collaboration with Israeli startup Alvarion. After authoring three patents in digital modulations, he turned to venture capital - first in Silicon Valley with Telesoft Partners, then in Germany with DVCG (Deutsche Bank) and joined XAnge in 2007 to focus on early-stage tech investments. Cyril holds an engineering degree from Telecom ParisTech and an MBA from INSEAD.

Building a thriving startup ecosystem

Iwona Biernat

Elisa Tarzia

Lorenzo Franzi

Rory Stirling

Cyril Bertrand

Become a member

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Building a thriving startup ecosystem

Iwona Biernat

Elisa Tarzia

Lorenzo Franzi

Rory Stirling

Cyril Bertrand

Become a member

Reach us

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