The atTRACTION initiative has mapped a wide pool of promising deep-tech companies across Lithuania, Poland, and Spain, opening new pathways for international investment. Backed by the EU’s Horizon Europe framework, the project seeks to address long-standing imbalances in Europe’s innovation ecosystem. While established hubs such as Berlin and Paris have traditionally dominated venture capital flows, atTRACTION shows that the next wave of deep-tech innovation-from health solutions to sustainable energy-can successfully scale within emerging ecosystems in Lithuania, Poland’s Wielkopolska region, and Spain’s Andalusia.
The results of the project’s initial scouting phase reveal a diverse and high-performing pipeline of innovation:
- Lithuania: Leveraging its established reputation in fintech and biotechnology, the region scouted 59 startups, with 15 selected for an elite track designed to match them with international capital.
- Andalusia (Spain): Already a leader in aerospace and renewable energy, the region demonstrated the highest volume of activity, with over 100 startups identified and 36 companies joining the project’s growing innovation community.
- Wielkopolska (Poland): Despite being a younger ecosystem, the region showed surprising depth in “deep-tech deal flow,” with 48 startups scouted and 25 shortlisted for advanced support.
The scouting effort uncovered a common hurdle that many companies possess world-class technology but lack the “investor language” needed to secure international venture capital. To address this, the project is moving into a phase of intensive mentoring and financial planning.
The core of this strategy is the EuroQuity platform, which provides these regional startups with a direct digital bridge to international investors who might otherwise overlook these markets. The project has set an ambitious target of securing at least three major cross-border investment deals as a proof-of-concept for the model.
This is more than a short-term recruitment drive. By partnering with local heavyweights like Tech-Park Kaunas, Poznan Science and Technology Park, and Málaga TechPark, atTRACTION is building a permanent infrastructure for growth. By integrating these local hubs into a wider European network, the project ensures that when “atTRACTION” ends, the flow of capital and talent into these regions will continue.
You can read the full details of our scouting results and regional achievements in the report here: atTRACTION scouting report pdf