In the dynamic landscape of European technology, venture capital, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), staying informed is paramount. With a focus on delivering insightful discussions, expert analyses, and firsthand experiences, these podcasts offer invaluable insights into the latest trends, strategies, and innovations shaping the European tech ecosystem.
It almost seems as if everyone has a podcast these days, which makes separating the content wheat from the chaff a rather time-consuming proposition, particularly if you are busy running an SME (or planning to create one). With so many demands on our time, choosing the best European tech, venture capital, and SME podcasts will necessarily depend on several factors, including the production quality, language, timeliness of the content, episode frequency, guest line-up, duration, and overall charisma of the host(s). Too long, too short, or too boring and you’ll simply stop listening, making it imperative for podcasters to find the right balance to attract, retain, and grow an audience.
For listeners, there is a fair bit of trial-and-error involved before settling on a favourite one (or few) to keep you informed during your daily commute or workout, or when you are simply out and about running errands. Fear not, though — we’ve tuned in to hours of content (so you don’t have to!) in order to find some of the more informative and engaging podcasts dedicated to the dynamic worlds of business, finance, technology, and funding from Porto and Paris to Bratislava and Bucharest (and all points in between). Although we have chosen to limit our list to English-language programmes, future posts will likely cover the plethora of podcasts in other European languages.
With their unique blend of expertise, analysis, and first-hand experiences, the following podcasts (in no particular order) do a fine job of shedding light on the intricacies of entrepreneurship and investment in the European context. Whilst we cannot endorse them unequivocally as “the best,” there is nevertheless a wealth of valuable content — and all just a few clicks away.
Founded in October 2010, EU-Startups has a twofold mission: to facilitate connections across the European startup scene and to encourage the growth of entrepreneurship within Europe. Starting life as a news website, it features articles about European tech and internet startups, with an emphasis on analysis and interviews as well as tech-related developments and their cultural and commercial impact on European startups.
If you are interested in taking the pulse of Europe’s robust entrepreneurial scene, then these interviews provide a fascinating window into the challenges (and many successes) that founders experience whilst establishing and scaling their SMEs across the continent, as one of the unique aspects of the podcast series is its focus on European startup founders.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast is a weekly show co-hosted by editor Amy Lewin (who graced the stage of Ugly Duck 2023 as our moderator) and deputy editor Eleanor Warnock. In addition to the usual suspects — tech news and developments along with funding rounds and startup stories — the podcast looks behind the headlines at some of the under-reported aspects of the VC landscape. To its credit, a recent show, for example, discussed allegations of sexual harassment at one of Europe’s leading VC firms.
The Sifted Podcast has had success in securing spots from leading figures such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who shared his vision for an AI-powered Britain. At the other end of the streaming spectrum, another recent episode profiled Belgium’s Aphea.Bio, one of Europe’s leading agritech startups, which received an equity investment from V-Bio Ventures, a venture capital firm benefiting from the EU’s Investment Plan for Europe.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
It should come as no surprise that we’re big fans of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Climate Solutions podcast — and we’re not alone. It has garnered quite a few accolades in a relatively brief period of time: winner of the 2020 European Excellence Award (Sustainability & Environment) and 2021 In2 SABRE Award (Social Media & Community Management: Best Use of Social Publishing / Blogs) as well as a nominee for the 2020 SABRE Award (for digital and social media marketing communications: government agency) and the 2022 Digital Communications Award: Digital publishing (Blog, podcast, magazine, newsroom).
Episodes from the podcast’s first season provide a checklist of things that can be done to halt climate change, and the second season looks at what 30,000 people across Europe, the US, and China say they would forgo in order to solve the climate crisis, the third season deals with greentech — or how we can finance the fight against climate change.
Bonus points: Climate Solutions (season 3) is available in French, German, Italian and Spanish. And there’s even a multilingual, multi-format downloadable e-book.
Links: Apple | Spotify
With just under 100 episodes of content, The European Startup Show takes an in-depth approach to European startups, featuring interviews that probe founders and entrepreneurs about strategies for success, insights about matching growth channels with the appropriate stage in a company’s development, and candid discussions about mistakes and how to learn from them.
Host Anita Moorthy is an MIT alumna, but she has chosen to examine the specificities of European startup culture rather than Silicone Valley, with thematic-based episodes that touch on fintech, healthtech, climatetech, deeptech, VC and angel funding, foodtech, and edtech, among other things. In fact, if there is a portmanteau containing the word “tech,” then there is a good chance that Moorthy covers it — much to the benefit of her listeners.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
Having been in the podcasting game for approximately a decade, Tech.eu describes itself as “an online publication dedicated to the growing European technology ecosystem(s),” offering news and information as well as interviews with key figures in fintech, healthtech, SaaS, deeptech, mobility, and sustainability. Some readers might even be familiar with their annual tech summit, which brings together the entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and policy makers who are shaping the European tech startup landscape.
Their podcast series explores the European technology scene, featuring interviews with both investors and entrepreneurs. In their latest podcast (at the time of writing), for example, they chat about how Scandinavia has given rise to some of the most recognisable tech giants, including Skype, Spotify and Klarna, which in turn has fostered a new generation of European entrepreneurs.
As the saying goes, we’re all standing on the shoulders of giants.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
Whereas many podcasts fall within the 30-minute range (or longer), the European Parliamentary Research Service Science and Technology podcasts assume a more succinct approach, with bite-sized episodes of just under five minutes. However, despite their brevity, there is a wealth of information on the latest science and technology developments and their impacts on our lives and implications for EU policy.
Whether you are interested the research advances in nuclear fusion or the potential ecological benefits of increasing our capacity to store energy, among many other subjects, the EPRS science and tech podcasts offer objective, authoritative, research-driven insights each month.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
Irish SMEs continue to develop innovative solutions to a range of pressing issues, but they export less than their European counterparts, according to the European Commission’s 2023 country report. For anyone interested in learning more about the emergent startup tech ecosystem within the country, a good place to turn is award-winning Irish Tech News, which is an online publication covering “innovation, entrepreneurs, startups, green tech, clean tech and tech for good that aims to help the planet.”
Since their back catalogue is particularly deep (some 1,424 episodes), listeners are spoilt for choice. Recent shows, for example, have covered an eclectic mix of topics, including the three ages of water, decarbonisation efforts, and a unique non-profit programme dedicated to nurturing innovation, social entrepreneurship, and creativity for Ireland’s best and brightest young talent.
Links: Apple | Google |Spotify
Looking for a Baltic perspective on the European start-up and scale-up scenes? Latvian co-hosts Uldis Teraudkalns and Janis Zeps of The Pursuit of Scrappiness cover a great deal of ground in their wide-ranging discussions, from SME basics such as building a business and running a team to a masterclass in pitching, building a profitable content business, and even the age-old relationship between talent and hard work.
Although geographically on the margins of Europe, the startup scenes in countries such as Estonia are dynamic and by now well-established, but recent developments are causing changes. In addition to discussing tech and business developments across a range of sectors, the co-hosts delve into the implications of the ongoing war in Ukraine for the region’s startups given Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania’s proximity to Russia.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the twenty-first century, with scientists, policy makers, funders, and SMEs all coming together to create innovative, sustainable solutions. If you’re keen to find some thought-provoking content from leading climate thinkers, entrepreneurs, and investors, then Climate Insiders hosted by Yoann Berno is a good place to start.
Although Berno’s back catalogue isn’t particularly deep (approximately twenty-six episodes to date), his podcast nevertheless provides good coverage, with the top five podcasts in terms of listener numbers including shows on lessons learned from building the world’s largest insect farming company, the seeding role of government funds in European climatetech, and how to invest in climate solutions, among others.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify | YouTube
Hosted by Adrian Weckler, Tech editor of the Irish and Sunday Independent, The Big Tech Show (also of the daily newspaper the Irish Independent) is an award-winning weekly podcast offering insightful and entertaining conversations about all-things tech, often from an Irish perspective. At approximately twenty-five minutes, episodes hit the sweet spot in terms of length — not overly long, but just long enough to offer meaningful content with the necessary degree of complexity.
An emphasis on the latest tech issues and gadget reviews as well as interviews with industry experts predominates. Recent episodes, for example, have explored Ireland’s electric car charging network, Revolut car insurance, alternatives to streaming services, and whether it is ok to date an AI chat bot.
Never one to spoil the fun, we’ll let you tune in for the answer.
Links: Apple | Google | Spotify
As the European tech ecosystem evolves and thrives, the aforementioned podcasts will continue to draw listeners’ attention to the collaborative spirit, entrepreneurial ingenuity, and social awareness that has come to define the continent’s business environment.
Whether you’re an investor looking for new opportunities, an entrepreneur just beginning your journey, or simply someone curious about the funding and development of technology across the European Union, these podcasts offer an ideal entry point.
Happy listening!
