Fueling strategic autonomy: Start-up Arena by FundingBox

Every year, billions of euros in public funding remain untapped across Europe. According to the European Parliament, only 52.5% of the financial resources allocated to major EU cohesion funds for 2014–2020 had been paid out by the end of the period, leaving nearly half unabsorbed by Member States.

More recently, 38% of REACT-EU funds remained unused at the close of 2023, despite urgent post-pandemic recovery needs. In Horizon 2020, the EU’s flagship research and innovation program, only 12% of project proposals were funded, meaning the vast majority of high-potential ideas never saw the light of day. [1][2]

The money exists. The ambition exists. But the connection between the two? Still a work in progress.

At automatica 2025, Europe’s most influential trade fair for smart automation and robotics, FundingBox is building that connection. The Start-up Arena, designed and powered by us, is where funding mechanisms meet industrial autonomy,  and where startups finally get a seat at the table.

Europe’s global competitiveness increasingly hinges on its ability to act decisively and independently without turning inward. This balance, known as open strategic autonomy, is at the heart of Europe’s current policy direction.

As former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi put it in his official 2024 report for the European Commission:

“Europe is destined to remain alone, and for this reason, it must act immediately as if it were a single state.” — Mario Draghi, 2024

This is not a call for isolation, but a wake-up call for integration and self-reliance in critical sectors,  from energy and AI to robotics and defense. And automation is central to that strategy.

The official theme of Start-Up Arena reflects this urgency: Accelerating Autonomy with Automation

It’s a recognition that Europe needs ownership of innovation. And it needs mechanisms to help scale what it builds.

The Start-up Arena is a strategic launchpad inside automatica’s robotics and automation sector. Curated by FundingBox, it’s built to connect early-stage deep tech startups with capital, corporates, and decision-makers shaping Europe’s industrial future.

Startups selected for the Arena often come with validation already in hand, many backed by public programs like Horizon Europe or Digital Europe, and aligned with strategic priorities like smart manufacturing, AI, and robotics.

Rather than passive showcases, the Arena delivers structured matchmaking, classic & reverse pitching, and visibility to investors, corporates, and public agencies looking for real-world innovation. Fast!

It’s not about flashy booths, it’s about traction, alignment, and the kind of exposure that leads to pilots, partnerships, and funding.

We all know what “startup zones” often feel like: modest booths on the sidelines, hopeful pitches in noisy corners, and branding that gets lost in the noise. Yes, Start-up Arena includes booths, but they are designed with intention and embedded in a dynamic program. In 2023, automatica brought together:

• 41,169 visitors from 92 countries
• 648 exhibitors across automation, robotics, and AI
• Over 325 million media impressions
• More than 230,000 social media interactions
• A 97% exhibitor return rate

Startups don’t just show up. They get plugged in. The Arena is physically positioned within one of automatica’s most high-traffic halls. Each startup is provided with a branded, well-located booth, surrounded by an energetic layout of tech stages, investors zones and partner lounges. This spatial design drives a constant stream of foot-traffic, from global corporates and media to policymakers and fellow innovators. The layout encourages organic networking, while our curated agenda ensures startups are not only visible, but constantly engaged. From main-stage pitching to live product demos, investor panels, media coverage, and matchmaking sessions, the Arena becomes an ecosystem in itself, fluid, high-energy, and outcome-driven.

Over the past 10+ years, FundingBox has become a critical enabler in the European innovation ecosystem:

• We’ve evaluated over 35,000 applications across deep tech and industrial domains.
• We’ve managed more than €139 million in cascade funding, a fast, decentralized funding model that empowers startups directly.
• Our project Seeds of Bravery is the largest Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) initiative ever, with €20 million dedicated to Ukrainian innovators.
• Through our OnePass digital passport, we’re radically simplifying how startups apply for multiple open calls with a single profile.
• Our platform TechFinders helps match real-world challenges with test-before-invest pilots, enabling technologies to be validated at speed.
• We also offer paid training and innovation services to startups, corporates, and public institutions, and engage in corporate innovation deals (such as the Huawei startup program in Spain) and strategic projects in regions like Bosnia and Serbia. [3][4][5]

We’re not a fund or a fair organizer per se. We’re the infrastructure between capital, talent, and action. And we’re putting that infrastructure on display at automatica.

The Start-up Arena embodies the EU’s strategic vision for innovation in action. It aligns with key policy developments that are reshaping Europe’s approach to autonomy, funding, and technological leadership:

• The proposed doubling of the Horizon Europe budget to €200 billion by 2027 [6]
• Enrico Letta’s call for a Fifth Freedom: Innovation [7]
• Europe’s push to expand R&D collaboration with strategic allies like Canada and South Korea [8][9]
• The European Commission allocates €93.5 billion for research and innovation between 2021–2027, with cascade funding playing a key role in boosting SME participation and advancing Europe’s digital and strategic autonomy. [10]

These are blueprints and at FundingBox, we’ve already started executing on them.

If you’re a start-up, this is your way into the heart of the European industrial ecosystem. No velvet ropes, no gatekeeping, just access to funding, to partners, to growth.

If you’re a corporate or investor, this is where you scout what’s next. Validated by programs and backed by capital. Ready to go.

If you’re in policy, ecosystem building, or international innovation, this is your proof of concept. This is how you build actionable autonomy.

We’re here to change the system with platforms that are open, ecosystems that are functional, and funding that moves faster than strategy papers.

📍 automatica 2025, Messe München
📅 24 -27 June
🧠 The Start-up Arena, powered by FundingBox

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[1] European Parliament “Absorption rates of Cohesion Policy funds,” March 2024: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2024/759318/IPOL_ATA%282024%29759318_EN.pdf
[2] Horizon 2020 Impact Assessment: https://sciencebusiness.net/news/77103/Exclusive%3A-Horizon-2020-success-rates-slide-towards-12%25
[3] Huawei-FundingBox Partnership: https://forbes.es/ultima-hora/240152/huawei-colabora-con-fundingbox-para-acelerar-el-crecimiento-de-las-startups-espanolas/
[4] FundingBox in Bosnia and Herzegovina: https://fundingbox.eu/dih-digest/events/fundingbox-continues-bosnia-and-herzegovinas-innovation-journey
[5] Innovation Support in Serbia: https://fundingbox.eu/dih-digest/events/facilitating-innovation-in-serbia
[6] Horizon Europe Budget Increase Discussion: https://sciencebusiness.net/news/fp10/horizon-europe-successor-needs-eu200b-meet-future-challenges-say-meps
[7] Enrico Letta’s Fifth Freedom Report: https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/free-movement-research-and-innovation-will-be-central-renewing-europes-single-market
[8] Canada joins Horizon Europe: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/europe-world/international-cooperation/bilateral-cooperation-science-and-technology-agreements-non-eu-countries/canada_en
[9] EU-South Korea Association Agreement: https://sciencebusiness.net/news/horizon-europe/south-korea-joins-horizon-europe-multi-billion-euro-push-globalise-science
[10] Cascade Funding Factsheet: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en