On March 31st, a significant chapter in European tech history concluded. The Seeds of Bravery project, which FundingBox had the privilege of leading, came to an end. Over the last two and a half years, we have granted €12 million to over 300 Ukrainian deep-tech startups – innovators working on complex engineering and scientific breakthroughs. These aren’t just businesses; they are the builders of a more resilient Europe.

But as one door closes, another opens. Just twenty-four hours later, on April 1st, the European Innovation Council (EIC) announced 41 winners of the new EIC Ukrainian Tech Call. Remarkably, 21 of them- more than half – are Seeds of Bravery alumni. They are now receiving up to €500,000 each to become “investment-ready,” a clear sign that the EU is shifting its focus from emergency “survival” support to long-term economic integration.

The Blueprint for a Unified Europe: Draghi and Letta 

For too long, we viewed Ukraine through the lens of a crisis to be managed. However, the true lesson from Ukraine is that its founders are ready to compete at the highest level. Landmark reports by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta provide the blueprint for what comes next. Draghi warns that Europe faces an “existential challenge” if it does not increase strategic investment and industrial cooperation to match global competitors. Complementing this, Letta calls for a “Fifth Freedom” – the free movement of research, innovation, and education across the Single Market. In this vision, Ukraine is no longer on the edge; Ukraine is at the core of European competitiveness.

At FundingBox, our conviction has only grown stronger: Europe must move from temporary aid to permanent Bridges and Corridors. This is why we are spearheading EU SCALE (Simple Convertible Agreement for Loan to Equity). Currently, global investors favour “Delaware-style” templates – standardised legal forms from the US that make investing fast and simple. In Europe, a founder often faces a “fragmentation tax,” navigating 27 different legal systems, which drives 42% of our top startups to the US. EU SCALE is our “red tape killer,” providing a European version of these simple agreements to keep our best talent on the continent.

Building Institutional Resilience with GIZ and RCC

This transformation requires strong institutional foundations, and we are proud to work alongside the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Serving as an expert consultant to these organisations, FundingBox is building lasting institutional resilience across the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine. Our role is to ensure that European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) – local “one-stop shops” for digital transformation – are fully integrated into the EDIH European Network. By providing this “hand on” infrastructure, we are ensuring that these frontier economies are technically and operationally compatible with EU standards long before they officially join the Union.

An Invitation to the Strategic Autonomy Investor Network

Finally, we are aligning these policy goals with private capital through the Strategic Autonomy Investor Network. Launched in Warsaw with initial partners Kibo Ventures and Accelerace, this network is a pan-European collaboration designed to identify and fund startups that secure Europe’s independence in sectors like defence, cybersecurity, and AI. We are building a structured framework to transition startups from public grants to private venture capital in a single afternoon. Maybe two.  This is an open ecosystem: we welcome other Venture Capital (VC) firms to join us in de-risking the frontier and building a future led by those who innovate under the toughest conditions on earth.