EU-Startups Podcast

This episode features Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a Barcelona-based neurotechnology company pioneering non-invasive brain stimulation for neurological and psychiatric conditions. Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from Starlab, Neuroelectrics has grown into a global digital brain health company operating in over 74 countries, with a presence in both Barcelona and Boston since 2014.

Their tech enables clinicians to both read and influence brain activity in real time, offering applications in epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and anxiety disorders.

The conversation explores how the neurotechnology landscape has evolved over the past decade - from a niche research field into a rapidly growing sector attracting significant investment. Maiques also discusses Neuroelectrics’ collaboration with NASA, where its technology has been used to measure cognitive fatigue in pilots.

The interview examines the structural challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe versus the US, including access to capital, talent, and regulatory pathways. Maiques shares insights from her role as President of EsTech, an organisation representing leading Spanish scale-ups.

Key Points:
- Why Neuroelectrics was founded to address the lack of personalised, effective brain disorder treatments
- How non-invasive brain stimulation works and why it offers advantages over surgical approaches
- How COVID-19 accelerated adoption of remote brain treatment and telemedicine solutions
- Challenges of scaling DeepTech companies in Europe and the funding gap compared to the US
- The current state of gender diversity in STEM and where progress is still needed

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - Sponsor
2:43 - Interview

In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Refurbed founder Kilian Kaminski. The Austrian scale-up is turning e-waste into Millions.

In this interview, we speak with Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE and General Manager of NiCE Cognigy, about the journey of building Cognigy from a startup in 2016 to a $1 billion acquisition by NiCE Ltd. in 2025.

Philipp reflects on the early frustrations that inspired the company, the rapid evolution of enterprise AI adoption, and how customer service is shifting from chatbots to agentic AI systems capable of acting autonomously within enterprise workflows.

Cognigy was founded in 2016 by Philipp Heltewig, Sascha Poggemann, and Benjamin Mayr with the goal of transforming how enterprises engage with customers.

In the conversation, Philipp looks back at Cognigy’s early years and the key milestones along the way, including the ~€36 million Series B in 2021, the €93 million Series C in 2024, and the strategic acquisition by NiCE in 2025.

A major theme of the discussion is the rise of agentic AI — systems that can understand intent, take actions across enterprise systems, and orchestrate complex customer interactions. Philipp breaks down how these AI agents differ from traditional chatbots and why enterprises are increasingly adopting them to automate routine tasks while allowing human agents to focus on higher-value interactions.

The conversation also explores the limits of current AI systems and the situations where human support is still essential, particularly when empathy, complex judgement, or sensitive decision-making is required.

Key Points
- Cognigy was founded in 2016 and acquired by NiCE Ltd. for $1 billion in September 2025.
- Philipp explains the shift from basic chatbots to agentic AI, capable of acting autonomously within enterprise systems.
- Enterprises increasingly use AI to augment human agents, handling routine interactions while humans focus on complex cases.
- The interview explores how the founder role evolves after a major acquisition, and how AI strategy is shaped within a larger global company.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - Sponsor
02:39 - Interview

In this interview, Enrico Giacomelli, Founder and Chairman of Namirial, reflects on building one of Europe’s leading Digital Transaction Management and Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) groups - from a small Italian software house founded in 1991 to a pan-European digital trust leader valued at approximately €1.1 billion.

Founded in 2000 in Senigallia, Namirial now operates in 90+ countries, employs over 1,300 people, and serves enterprises, SMEs and public administrations across Europe, Latin America and Asia.

In 2020, Ambienta acquired a majority stake, accelerating international expansion. In July 2025, Bain Capital acquired a majority stake. Later that year, Namirial merged with Signaturit (backed by PSG Equity), creating a leading pan-European QTSP with strong positions in Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

We discuss regulation as both constraint and catalyst, what “AI-first” means in a highly regulated environment, scaling through M&A, and the future of European digital identity.

Key Points:
- How Enrico identified the original problem in 1991 - and why it still matters
- Building a global tech leader from outside Europe’s main startup hubs
- Regulation as both constraint and competitive advantage
- What “AI-first” means in a trust-heavy, compliance-driven sector
- Practical advice for founders making their first steps
- Avoiding the AI hype cycle while building long-term value

In this episode, we speak with Davide Dattoli, Founder and Executive Chairman of Talent Garden, about building one of Europe’s largest digital skills and EdTech platforms — from its launch in 2011 as a coworking experiment in Italy to a pan-European education group operating across 12 markets in Europe, Brazil, and Singapore.

Today, Talent Garden trains 25,000 professionals and students annually, connects 4,500 startups and tech professionals, and attracts more than 500,000 campus visitors each year.

We also discuss Davide’s role as Venture Founder at Italian Founders Fund, Italy’s founder-backed VC supporting pre-seed and seed startups, as well as his broader involvement in the European tech ecosystem.

The conversation explores how the EdTech sector is evolving amid growing AI-driven learning investment (with roughly €52.7 million disclosed in European digital-skills funding rounds in 2025–2026), why physical learning communities still matter, and what “future-proof” skills really mean beyond the buzzwords.