Europe’s Corporate Startup Stars is a ranking, now in its fourth year, which aims to identify and acknowledge large firms that work well with startups and scale-ups. The ranking considers a wide range of activities, from accelerators to procurement and acquisitions.

The ranking is created by global innovation foundation Nesta and advisory firm Mind the Bridge, as part of the Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), an initiative funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme.

The 2018 awards saw Samsung Electronics, KPN and Sodexo selected as Europe’s top three most startup-friendly corporates from over 100 nominees, with 30 other companies being recognised as active players in the open innovation field.

We believe that collaboration between startups and corporates is key for fostering innovation in Europe. Successful collaboration depends on both sides understanding the incentives, interests, and culture of the other. Both sides can benefit - and Europe can prosper - when corporates and startups work together to innovate.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of obstacles on the way of building a successful relationship between a startup and a corporate. These awards are intended to recognise and reward good practice and incentivise others to follow suit.

This is your chance to highlight a corporate that helped a startup to scale!

Nominations for the 2019 Europe’s Corporate Stars are now closed.

Nominees will be contacted for additional information, which will then be reviewed by a judging committee of international experts in the field. To be eligible, the nominated corporates need to have engaged with at least one European startup. See the full terms and conditions and FAQs.

Nominations must be submitted by 11.59pm (GMT) on the 30th April 2019, and the winners will be revealed in late 2019.