House of Startups’ Annual Garden Party: opportunities for the Luxembourg Startup Ecosystem

Garden Party with Yuriko Backes and Franz Fayot

On September 28th, the House of Startups held its traditional Garden Party, bringing together the main players of the Luxembourg startup ecosystem and celebrating their continuous commitment to fostering innovation and supporting startups.

CEO Philippe Linster opened this year’s festivities, followed by the welcoming words of Carlo Thill, President of the Board of Directors of the House of Startups.

The event was highlighted with the presence of Yuriko Backes, Minister of Finance, and Franz Fayot, Minister of the Economy. In their inspiring speeches both Ministers outlined the importance of innovation and the crucial role of startups in shaping Luxembourg’s economic landscape. Mrs Backes and Mr Fayot expressed their unwavering support and commitment to fostering entrepreneurship.

In the context of the upcoming elections, the theme of the event naturally focused on current opportunities for the Luxembourg startup ecosystem.  Philippe Linster mentioned the need of startups for an optimized legal framework and Minister Fayot confirmed the importance of addressing the topic to enable them to thrive.

Minister Backes agreed that one way forward would be to further explore the fiscal incentives for private investors.  Both Ministers expressed the priority to help startups in scaling through investment.

Startups were also given a place to shine. The evening went on with the pitch of Space Tech startup Hydrosat, hosted at the Luxembourg-City Incubator.

Bastien Berg, Coordinator of the Luxembourg-City Incubator and Amélie Madinier, CEO of Le Village by CA moderated a panel, sharing the community perspectives and reflecting on opportunities. The culminating topics included scaling in Luxembourg, developing globally, and designing strategies for attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive job market.

This year, a particularly remarkable moment was the pitch from a group of students who had been awarded for their outstanding work in a mini-enterprise project "Bessen Wessen”. They captured the audience with their fresh branding concept and inclusive educational card game.

And finally, the fintech community massively responded to the call for this grand gathering, proudly represented by Nasir Zubairi, CEO of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology.

With almost 300 participants, and its unique atmosphere of networking, collaboration, and entertainment, the House of Startups’ Garden Party was once again a success. It has become the well-expected federating event of the entire Luxembourg startup ecosystem.