From start-up to scale-up: Challenges and opportunities

This session will set the scene by exploring new research and policy insights on the challenges of scaling, from firm-level determinants to ecosystem-wide conditions. 

09:30 – 09:45 Opening remarks 

• Kévin Magron, Deputy Director, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation
• Erik Canton, Deputy Chief Economist, DG RTD, European Commission 

9.45 – 10.30 Keynote presentation

• From start-up to scale-up: Challenges at the micro and macro-levels, by Massimo G. Colombo, Full Professor, Politecnico di Milano School of Management

10:30 – 11:00 Where do we stand?

• Sara Calligaris, Senior Economist, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation
• Andreea Ticheru, Taskforce on EU Start-ups and Scale-ups, European Commission

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break 

This session examines how technological advances and ecosystem structures jointly shape start-up growth. It explores how technologies, access to funding and market integration influence scaling trajectories. 

11:30 – 12:45

• “Why are firms more productive in the US than in the EU?” , Hugo Reichardt, Junior Researcher, CREI; Associate Professor, Barcelona School of Economics
• “The selective tailwind effect of AI on startups: Predictions and anomalies”, Annamaria Conti, Full Professor, IE Business School

Chair: Valentina di Girolamo, Economist, DG RTD, European Commission

12:45 – 14:15 Lunch break

In tight talent markets, hiring and acquisitions become strategic tools. This session investigates whether these dynamics enable efficient scaling or distort the allocation of entrepreneurial talent.

14:15 – 15:30 

• “Does disruption raise the cost of talent?  Evidence from start-up hiring field experiments in India”, Aleksandra Kacperczyk, Full Professor, London Business School 
• “Nurturing startups in the shadow of killer acquisitions and acquihires”, Igor Letina, Associate Professor, University of Bern; Vice-President, Swiss Competition Commission

Chair: Andrea Greppi, Economist, OECD

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break 

16:00 – 17:00 This session consists of a policy panel bringing together researchers, policymakers, investors and start-up representatives to discuss ecosystem-level challenges and opportunities for scaling. 

Moderator:

• Séverine Schrameck, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb 

Panellists: 

• Ana Barjasic, CEO, Connectology; EIC Ambassador 
• Ramana Nanda, Full Professor, Imperial College London 
• Wouter van der Wielen, Senior Economist, European Investment Bank

17:00 – 17:10 Closing remarks by Chiara Criscuolo, Head of the Productivity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Division, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation