The 12th European Crowdfunding Convention took place on November 15-16, 2023, in Milan. This one-and-a-half-day conference for professionals in the European crowdfunding sector was a resounding success. The agenda included panels, keynotes, and discussions on topics such as cross-border investments, legal view on ESCP adoption in Italy and match-funding with national government funds.
This year, participants explored the evolution of national markets transitioning to the Regulation on European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP), with a spotlight on Italy, the host country. On the first day there was a focus on vocational education about crowdfunding, match funding achievements, and the Italian market, with an emphasis on the legal aspects of ECSP adoption in the country. The second day brought brilliant discussions led by crowdfunding platforms from across Europe, covering prospects and challenges under pan-European regulation and exploring new business opportunities.
The EUROCROWD convention served as a platform for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and networking, empowering attendees to lead and innovate in the European Capital Market Union within the crowdfunding ecosystem. The success of the event was attributed to the contributions and active participation of speakers, panelists, moderators, and attendees including INSME’s Secretary General, Giovanni Zazzerini, who spoke about the intersection of intellectual property (IP) protection, SMEs, and investment. Dr. Zazzerini highlighted the lack of IP awareness in SMEs, characterized by limited general knowledge of the IP system and absence of talent in the related legal and technical field, making SMEs rely on external advisors. The perception of the system being too complex and time-consuming, intertwines with the high costs associated with IP create a perceived obstacle for SMEs, who often don’t remark the value of intellectual property, but just the bureaucratic and economic burden. IP is the one of the main issues SMEs should tackle to contribute to their growth; in order to overcome these challenges a collaborative effort by policy makers, business advisors and support agencies should be put in place. IP is deeply connected to market performance, ensuring protection of SMEs’ efforts and innovative products. IP also generates income for SMEs through licensing or franchising, raising the value of small businesses or start-ups in the eyes for investors or larger realities and support in consolidating a strong business reputation. INSME thanks the hosts for organizing such a crucial event with high-level discussions.
Source: INSME Secretariat
