Policy

Future Unicorn Award 2023

The Future Unicorn Award aims at celebrating scale-ups from across Europe that have the potential to become the future European tech giants. It puts under the spotlight SMEs which have demonstrated to be successful in digitising their business processes and in offering innovative digital products and services.

The award is compiled by asking all the national trade associations affiliated with DIGITALEUROPE to select a single scale-up from their country. This results in a truly pan-European selection of incredible digital companies from all sectors, including financial technologies, health solutions, smart home, academic, industrial and many more.

The 9 nominees – which include innovative young companies in green tech, cyber security, e-commerce and more – hail from all four corners of our continent and show the diversity of the European innovation landscape. Over 60% of the 2023’s nominated companies are led by women.

The award is now being held for the sixth year in a row and is a testimony of the vital importance of SMEs in Europe and the wider digital ecosystem. The 2023 edition features a 5-member jury consisting of venture capital, innovation and investment experts.

Last year’s winner was Circulor, announced at Masters of Digital, DIGITALEUROPE’s flagship annual conference, held in hybrid format this year on 3 February 2022, while the two runner-ups were Zenjob (Germany) and Fazla Gida (Turkey).

The 2023 nominees are

AREYLight AI from Turkey

A company that ensures that lighting units can be controlled remotely without the need for infrastructural change. The solution makes cities autonomous while reducing expenses, returning on investments and efficiency. Smart units turn into Autonomous Lighting groups with neural network communication. Their proprietary algorithms allow for affordable efficiency gains on a scale that could not be obtained before.
DeltaQ from Belgium

A cloud-based energy optimization solution that helps real-estate professionals substantially reduce CO2 emissions and realize energy savings.
Easee from Norway

A Norwegian green-tech company established in 2018. They develop, design and manufacture their products in Scandinavia and currently export to countries all over Europe. Their ambitions further lie in becoming one of the largest companies in green technology in Europe within 2026, and one of the largest in the world within 2031.
Libelium from Spain

A company born from a university project in Zaragoza in 2006. Their smart solutions are focused on three verticals: Sustainability, to help companies become more sustainable, Smart Cities & Infrastructure, to develop more livable cities for their citizens, and Agri-food, to take advantage of the full potential of our natural resources, which are increasingly scarce and threatened.
Plan A from Germany

A leading corporate carbon accounting, decarbonisation, and ESG reporting software provider. The Greentech has developed the Plan A Sustainability Platform, a secure, data-driven, and scientifically sound SaaS solution for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions calculation, science-based net-zero target setting and carbon reduction planning, as well as compliant and audit-proof reporting. Thus, the platform empowers businesses to self-manage their entire net-zero journey in a central end-to-end platform hub.
Planet Heroes from Poland

The global, community-based platform built to promote ecological activities and provide a financial reward for people who clean up the planet.
Red Points from Spain

A pioneering Digital Revenue Recovery platform. Over 1,000 companies rely on Red Points to fight fakes, piracy impersonations and credential reselling allowing them to maintain control, improve their brand value, and increase revenue.
Timbeter from Estonia

A precision forestry solution that is digitally transforming the sector by increasing transparency, traceability and efficiency, supporting sustainable forest management and achievement of the climate goals.
Wolt from Finland

A technology company known for their local commerce platform, that makes it easy for customers to order whatever they need on one app, for merchants to make additional sales, and for couriers to make meaningful earnings flexibly.