“Startups today need more than smart capital — they need platforms.”
This is the premise behind 28Digital, formerly known as EIT Digital, and now one of Europe’s most ambitious end-to-end venture builders.
In this conversation with Zero One Hundred Conferences, Diva Tommei, the organisation’s Chief Innovation & Investment Officer, explains why Europe requires a fundamentally different model for innovation — one that integrates education, acceleration, financing, corporate collaboration, and international scale under one cohesive umbrella.
From Classroom to Series A: A Full-Stack Venture Platform
28Digital begins supporting founders long before they incorporate a company. The journey starts with the Master School, a European-wide programme uniting 24 universities and producing 300 graduates each year. Students study deep-tech majors (like emotional AI) alongside a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The result: a steady pipeline of future founders with both technical expertise and entrepreneurial mindset.
From there, entrepreneurs can move through 28Digital’s full-stack platform:
Pre-venture programmes for researchers exploring commercialisation
Venture incubation, supporting incorporation and MVP development
Open Innovation Factory, connecting startups to corporates for pilots and first customers
Access to Finance, backed by a network of 1,000+ investors for seed and Series A rounds
Soft-landing programmes for international expansion, including the US
Unlike traditional pipelines, this system is flexible: founders can enter at any stage, depending on their needs.
Beyond Smart Capital: Why Venture Platforms Matter
Tommei argues that simply providing “smart capital” is no longer enough.
Today’s founders need:
guidance navigating complex regulations,
corporate access and partnerships,
coaching and mentorship from early stages,
support in interpreting and negotiating strategic opportunities,
and access to diverse funding sources beyond traditional VC.
“Startups need 360° support that goes far beyond capital. That’s the multiplier they need to scale.”
This philosophy is also what drives 28Digital to launch its own fund initiatives — but as part of a much broader, ecosystem-building strategy.
Europe as a Single Market: The Promise of the “28th Regime”
A core element of 28Digital’s mission is to strengthen Europe as a unified market — an idea often called the “28th regime.”
Today’s fragmentation is a major bottleneck: a startup hiring engineers in Estonia, operating in France, and testing products in Italy must navigate completely different data protection rules, tax structures, and certification systems.
This slows everything down.
The “28th regime” aims to establish a harmonised framework that allows startups to operate under one set of rules across Europe — unlocking enormous potential for scale.
“Founders, talent, and investors all need Europe to function as a single market. That’s the next big opportunity.”
28Digital’s name pays homage to this vision.
An Open Platform for All — Including Other GPs
Although 28Digital is launching its own funds, the platform is intentionally open and collaborative. Over the past 15 years, it has supported more than 900 startups and invested directly in nearly 400 of them.
The goal is not exclusivity; the goal is ecosystem growth.
For LPs, Tommei notes a new layer of value:
Defensibility through ecosystem-driven investing
Diversification across many companies and stages
Lower long-term risk thanks to stronger innovation infrastructure
“Capital gets you so far — but the ecosystem brings you over the line.”
Looking Ahead to 2030: Europe’s Distinct Path
Tommei believes Europe must stop trying to replicate Silicon Valley. Instead, it should embrace its own strengths: public-purpose innovation supported by public–private collaboration and deeply integrated ecosystems.
“Our success is linked to Europe’s success. If Europe remains fragmented, startups will look elsewhere. But if Europe unites, our model becomes impossible to replicate.”
Her vision for 2030 is one where founders no longer describe themselves by nationality — not Spanish or Italian startups — but confidently as European startups.
