E705 | Martin Schilling, Deep Tech Momentum: Why Europe’s Deep Tech Problem Isn’t Funding

Europe does not have a deep tech problem. It has a commercialisation problem.The last European companies to reach €100B+ market caps were SAP and ASML, both founded 40–50 years ago. If Europe wants a new generation of deep tech champions, venture capital alone won’t get us there. Customers have to step in.In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Martin Schilling, former operator, investor, and founder of Deep Tech Momentum, to unpack why Europe excels at funding breakthroughs, but consistently fails to industrialise them.This is a conversation about:why enterprise buyers are the missing link in European deep techwhat corporates are doing wrong (and how they can fix it)how founders actually win large customers in complex, regulated marketsand why courage — not grants — is Europe’s real constraintShare🎧 Here’s what’s covered:01:15 Martin’s background: from N26 operator to deep tech ecosystem builder01:52 What is Deep Tech Momentum (DTM)?03:00 Why commercialisation — not capital — is the real bottleneck04:19 The age gap: Europe’s top companies vs the US06:26 Why US corporates acquire twice as many startups as Europe06:54 The uncomfortable truth: Europe funds innovation others industrialise08:54 Why corporates (not just VCs) must change behaviour10:49 Neo-primes: the new system integrators Europe desperately needs12:50 The four things corporates must fix to work with startups15:06 Why startup collaboration must be CEO-owned17:14 Buyers first: why conferences get this wrong19:03 Money + customers: the only two things founders really need21:27Trust, speed, and why procurement kills startups23:25 Why trust starts inside the corporate, not with founders27:03 Selling deep tech to enterprises & governments: what actually works32:03 When CVCs help — and when they hurt33:08 Enterprise sales mistakes founders keep making38:28 Deep tech sales reality: defense, policy, and long cycles44:57 Why DTM is not EU-funded — by design49:07 The state’s real role: customer, not grant machine49:23 Final takeaway: Europe needs courage, not more programs