David vs. Goliath: How (Startup) Innovators Are Fighting to Transform Europe’s Defense System

21 mai 2026​
8:00 – 11:00​
David vs. Goliath: How (Startup) Innovators Are Fighting to Transform Europe's Defense System

Startups are challenging defense primes, new funding mechanisms are emerging, and militaries are being pushed to innovate like never before. This breakfast reunites the full ecosystem, industry, institutions, investors, startups and scaleups for the conversations that truly matter.

Highlights:
• High-level panel with Lt. Gen. Van Strythem (Belgium’s first Chief Innovation Defence), Mrs. Dinka Dinkova (EUDIS/DG DEFIS), Mrs. Julie Dossogne (BNP Paribas Fortis), Alta Ares & Senhive (counter drones)
• Pitches from 5-6 DefenseTech startups
• 45+ minutes of networking

🎟️ Tickets at only €20, a top-level ecosystem for the price of a lunch. Our newsletter readers get a 20% discount with the code NEWS_FT (we want to see if people still read newsletters 😉)

🤝 A huge thank you to our partners who make this event possible:

🏦 BNP Paribas Fortis
🛡️ Agoria BSDI
💻 Astek Group
👩‍💼 Women in Defense Tech (WiDT) & French Tech Lille

🎤 ARE YOU A DEFENSETECH STARTUP? COME PITCH & NETWORK

We are looking for 5–6 innovative defence startups to pitch (elevator pitch) at the event (only 2 spots left). This is your chance to get in front of industry leaders, European institutions, and investors, all in one room.

Interested? Reach out to us at [email protected] with a short presentation of your startup.

See you on May 21st,

The French Tech Brussels Team

ADRESSE
BNP Paribas Fortis Auditorium, 20 Rue Royale Brussels
ORGANISATEUR
La French Tech Brussels
DATE / HEURE
21 mai 2026
8:00 – 11:00
TYPE
International
LIEN DE L'EVENEMENT