Simon Schaefer

Simon Schaefer is a European tech entrepreneur, investor and ecosystem-builder, best known for founding Factory—one of Europe’s first large-scale startup campuses—and for driving policy initiatives that support innovation across the continent. Since starting his career in 1997 as a designer working with German startups, he has invested in around 50 early-stage companies and played a central role in shaping Europe’s startup landscape.

He has held several leadership and advisory positions, including serving as the first President of Startup Portugal and as a member of the investment committee for the public venture fund 200M. Simon was also closely involved in organising the Startup Europe Summit between 2015 and 2019, helping bridge the gap between tech entrepreneurs and EU institutions.

In 2024 he co-launched EU Inc, a pan-European initiative aiming to remove structural barriers for founders and create a unified framework for building and scaling companies across Europe. In 2025 he was appointed President of Allied for Startups, where he continues to advocate for a more integrated and competitive European innovation ecosystem.

With a strong commitment to entrepreneurship, public–private collaboration and regulatory innovation, Simon Schaefer is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in Europe’s tech and startup policy arena.