This is your calling

Join Europe's future leading CTO community. Get geared up with those who know what it takes to climb from breakthrough to real-world scale. With guidance from iconic leaders and a format built for raw peer exchange, the deeptech CTO community sets you up to navigate treacherous terrain, place the right anchors, and continue your ascent with confidence. Secure your spot.

Request an invite

Who

This program is exclusively for CTOs and CEOs of European deeptech scaleups (funding > Seed stage, all verticals). Applications are curated.

When

The event takes place on Thursday, June 11 and runs from 14:00 - 15:30. Be on time as the programme starts 14:00 sharp. Program details will follow.

Where

The location is footsteps away from the main Hello Tomorrow venue at the NDSM wharf. With a main room and breakout space to dissect ingredients for success.

Seasoned guidance

Iconic ascents, much like building breakthrough deeptech, rely on the right anchors at critical moments. That’s why Tobias Helbig - CTO Innovation Management at NXP, will join us to share how he turns emerging technologies into scalable innovation within a global semiconductor leader.

On top, David Goldman - Partner at Celesta Capital, will also join, sharing his perspective on what it takes to successfully invest in deeptech and the critical role CTOs play in that journey. Prior to joining Celesta, David was an Associate at Paxion Capital, analyzing direct and fund investments across industries.

Evangelos Eleftheriou is Co-founder and CTO of Axelera AI, a European AI semiconductor company developing high-performance and energy-efficient AI inference platforms from edge to data center. Prior to Axelera AI, he spent more than 30 years at IBM Research – Zurich, where he held the position of IBM Fellow and led pioneering work in data storage, memory and compute technologies, including neuromorphic and in-memory computing. He is an IEEE Fellow and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He has authored more than 300 publications and holds over 160 patents.

Jillian Manus is a Venture Partner at SHIELD Capital, where she focuses on early-stage, dual-use frontier technologies at the nexus of commercial markets and national security, particularly in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, autonomy, and space. Named one of Business Insider’s “Top 25 Early-Stage Female Investors” and recipient of honors such as the Transatlantic Bridge Award, Manus lives in San Francisco and continues to amplify work across Europe, the United States, and Ukraine through her investing, board service, and advocacy for cross-border innovation diplomacy.

Optimized for connections

Amsterdam is the perfect basecamp for Europe’s deeptech founders. Its merchant history, open mindset, and international outlook creates a rare environment where ambitious CTOs and CEOs can meet as equals. In a country as straight as a die as there are no mountains between people. In this city of bridges, innovation crosses borders and big ideas find the altitude to scale. That's why Hello Tomorrow made the leap to Amsterdam.

One of Europe’s top deeptech destinations, the Netherlands has been quietly building one of Europe’s most vibrant ecosystems. In the heart of it, is a city that thrives on openness and international connection.

The Netherlands is also home to a few major tech players, and Hello Tomorrow’s new partner, ASML, is one of the leaders in the global semiconductor industry. The country also hosts a growing community of researchers, startups, and scale-ups working across AI, quantum, semicon, energy, medtech, biotech, and advanced materials.

Answers to questions you might have

1. Why should you join?

This might well become the most intimate side event of Hello Tomorrow. We won't bring corporate crap, sales in disguise or be one of the talking heads. This event is about you, your journeys and your shared ambitions - and struggles. After a brief intro we will be the fly on the wall.

Europe's new deeptech community is shaped by the people of TNO Fast Track and Techleap who work with startups and scaleups on a daily basis. On the basis of our experience over the recent years we have developed a solid network and deep understanding of topics and challenges that matter for CTOs.

On top, both TNO Fast Track team and Techleap know the city best. After the work, trust that you will get the best tips for bars to hang out in and the finest restaurant suggestions for dining.

2. How to reach the venue?

The NDSM is a comforting 10-15 minutes by ferry. You can reach the NDSM by taking the ferry (F4) situated at the north exit of Amsterdam Central Station. The F4 ferry to the NDSM wharf - from where you can walk 5 minutes to the Hello Tomorrow venue grounds - leaves every 15 minutes.

3. About TNO Fast Track

TNO Fast Track - as part of the Dutch national research and technology organisation TNO - supports highly innovative startups and scaleups to grow and further develop their technology. TNO Fast Track provides a low-threshold way to gain specialist knowledge from one of our 3500+ scientists, and access to our 50+ state-of-the-art labs and testing facilities. Whatever your vertical, TRL level or technological challenge - TNO Fast Track can assemble the brightest minds to solve the toughest challenges enabling you to realize technological breakthroughs.

4. About Techleap

Techleap quantifies and accelerates the tech ecosystem of the Netherlands. It does so by empowering Dutch tech founders to scale their companies, and by strengthening the entire tech ecosystem in the process. They are like the fire that energizes the Dutch startup ecosystem.

5. About Hello Tomorrow

Hello Tomorrow is a global deep tech event that brings together startups, researchers, investors and industry leaders who are using advanced science and technology to solve big societal and environmental challenges.

6. What topics can you expect?

In deeptech startups and scaleups, the intersection of technology development and capital is where risk is priced, timelines are tested, and conviction is either built or lost. Europe's new future leading deeptech CTO community will be space to speak candidly about tough trade-offs: when continued technical perfection delays traction, how architectural choices affect burn and scalability, and what truly de-risks the next funding round. Discussions naturally touch on cost curves, infrastructure economics, regulatory exposure, go-to-market readiness, and how technical progress is framed for boards and investors. Less theory, more lived experience.

7. What about the socks?

We're glad you opened this FAQ tab... Congrats on making the first step towards a true collectors item. Register and we'll see you at the NDSM wharf.