START the Conversation: From Maastricht to Silicon Valley

AI is making it easier to build. So why does innovation still look so different in Europe and the US?

START Maastricht, MAIN and SCOPE invite you to the first edition of START the Conversation: Innovation Cultures in the AI Era.

We’re excited to welcome three speakers bringing experience across entrepreneurship, investment and AI:

• Nils Kok, Maastricht University professor and founder of GRESB and GeoPhy.

• Philipp Pieper, entrepreneur behind Proximic, Loop Media and Swarm, with a decade of experience in Silicon Valley.

• Matthew Gardiner, founder of A1 AI and adviser to financial institutions, governments and regulators.

Together, they’ll explore how Europe and the US approach risk, capital and ambition, how AI is changing the way companies are built, and what a European moonshot starting in Maastricht could look like.

Bring your questions for the Q&A and stay for networking afterwards.

📅 29 September 2026
🕢 19:00
📍 Franz Palmzaal, School of Business and Economics