Bled, Slovenia, August 21, 2025 – BOSQAR INVEST (BOSQAR d.d. – ZSE: BSQR ) is proud to announce its role as the General Sponsor of the inaugural Future 500 Forum, to be held at the IEDC–Bled School of Management, Slovenia, on September 1, 2025.
The Forum marks the official launch of the Future 500 initiative – a long-term Euro-Atlantic platform designed to identify and accelerate 500 of Europe’s most promising scale-ups, connect them with growth capital and strategic partners, and integrate them into competitiveness policymaking.
Set against the backdrop of the 20th Bled Strategic Forum, the Future 500 Forum will convene scale-up founders, investors, policymakers, institutional leaders, and global media to tackle one of Europe’s most urgent economic challenges: how to ensure that the continent’s high-growth companies can scale globally while remaining rooted in Europe.
The event is co-organized by the Atlantic Council under its Southeast Europe United for Success (SEEUS) initiative, the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), and the IEDC-Bled School of Management, in partnership with leading institutions and investors.
High-Level Participation
The Forum will bring together a prominent line-up of leaders including:
- Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships
- Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania
- Mariya Gabriel, President of the Robert Schuman Institute
- Eric Beißwenger, State Minister for European and International Affairs, Bavarian State Government
- Robert Knorr, Managing Partner, MidEuropa
- Rafał Brzoska, CEO, InPost S.A.
- Jörn Fleck, Senior Director, Europe Center at the Atlantic Council
- Stjepan Orešković, President of IEDC Supervisory Board and Founder of BOSQAR d.d.
- Miljan Ždrale, Regional Director, EBRD
- Ingo Bleier, Chief Corporates and Markets Officer, Member of the Management Board, Erste Group Bank AG
- Martina Dalić, President of the Management Board of Podravka
- Igor Rudan, University of Oxford & University of Edinburgh
And many other distinguished policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs.
A Strategic Response for Europe’s Future
Europe stands at a crossroads. While rich in talent and ideas, it lags behind the U.S. and China in scaling companies to global leadership. The Future 500 initiative – launched earlier this year in Brussels and Washington – seeks to fill this gap by building a cross-sector platform that reduces fragmentation, mobilizes growth capital, and fosters trust and visibility for European entrepreneurs.
The 2025 Forum will feature high-level sessions including:
- Mobilizing Europe’s Scale-Up Strategy – with senior political leaders and economic strategists
- Capital for Champions – on closing the financing gap with EIB, EBRD, IFC, and private capital
- Entrepreneur Spotlight – fireside conversations with global business visionaries
- Europe’s Exit Dilemma – on how to retain talent and technology in Europe
- Strategic Launch of the Future 500 Platform – setting out the initiative’s long-term agenda
A Contribution to the Economic Development of the Region
As a rapidly growing group with a strong footprint in Central and Southeast Europe, BOSQAR INVEST sees its sponsorship of the Future 500 Forum as a natural extension of its mission to empower ambitious companies and foster sustainable economic development across the region.
“Europe has no shortage of entrepreneurial talent, but we must do more to provide the environment where our best scale-ups can become global champions. BOSQAR INVEST is proud to support the Future 500 Forum because it aligns perfectly with our vision: building bridges between capital and innovation to unlock growth,” Darko Horvat, President of the Management Board of BOSQAR d.d., the holding company of the BOSQAR INVEST group, said.
Invitation-Only Launch
Participation in the inaugural Future 500 Forum is by invitation only, with limited capacity. Once seats are filled, a waiting list will be made available.
For more information and the full program, visit: www.future500forum.com