Europe’s reputation regarding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) isn’t globally stellar. This is surprising, considering these businesses constitute over 98 percent of all enterprises, employ two-thirds of the workforce, and contribute nearly 60 percent of the EU’s gross value added. The European Commission aims to rectify this perception through its Capital Markets Union initiative. Besides numerous practical measures to enhance capital acquisition, the Commission also launched a contest. Since 2015, this competition has been a collaborative effort with Europeanisseurs, the European listed companies association, and FESE, the federation of European stock exchanges.
Annually, three companies receive accolades across four categories: the “International Star”, the “Innovation Star”, the “Rising Star,” and a prize for the year’s most compelling firm (this year, the “Star of 2021”). These awards, recognizing successful stock market entrants, aim to boost the attractiveness of European SMEs to international investors and encourage greater SME utilization of stock exchanges for expansion funding. This piece highlights the 2021 winners, including German contender Compleo, who, while not claiming the “Star of 2021” title, received recognition as a “Runner-Up”.
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