Digital Sovereignty Panel at Maria 01 NEXT Startup Festival

Join UpCloud, Slush, and Maria 01 at the Maria 01 NEXT Startup Festival for a panel discussion on what digital sovereignty means in practice and how Europe can turn greater control over technology and infrastructure into an opportunity to lead.

Event Info

• Event date and time: September 23, 2026 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EEST
• Location: Maria 01, Lars Sonck Venue, Building 3
• Address: Lapinlahdenkatu 16, 00180 Helsinki, Finland

Cloud infrastructure, data, and AI are becoming increasingly important to how European companies build and scale. The choices businesses make today will shape where their data resides, who controls their infrastructure, and how freely they can adapt their technology in the future.

What does digital sovereignty mean for European companies in practice? How should startups approach it while moving quickly and competing internationally? And can Europe’s approach to technology, infrastructure, and regulation create an advantage for the companies building here?

This panel brings together perspectives from the European startup and technology ecosystem. The discussion will examine why digital sovereignty matters for modern cloud-native businesses and where Europe has an opportunity to shape the future of digital infrastructure.

Agenda

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Digital Sovereignty: Europe’s Opportunity to Lead

Hear from Sarita Runeberg, CEO at Maria 01, Kasper Mäkelä, COO at Slush, and Miika Sivonen, Director of Strategic Partnerships at UpCloud, as they explore:

• What digital sovereignty means for startups and scaling companies
• How infrastructure choices affect control over data and technology
• The relationship between sovereignty, innovation, and growth
• Where Europe can build a stronger position in cloud, data, and AI
• How cloud-native companies can approach sovereignty in practical terms

The session is part of the two-day Maria 01 NEXT Startup Festival.

Why Attend

• Understand what digital sovereignty means for European businesses
• Hear perspectives from cloud infrastructure and startup ecosystem leaders
• Consider how data locality, technology dependencies, and infrastructure choices affect your company
• Explore how Europe can create better conditions for technology companies to build and scale
• Connect with founders, operators, investors, and technology professionals at Maria 01 NEXT