What Happens When Ecosystems Connect? Reflections from Our Boston Roadshow

What happens when you move beyond delegation trips and actually embed yourself in a local ecosystem?

That was the question we took with us on our roadshow to Boston – a city known not only for its world-class universities, but also for its tight-knit innovation networks and pragmatic startup culture.

For Next Mobility Labs, the city offered exactly what we came looking for: unfiltered insights, sharp perspectives, and a real-world test of our next chapter: building a venture model that works on both sides of the Atlantic.

Unlike traditional international expansion, we’re not simply taking a proven system from Germany and applying it elsewhere. Our ambition is different: to build a transatlantic venture model from the ground up. One that draws on the strategic strength of European ecosystems and the operational momentum of U.S. venture culture. A model where startups can move fluidly between regions, tap into both funding landscapes, and access talent, infrastructure, and regulatory know-how on both continents.

This roadshow marked a step forward in that vision. Throughout the week, one pattern kept surfacing: conversations didn’t revolve around transactions or quick wins. They focused on contribution and alignment. Whether at Alumni Ventures, The Grist or Prepare 4 VC, the emphasis was on shared momentum – on how to enable startups rather than evaluate them. That mindset opens the door for a different kind of collaboration.

The U.S. mobility innovation space is becoming hyperlocal. Federal programs may slow, but regional ecosystems are accelerating – driven by urgency and ownership. Boston exemplifies this shift: strong institutional anchors, public innovation networks like Mass Mobility Hub, and universities like Babson College that are open to building operational bridges between founder education and venture creation. Our Entrepreneur in Residence model sparked real interest here – not as a program, but as a structure for shared development.

At the same time, the gaps between U.S. and European ecosystems became more tangible. Where Europe brings structure, strategic patience, and regulatory clarity, the U.S. delivers execution speed, early risk capital, and founder-centric pragmatism. Bringing these strengths together requires more than a partnership. It requires a shared system: one that enables startups to scale with both ecosystems rather than between them.

We’ve already laid the foundation for this: with an active U.S. presence in place, we’re now expanding our footprint – building the local base needed to support truly transatlantic startups from day one. Our goal is to provide operational bridges, not just occasional access. That includes on-the-ground support, local investor alignment, and venture structures that function across jurisdictions.

Next Mobility Labs operates at this intersection: where climate, mobility and deep tech ventures are built to scale – not just in one market, but across ecosystems. The Boston roadshow brought that vision into sharper focus. It also brought new partners to the table – people and institutions ready to co-build the next generation of transatlantic companies.