Your competitive edge is the frontier tech you buy before everyone else.
Lower your cost base, raise output per employee, and lock in Europe's best frontier tech before it moves to the US. That is the 1% Alliance: 100+ CEOs committing 1% of procurement to gain the competitive edge.
Europe builds world-class technology and buys too little of it. Large European enterprises still default to US vendors, so the best European builders sell early, move to the US, or fade. In the same sectors, US enterprises generate two to three times the revenue per employee.
The 1% Alliance closes that gap. More than 100 CEOs commit one percent of annual procurement to young European technology companies. In Germany alone, that turns into ten to fifteen billion euros of new, recurring demand every year, more than the entire German VC market.
The companies that deploy frontier tech first run leaner and produce more per employee. One percent of procurement is the cheapest way to buy that edge. Born at Deep Tech Momentum 2026, the Alliance is now assembling its founding circle of CEOs.
founding coalition
procurement
per year
gap to close
One decision. Four moving parts.
The 1% Alliance redirects everyday procurement to the European companies building the frontier.
A board-level pledge
Direct one percent of annual procurement to young European technology companies. A reportable obligation, not a letter of intent.
What counts
European-headquartered, deployable technology, scaling companies rather than incumbents. Independently verified, not self-declared.
Fast-track buying
Cycles compressed from months to weeks. Safety and security standards stay fully intact. Speed goes up, rigour stays.
Audited, public
Every signatory publishes audited figures each quarter. The only number that counts is demand redirected to Europe.
Frontier tech with measurable P&L impact.
Not a vision deck. Deployable technology that delivers measurable P&L impact in 12 to 36 months.
The companies the 1% Alliance is built for.
These are the enterprises we are inviting into the founding circle. The leaders who set the standard for European industry, and can set it for European technology.
Straight answers, before you ask.
Is one percent realistic, or just symbolic?
+It is a floor calibrated for approval. In Germany alone it means around ten billion euros a year in recurring revenue for European technology. Leaders ramp to two percent over three years.
Does it lower procurement standards?
+No. Safety and security standards are unchanged. The fast track compresses time, not rigour, and critical systems keep their full assurance path.
How is this different from every initiative before it?
+Three things. It moves money, not declarations. It reports publicly and quarterly, so a miss is visible. And it is owned by CEOs, not by a ministry.
Is this philanthropy?
+No. It is margin and market share. You buy first access to the technologies that close the productivity gap, ahead of everyone who waits.