Zsuzsanna Bodi
Mastercard Strive Programme
Presentation
Investing in Tech Track
Session 3: Alternative Sources of Finance
The Mastercard Strive Programme
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Zsuzsanna will be presenting the Mastercard Strive Programme, an initiative that provides grants to small enterprises active in artificial intelligence, access to finance, cybersecurity and other areas.
Profile
Zsuzsanna has over 13 years of leadership experience as an open innovation expert, working across the EU. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a diverse client portfolio on topics including deep tech, big data, digital skills and jobs, space technology, entrepreneurship, platform development, circular economy, and smart cities.
Zsuzsanna joined the Caribou Digital team to coordinate the Mastercard Strive EU programme, the latest addition to Strive, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth's global portfolio of programs supporting small business growth.
In her most recent role, Zsuzsanna led the coordination of the innovation agenda for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Previously, Zsuzsanna managed the Hungarian business incubation programme for the European Space Agency (ESA) and served as Associate Director of the European Network of Living Labs - ENoLL, overseeing 25+ research and innovation projects and representing 200+ innovation stakeholders in front of EU policymakers and institutional bodies.
Zsuzsanna holds Hungarian-Belgian nationality and enjoys visiting her second home: Brussels. She earned an MBA from the Université Jean Moulin - Lyon and an M.Sc. in Engineering and Management from the Technical University of Budapest.
Program Description
The Mastercard Strive EU program aims to boost the resilience and growth of European small businesses and support their role in creating an inclusive digital economy across the EU. This is achieved through an Innovation Fund and broader support to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Mastercard Strive EU Innovation Fund made €4.5 million available to build solutions and tools to help European micro and small enterprises access finance, operate safely and effectively in the digital economy, and navigate consumer and regulatory pressures on environmental, social and governance matters (ESG).
Mastercard Strive EU also brings together policymakers, civil society, the private sector, and small businesses to share perspectives, cross-pollinate learnings and amplify promising models.