BRIGHT 2025 concluded with resounding success, bringing together innovators, investors, policymakers, and cultural leaders from across the globe. This year’s spotlight was on the Creative Business Cup Global Finals, where Botswana emerged as the winner – the first African country to take home the prize – with South Korea and Ireland securing first and second runner-up positions, respectively.

The competition drew startups from 25 countries, while BRIGHT as a whole welcomed participation from all over the world, underscoring its role as a leading international platform for creative entrepreneurship.

Among the standout activities were the 30 roundtables, spread over two days, which attracted full participation, each bringing together industry leaders and entrepreneurs. Discussions spanned diverse themes from sustainable creative ecosystems to the future of culture-driven innovation, based on the actual challenges of creative entrepreneurs.  

The 100 Entrepreneurs Gathering, led by Andre Abi Awad, was another of the event’s highlights, which facilitated over 100 direct introductions and business matches, accelerating opportunities for growth and partnerships.

Sustainable tourism was in the spotlight during the event, with over 30 Small or Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) from the European co-funded project ST3ER present at BRIGHT, where they had the opportunity to showcase their projects, foster collaboration with international partners, and lead the discussion on the future of regenerative tourism.  

Diplomatic engagement was a central feature, with representation from the Embassies of France, Türkiye, Hungary, Estonia, and Portugal actively participating in regional roundtables, including the Nordic, Mediterranean, and African clusters. These dialogues emphasised cross-border collaboration, cultural exchange, and the scaling of creative industries globally.

Strategic partnerships and collaborations marked another high point of BRIGHT 2025:

Creative Business Network (CBN) signed collaboration agreements with the Africa Chamber of Commerce in Morocco and with Creative Brazil, the organisers of World Creative Day.

Three new national partners – France, Morocco, and Norway – joined the CBN global network.

A strengthened partnership with UNIDO was announced, focusing both on the Global Call and the World Economic Investment Forum.

Progress was made on a joint Mediterranean cluster initiative with organisations from Türkiye, Algeria, Morocco, France, Lebanon, and Portugal.

CBN also advanced a collaborative project with GEN Nigeria, reinforcing the shared mission of empowering entrepreneurs across Africa.

“On this edition of BRIGHT 2025, the true power of creativity was shown: entrepreneurs took the stage to showcase their innovative ideas – and owned it,” said Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning, Founder of Creative Business Network. “The energy, the collaborations, and the ideas that were born here in Copenhagen will ripple across industries and continents.”

With around 200 participants and tangible new alliances formed, BRIGHT 2025 solidified its position as the global gathering for creative startups and a catalyst for future innovation.

Read more about CBC 2025 winners, top-five startups and jury members here.