Cosmos Video and Oxford Founders & Funders honoured for outstanding contributions to Europe’s startup ecosystem.
On 11 June, OVHcloud welcomed hundreds of founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem partners to Sea Containers, London for the annual OVHcloud Summit, a flagship event bringing together the people and organisations shaping the future of European cloud and AI.
Among the evening’s highlights was the announcement of the OVHcloud Startup Program Awards 2025, presented by Cezary Skarzynski, OVHcloud Startup Program Lead for the UK, Ireland & Northern Europe. The awards recognise two organisations whose work over the past year has set a benchmark for what European startup ecosystems can achieve.
OVHcloud Startup of the Year: Cosmos Video
Cosmos Video was named OVHcloud Startup of the Year for redefining how remote teams collaborate. While many companies responded to the shift to distributed work by adding more meetings and tools, Cosmos Video took a different approach: a virtual office where small teams meet in real time, work more effectively, and feel genuinely connected, with every conversation recorded and instantly available.
The company has since extended that vision into education with its Digital Campus, giving online students a sense of belonging and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships throughout their studies.
Why Cosmos Video stood out
Three factors made Cosmos Video the natural choice this year:
- A product built on serious engineering, rather than a thin layer over existing video tools.
- A clear, well-defined market in remote work and online education.
- A business doubling year on year, already profitable, and backed by some of the most respected investors in the ecosystem, including LocalGlobe, Entrepreneur First, and angels such as the founder of Citymapper and partners at Y Combinator.
“Cosmos Video brings together technical depth, a clear market, and a product that users love. That combination, together with the calibre of their investors and the consistency of their growth, made them the natural choice for this year’s award.” – Cezary Skarzynski, OVHcloud Startup Program Lead, UK, Ireland & Northern Europe
OVHcloud Startup Community Partner of the Year: The Founders & Funders Foundation
Building a community that people genuinely want to join is one of the hardest things to do in any ecosystem. The recipient of this year’s Startup Community Partner of the Year award did exactly that, from a standing start, in just 12 months.
Oxford Founders & Funders launched with a simple ambition: to connect Oxford’s founders, researchers, investors, and operators across the disciplines that define the region’s research and innovation strengths. In its first year, the organisation has run dozens of events, built dedicated networks across AI, life sciences, and space technology, and developed an open innovation map of Oxford’s ecosystem.
The team also delivered Ox Tech Week, a full festival of innovation featuring a main stage, partner programmes, and the city’s leading founders, investors, and researchers, all within a year of the organisation’s founding.
The event hosted over 3,500 participants, across 100 events, in four days.
Why Founders & Funders won
To build this scale of engagement, with this level of credibility, and at this pace, is rare. OVHcloud was Founders & Funders’ first ecosystem partner, and backing the team’s vision has been one of the most rewarding decisions the Startup Program has made this year.
The strongest validation, however, came from the community itself. When attendees were asked what they thought of the initiative, the response was consistent:
“It’s something that Oxford needed.”
About the OVHcloud Startup Program
The OVHcloud Startup Program supports more than 5,000 startups globally, offering up to €100,000 in cloud credits, technical consultations, GPU access, mentoring, VC introductions, and access to a Europe-wide network of accelerators and ecosystem partners.
“These awards reflect what we are building with the Startup Program: a network where founders and community builders have the support to do their best work. Cosmos Video and Oxford Founders & Funders are exactly the kind of partners we set out to support, and the standard they have set this year is a benchmark for all of us.” – Cezary Skarzynski
Apply to the OVHcloud Startup Program
The OVHcloud Startup Program is open to applications year-round, across cloud, AI, healthcare and life sciences, blockchain, and beyond. Successful applicants receive up to €100,000 in cloud credits, GPU access, dedicated technical and programme support, and access to OVHcloud’s global partner network.
👉 Apply to the OVHcloud Startup Program
Cezary Skarzynski
Founder of the consulting firm PitchHUB, which supports startups and innovative companies in the process of securing financing through the preparation of analyses and investment materials. Thanks to the developed materials, more than 7 million euros were raised. He has collaborated with firms such as Movens Capital, Trasti, and DevSkiller, among others. Advisor and expert in the field of startups. Jury member of startup competitions for innovative companies. Mentor at incubation programmes for early stage companies.