Veszprém NONA Pitching Session “Where Vision Meets Capital: Investing in a New Generation of Public Spaces”

The pitching session “Where Vision Meets Capital: Investing in a New Generation of Public Spaces”, held on 11 June in Veszprém, brought together forward-thinking urban transformation projects with representatives from the finance and impact investment sectors. This dynamic event served as a vital bridge between visionary public space initiatives and the capital required to realise them, offering a compelling glimpse into the future of sustainable and inclusive urban spaces across Europe.

The session featured pitches from NONA pilot projects operating in diverse urban-rural, mid-sized and micro municipalities in the Danube region. Participating teams included:

• Stuttgart Region Association for the Stuttgart Region, Germany (DE)

• Cluster of Education C-EDU for the Cluj-Napoca Metropolitan Area, Romania (RO)

• State Enterprise "Research Institute of Geodesy & Cartography" for Odessa, Ukraine (UA)

• Municipality of Gabrovo for the Gabrovo pilot area, Bulgaria (BG)

• Municipality of Veszprém with County Rank, Hungary (HU)

• Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia and City of Šabac, Serbia (RS)

• Municipality of Ravne na Koroškem, Slovenia (SI), with Iskriva – Institute for Development of Local Potentials

• City of Virovitica, Croatia (HR)

The Jury panel:

• Richárd Levente Kovács, Hiventures – Venture Capital and Private Equity, supporting Hungarian startups and corporate innovation

• Laura Hagemann Arellano, New European Bauhaus, European Commission

The primary objective of the pitch session was to provide project teams with valuable feedback on both the content of their proposals and the delivery of their presentations. This included suggestions for how their concepts could evolve further with the support of the NONA partnership and its networks, as well as guidance on improving their communication approaches, helping to make their pitches clearer, more compelling, and better suited to attracting potential investors, financiers, or opportunities in upcoming EU calls.

Following the pitching session, a Mini Investment Forum and panel discussion were held, moderated by Zdravko Kozinc from Iskriva – Institute for Development of Local Potentials. The discussion featured the event’s jury panellists, Richárd Levente Kovács and Laura Hagemann Arellano. It focused on emerging opportunities and strategies for financing public space initiatives, aligning them with broader European investment trends and policy frameworks.

The success of the Veszprém session and the panel discussion reflects the growing momentum behind initiatives like NONA, which are equipping local actors across Europe with the tools, partnerships, and confidence to reimagine the future of public life. In alignment with the values of the New European Bauhaus, which promotes sustainability, inclusivity, and beauty in shaping our living spaces, this event highlighted how public space investment can become a catalyst for innovation, social cohesion, and place-based development. By bringing together civic imagination and creative financing, the session demonstrated that the next generation of public spaces will emerge not just from infrastructure projects but from shared visions of more vibrant, resilient, and connected communities.