We build effective coalitions—formal or informal—that give your cause collective credibility and leverage. Our campaigns begin with a stakeholder audit and onboarding strategy, identifying third parties—industry peers, civil society, academics, media voices—who can credibly reinforce your message and lend their weight to your goals.
Our work includes everything from coalition design to governance, content coordination, and campaign execution. From Not Optional to EU Inc, we’ve helped shape landmark legislation by rallying the right voices at the right time. Whether leading or influencing, we ensure coalitions are coordinated, consistent, and compelling.
Case Study: Index Ventures
Challenge
H/Advisors was engaged by Index Ventures to develop and execute a pan-European public affairs strategy aimed at fostering vital reforms and harmonising European rules around stock options. The goal was to strengthen the EU’s tech ecosystem, attract talent to European startups, and position startup culture as a cornerstone of Europe’s economic growth. Building on this, the brief expanded to include Index Ventures’ EU Inc campaign, advocating for a pan-European regulatory framework for startups and scaleups via a 28th regime.
Strategy
As strategic advisors, H/Advisors created and led the Not Optional campaign, which focused on removing regulatory barriers to stock options. The campaign combined targeted national and EU-level lobbying with high-profile initiatives, such as the 2020 event ‘Making Europe the Most Entrepreneurial Continent’, which attracted over 3,000 attendees. Expanding into the EU Inc campaign, H/Advisors spearheaded advocacy efforts by mobilising industry support through a petition signed by over 16,000 founders, investors and ecosystem leaders and submitting it to policymakers. We leveraged the momentum by engaging with key politicians during European Commissioner hearings and drafting a comprehensive legislative proposal, which was presented to the European Commission.
Outcome
The Not Optional campaign achieved substantial policy wins, including contributing to the EU’s Startup Nation Standard, which established the first-ever employee share ownership standard agreed upon by 26 EU Member States. National reforms in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the Baltics unlocked over €5 billion in startup employee equity over the past five years. The EU Inc campaign gained significant traction, with the European Commission confirming its inclusion as a legislative initiative in 2025. Index Ventures and H/Advisors are recognised as expert contributors to the legislative process, with ongoing collaboration on drafting legal texts. The campaign’s success elevated the 28th regime to the forefront of the European agenda, culminating in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen prioritising it during her first week in office.