With over 500 participants and high-level speakers from European institutions, industry and SME organisations, the inaugural edition of the DIGITAL SME Summit set the stage for a new European digital agenda shaped by tech SMEs themselves. The launch of the consultation for the Manifesto for a European Digital New Deal marked the first step towards defining the policy priorities needed to secure European technological leadership by 2030. Discussions brought forward concrete demands: AI rules that do not hold back smaller innovators, stronger safeguards against the dominance of major digital platforms, better access to digital skills, and greater support for SME innovation through the European Digital Innovation Hubs. The event also reinforced the role of digital technologies in the green transition and the need to turn Europe’s innovation potential into market opportunities. Among the next steps, DIGITAL SME announced plans for an SME-centred coordination group connecting Europe’s 230 Digital Innovation Hubs.