Prompting Europe

Looking for EUR 800000000000 (per year). Anyone? I need it to fix and scale Europe. 😌 I am on a mission to make the next big tech to come from Europe and apparently, I am going to need that amount, because that is exactly the way Europe will get competitive again, according to Draghi's recent report. Where to get 800bn? Since the report mentioned this number, things are a bit restless and nervous, because where to get it? Besides money printing (Draghi's new common bonds), the idea is that the private market should join in. Trillions of Euros from European pension funds, i.e. your money for a rainy day, is being targeted, because it now flows mostly to markets outside Europe. I will try reading your mind: why don't they just force them to invest here? That was exactly suggested last week by the British government. And I do understand the situation in Great Britain. And the situation in the Netherlands and other European countries. But we should be against governments forcing pension funds to invest into local domestic assets. Money should flow freely to gain the best returns for it's people. I said it before: Pension funds are no ATM for startup funding. So why not make it very attractive? Why not be bold here, in Europe. We have hurdles and costs that can be removed in our capital market (union). We can back investments with guarantees. We can co-invest. Our Dutch government is aiming for this kind of blended finance. And it is not new. In France and Belgium we have seen the same already being deployed. But it is all still relatively small, not the bold measure that is required. This needs to be solved at European level at large. Or else we will encourage internal competition, causing more fragmentation, which is ultimately why we are losing as a continent from the US and others. We need funding at scale, if we want Europe to scale. Europe has momentum though. The 28th regime is on the agenda, a.ka. the EU-INC, there are planned capital market union improvements, a startup commissioner, etc. But we need to fire all cilinders (or batteries for you e-drivers) of the European Engine. It is time to also show pension funds and institutional investors what Europe is made of. We need to be more attractive in the long term, creating the best place in the world to live and work. Let's Make Europe Grand Again. 😉 Do tell me in the comments: how do you think we can get the funds needed to fix Europe? Or maybe you think this is all just the wrong approach? A hint: Over EUR 10000000000000 resides on European saving accounts with non-inflation-compensating interests. This 10tr is probably invested in state bonds mostly due to regulation. Apologies for the lazy AI image 😉

🎟 🇪🇺 No, Europe's number is not up. But you would think so now, wouldn’t you? My timeline seems too quiet about Trump's election victory. Many of you are probably processing... or celebrating. I don't mind what your stance is in US Politics. We need to fix Europe anyway. It has been a long time coming, to say it US style. Consider it extra motivation and pressure. We already knew we needed to change radically and start investing at that same radical measure. The recent reports from Draghi and Letta do not appear out of the blue. Here is a simple summary for you about Europe's economic competitiveness: 👉 Startups ARE the solution. I kid you not. They are and in many ways, because, in this age: Tech power = Economic power = Geopolitical power. We have been neglecting for a long time to truly allow big tech companies to emerge and exit in Europe. Now finally, you can feel things are changing and moving with the recent reports, Ursula von der Leyen's mission statement, a startup commissioner with a focus on the 28th regime, the EU-INC petition etc. All fueled by Europe's founders and investors through many startup country organisations like Dutch Startup Association, France Digitale, Roma Startup, Italian Tech Alliance, Danske Iværksættere - Danish Entrepreneurs, SISP - Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, Adigital, Startup Poland, Startup-Verband and many others working together in organisations like Allied For Startups, Prompting Europe and The EU Inc Petition. We should battle the fragmenting forces in Europe, reinvent and get Europe back to the top. No member state will be able to fix this alone, because that doesn't work for startups. It is too small. And too small thinking. I am not going to say MEGA, but you know what I mean 😉 Let's add some fuel to the fire and accelerate Europe 🔥

Thanks Davide, we had a great evening and thank you and the rest of the Shakers team for your contribution!

We are looking forward to the next stop of the tour, Madrid! Registration is open.

🤕 European startups experience a glass ceiling Two weeks ago, we held the Prompting Europe event in Norrsken Barcelona house: how to make the next big tech to come from Europe. 🇪🇸 I usually introduce Spain as the country in Europe closing the gap the fastest; an example in policy. And truth be told, the vibe is contagious in Spain. Miguel Ferrer Jiménez (Adigital), one the major startup advocates in Spain and Nico de Luis (Shakers) joined the discussion about the Spanish status of startups. To my big surprise we learned that Spanis startups still, like anywhere in Europe, hit this invisible ceiling of getting to the scaleup phase. The term ‘glass ceiling’, usually used to describe the disadvantages for underprivileged groups, does have some adequate similarities to the way startups in Europe experience an invisible barrier, created by a gap in resources, where their US counterparts have the clear advantage. 🚀 Every comparison has its limitations, but startups are somewhat similar to launching a rocket from a submarine. They need to get out of the water first with enough thrust, which already proves very hard and then ignite their engine above sea level for the acceleration phase to reach escape velocity to get to space, where finally gravity has no hold on them. I use these comparisons for the steps needed to become big tech. Very simplified, once they have product-market fit (getting out of the water) and product-channel fit (having the engine to accelerate), it needs lots of fuel. And this is one of the main issues why big tech is not coming from Europe. Among other things, like cross-border scaling challenges, we mostly need fuel for growth, to break through the glass ceiling limiting Europe's startups. It is interesting, but a bit demoralising, to hear that a country like Spain, that went on to close the gap the fastest in Europe in terms of startup growth, also hits this glass ceiling. 💰 The problem is that there is too much public money in venture capital here (43%). It often comes with requirements and curation of startups and not a free broad development that produces the outliers that become big tech. That doesn't mean we need less public money. No, we need more private money to balance it. Slowly we see institutional investors like pension funds in Europe pour more money into our old continent, but it is far from enough yet. Most still flows to the US. The response I usually get is that we should be positive, because it is growing. But if other regions still grow faster, you are still falling behind. We had a great evening in Barcelona with founders, investors and ecosystem players talking solutions for breaking the barrier. Most feel AI has the highest potential to equalise opportunity and level the playing field. We are on a mission to bring the next big tech from Europe. Join us in our cause with some optimism and intelligent solutions. Join Prompting Europe's events and programs. Proudly supported by Vultr. 

🦄🦄🦄 - Name 3 unicorns from 1 country in Europe, other than your own... Take your time. I bet most of you can't (without internet). Throwback to almost two weeks ago when, after announcing the Leading European Tech Scaleups (the LETS), an initiative by France Digitale and 30+ other startup organisations from all countries, including our own Dutch Startup Association and Prompting Europe, I was (proudly) allowed to discuss our chances as startups from Europe on stage with Maya Noël, Miguel Ferrer Jiménez and Philippe Maze-Sencier. Watch the full video to learn how the next big tech can come from Europe. Also thanks to the many fellow startup organisation leaders there, like Camilla de Coverly Veale, Hendrik-Jan Overmeer, Francesco Cerruti, Clark Parsons. And a special thanks to people of Vultr and Teneo, supporting the LETS like Kevin Cochrane Kasia Hilborne Arnaud Jacques

Great to be in Barcelona for the next stop on our Prompting Europe and Vultr European road trip! 🚀 It was inspiring to learn firsthand how Spain fosters its startup ecosystem. At Vultr, we're proud to support European startups by democratizing AI and offering access to GPUs across all 32 of our global cloud data centers. Big thanks to the speakers for their insights and inspiration! Miguel Ferrer Jiménez Nico de Luis Maxime Ricard Lucien Burm 👏 and to Johan Schaap Jasper Verbeek Kevin Cochrane Uroš Mićić Norrsken Barcelona Allied For Startups 👏 #AI #Startups #CloudComputing #GPUs #Vultr #Barcelona #TechInnovation

Our Founder Dhimant Nandha attended the Prompting Europe event in Barcelona of some wonderful sessions held by various tech leaders and entrepreneurs worldwide. The struggle of building a tech company in this day and age with a host of challenges like Taxes, Compliances, Resources, Funding, etc is something we need more awareness of, which Lucien Burm is trying to mitigate. As we have our current branches in the USA, Asia, and the Middle East, we are working our best to expand it to Europe as well and events like this help us get a clear view of what to expect and how we can prepare better. More on it in the upcoming posts, so stay tuned at Divine Web Tech If anyone reading is from Rome, then join the next event by Prompting Europe on 19th September (more details on their website) #tech #startup #comapany #networking #ai #event

¡Hola empresaris de Barcelona 😉 🚀 Will your company be the next big tech from Europe? If you have been paying attention, your chances are quite lower than in the US or China. 🤼 Prompting Europe is visiting Barcelona this Monday to have founders, investors and key ecosystem players discuss how to turn our disadvantages in advantages. You are welcome to join. Do use the eventbrite link to register though, as the linkedin event attendance is no guarantee!

"As an entrepreneur, I can attend many tech and business events. The Business Club stands out due to its community of genuine experts with hands-on business-building experience." This feedback keeps us going. A Business Club should provide value, encourage networking, and I strongly believe: include smiles. Reflecting on last week's event with Lucien Burm and Johan Schaap: while European scaling has its challenges, we have an abundance of talent and AI research. If you can make it in Europe, you can make it anywhere. At Amsterdam Science Park - Science & Business organisation we have a great mix of academic startups, SMEs, and R&D departments from major companies. The Business Club brings them together to spark inspiration and network amongst each other. Thanks all for coming and especially Lucien and Johan for hosting the shortest accelerator. There's endless potential for innovation, especially with AI. The variety of pitches showcased that, big or small, AI drives the future. #BusinessClub #Innovation #Science Startup Village Amsterdam Matrix Innovation Centers - office and laboratory space for deep tech entrepreneurs in Amsterdam LAB42 UvA