European Silicon Valley

It's no secret that Silicon Valley is the global epicenter of innovation. Talent gravitates there whenever it's looking to go further. But is it really a lack of talent elsewhere in the world?

We can conclude it's not a question of talent, nor universities. Europe, China, and other countries have those too. So what stops startups outside Silicon Valley from growing as exponentially? What stops them from raising absurdly large funding rounds in a ridiculous timeframe? Mindset.

If there's one thing that sets the United States apart from other countries, it's the mindset in the business sector. Ben Horowitz, a figure of authority in the startup world, already said it: "For entrepreneurship, there's a major cultural challenge, where succeeding by doing something that transcends the personal, making the world a better place, aren't things that young Europeans consider societal values."

This makes a tremendous amount of sense, because European culture is completely different from American culture. The key difference lies in finding talent that aligns with your mission and collaborates in building something that impacts society. It's a lack of commitment, a completely different lifestyle. Most of the ingredients are in the recipe, but if nobody cares about your project and most people ignore it, you have no final dish.

This doesn't prevent some companies from breaking the mold, but it creates a breeding ground that makes business growth massively harder. In Europe, generally speaking, work is not usually considered something that needs to be aligned with your purpose, it's a way to earn money to do other things. And there's nothing wrong with that; in fact, if your purpose is something outside work, that's admirable.

Another obstacle innovative companies find in Europe is regulation. Two companies, same product, one in the US, one in Europe. The American company deploys far sooner. They start at a disadvantage from day one. I'm not opposed to regulation, but abusing it leads to stagnation and bureaucracy.

Silicon Valley already starts with an advantage, decades of history behind it. Europe isn't asleep either. There are great ideas and projects with the potential to make an impact. It's the mindset of making something that transcends the individual that holds us back. Is a European Silicon Valley impossible? No. The differentiating question is whether the next generations want to build something big.