Startup Culture Across Borders: Observations on the EU from a North American Perspective

In our globalised world, doing business across borders is easier than ever. With technology that allows us to send files across oceans at the speed of light and translation software that no longer makes language barriers an obstacle, there are no limits to intercontinental collaboration. 

But what if we’re physically making the change ourselves by relocating a person or an organisational headquarters overseas?

Joining us on the podcast today is Jerry, who has recently transferred from North America to the EU, with the Netherlands as his home base. He has always been inspired by ideas that are new, small and emerging. This knack for up and coming technology inspired his entrepreneurial spirit, and he started his first company 15 years ago, which focused on web conferencing. That success taught him how to scale an organisation, and eventually led him across the pond to set his company headquarters up in the EU. 

In this episode, we’ll discuss the differences between business in the US and the EU, and ideas for more modern approaches to growing a business in today’s startup culture.  We’ll also talk about how different cultural norms around the idea of failure can sometimes hold aspiring entrepreneurs back from reaching their full potential.

Some Questions I Ask:

What are the biggest differences you notice between the US and EU markets? (3:33)

Are the pinch points in this transition more about navigating regulations or navigating culture? (6:30)

How do you view the startup scene in the Netherlands? (9:23)

Where do you see the strengths and weaknesses within the Dutch startup sector?  (12:23)

What advice would you give a Dutch entrepreneur? (40:21)

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

One major difference between starting a company in the US versus the EU (7:04)

What Jerry loves about working in the Netherlands (8:10)

How raising capital for a startup is on a different scale in the EU (13:50)

How cultures differentiate between the concepts of equity and debt (18:03)

Which aspect many startups fail to put enough effort into when trying to raise capital (19:42)

What mature companies are focusing on outside of the “Venture Capital Vortex” (20:53)

How the concept of failure is perceived differently in the US (28:41)

Why scaling a business in the EU can be more of a challenge than doing the same in the US (33:58)

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