There isn't going to be "EU tech" as long as US can access the EU market as freely because for the mainstream anything it doesn't make sense to have a duplication effort for the EU. USA is/was easier to start business and get funding, you can access Europe just as well from there so why bother with the European based stuff if you are targeting a broad market?

After Trump now there is a reason to actually go for European base and EU is trying hard to clean up the field with things like EU-inc, digital Euro, common markets etc but its not happening fast enough to make a difference today.

Maybe if all goes well and Trump can finish his term or even invades Greenland then EU can have its "tech", but for now its happening slowly because its primarily driven by the hypothetical risks that are convincingly real but but costly to act on.

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embedding-shape 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> USA is/was easier to start business and get funding

I think this would highly depend on the country. With a solid business plan, I could easily get funding via banks and literally start a company with the press of a button in web portal, in Sweden. Similarly, Estonia seems to have made it ridiculously easy as well. In Spain it's slightly harder, I have to fill out some forms, but with stable income, very easy to get a bank loan even for business ideas that probably shouldn't.

Sure, you won't attract multi-trillion VCs that route, but is that exclusively what you're talking about? How much easier can it be to start the company than the press of the button, since you seem sure it's much easier in the US than all the countries in the EU?

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mrtksn 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Seden is a success story, just as Estonia but instead doing that and god knows what complications it creates across EU borders you can just create a company for pretty cheap in US and be clear on the situation across all the EU since US is a 3rd party with much clear rights and obligations towards EU. AFAIK that's why the EU wants to have a 28th regime.

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embedding-shape 3 hours ago | parent [-]

So is the US easier than the EU or not? Now you're saying Sweden is a "success story", does that mean it's easier than the US then?

> god knows what complications it creates across EU borders you can just create a company for pretty cheap in US

What? That doesn't make any sense. If I'm a Swedish resident, and I want to sell to Danes, then in no way is it easier for me to start a US company (?!) then sell to Denmark from outside the EU, than just starting a Swedish company and selling directly to Danes inside of the EU.

This is starting to sound like someone who never done intra-EU B2B or B2C at all. Where are you getting this from?

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mrtksn 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Sweden is a success story by European standards but meh by US standards.

> If I'm a Swedish resident, and I want to sell to Danes, then in no way is it easier for me to start a US company (?!) then sell to Denmark from outside the EU

Starting a US company from EU costs a few hundred dollars depending on the broker etc. and indeed you may find it much more useful depending on how you do business(who you employ, what you sell and where are your clients). This is because EU single market isn't that single at all, you will need to figure out pensions, social contributions taxes etc across the EU borders for example but if you incorporate in US, life becomes much more easier as there are already many services geared to fascinate the trade between EU and US. So it depends.

Maybe things are easier from Sweden but then why not Europeans start company in Sweden instead of dealing with Germany for example? Do you by chance require residence and have residence-related obligations and costs? Why Sweden isn't Europe's Delaware and EU is trying to create 28th regime and the EU-inc then?

	▲	distances 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> then why not Europeans start company in Sweden instead of dealing with Germany for example? Do you by chance require residence and have residence-related obligations and costs? You can open a company in another EU country, but if you don't live there, your domestic tax agency may/will interpret the company to be under their jurisdiction based on your residency. Now you have double the paperwork, and likely a more complex tax situation to deal with.

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Schiendelman 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

In Spain, if you fail at the business, do you have to pay back the bank loan?

	▲	embedding-shape 9 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Not automatically. If the loan is in your name, or you personally guaranteed it, you still have to pay even if the business fails. If it's only in the company's name, usually the company is liable, not you personally. There's also insolvency/"second chance" options, but that’s a legal process, not automatic. Basically, depends on how you setup the company in regards to liabilities (which I'm guessing is true in the US too), and the exact terms of the loan.

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khurs an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

EU population: 450 million + 70m UK

USA population: 348 million

The problem is that many of europe's top talent moves to USA, and also that American funding for European startups is huge, and many are made to relocate/IPO in USA too.

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LucaSiviero 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Totally agree. As you said, the gap is significant and closing it requires a lot of effort and investments to cover a risk that could eventually cool down if the general situation stops being this critical.

	▲	mrtksn 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> a risk that could eventually cool down if the general situation stops being this critical Exactly, EU must guarantee that there's no going back even if the next US president is likable, cooperative politician and not this thing that Trump is. Otherwise all your investment can perish if switching to MS, Oracle or Palantir or something becomes acceptable again 2-3 years. A Trump invasion or something just as hard to fix needs to seal the deal.