Europe may not quite have the same reputation for cultivating global startups as Silicon Valley or New York City, but there’s no denying that various major European cities are bolstering the continent as a startup hub.
And one of the people who is most committed to developing promising companies in Europe is Reshma Sohoni, a Partner and Co-Founder at Seedcamp, one of the most prestigious accelerators in Europe. Founded in 2007, Seedcamp has made it it’s mission to support European entrepreneurs with investment, talent and advisors all in one place.
The Founder Institute is enrolling in cities throughout Europe. Click here to find a chapter near you!
Until fairly recently, European founders had to fight harder than their American counterparts to raise early stage funding, often having to settle for half the amount that US entrepreneurs would raise at each stage of building a company.
But with the rising number of VCs in Europe and the increase in crowdfunding, founder now have more opportunities than ever to raise capital for their companies. In addition, more and more developing tech companies are receiving government support in the form of income tax relief, no capital gain, and tax offset loss.
However, Reshma warns European founders that even though the number of fundraising opportunities continues to grow, even the most innovative startups need to fight hard for any kind of funding. As stated by Reshma in the Startup Grind blog post, "Reshma Sohoni of Seedcamp: 'Early stage investment opportunities have never been better in Europe'":
There is a ton of money in Europe, but not everyone will get funded. Investors are still risk-averse and raising funds takes time. Even if you’re great, it’s tough.
But if founders are ambitious, hardworking, and smart enough, this should not prevent them from finding their own way.
In the video below, Reshma outlines the numerous ways that entrepreneurs can raise money for their startups in Europe:
The Founder Institute is currently enrolling in cities across Europe, including:
