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The problem on HN is a very American centric view with startups. While I cannot profess to Europe having a large number of startup founders it is a long way off

The problem on HN is a very American centric view with startups. While I cannot profess to Europe having a large number of startup founders it is a long way off to put of a entrepreneurship in Europe in its entirety. There's the founders of Skype (also TransferWise and their other endeavours), the founders of Spotify too, SAP, Richard Branson (not tech), Ikea, Inditex, Ferrero, Wirecard, LVMH... but there are lot in their own categories. The list is actually quite long, albeit lacking in the tech sector. Culture in Europe is not to be overly audacious with being a 'one man' business. The leaders of businesses don't take centre stage, the business itself does. This is probably why their businesses are known far better than they are personally. It is at opposites with American businesses where older, inherited business tend to have this trait, for instance one cannot even find a picture of anyone who runs the Mars company easily. Young ones on the other hand put their founders at centre stage. Your description or thoughts of European entrepreneurs are somewhat extreme.

cs702 10y ago
The founders of Skype, Spotify, Ikea, are not out of continental Europe; they are from the Scandinavian Peninsula, no? LVMH's roots go back centuries (Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854; Moet was founded in 1743; Hennesy was founded in 1765). Amancio Ortega of Inditex is self-made, but he has not changed the world with new products and services.
- neximo64 10y ago
  Yes this is true, with LVMH the businesses were combined & acquired more recently by B Arnault even though the original businesses are very old. I would hardly say Inditex hasn't changed the world. Apple mimics their JIT inventory technique.. There used to be a time when it took a few years to get phones out to the public. I think the thing that makes these particular entrepreneurs stand out is they keep a relatively higher profile. The cultural tendency in Europe is more socialist and not to show off and keep out of the news - This is what my point was more on. The startups and founders are there, but they don't let themselves be known. Do we know who was responsible for the Raspberry Pi for example? or who built up ARM Holdings (the designers of the arm chips on everyones phones and tablets)? or who made Nokia do what it did? Who made the device that drilled the channel tunnel? Surely they changed the world, its just they don't 'get out there' as much as American entrepreneurs.
  - cs702 10y ago
    Cultural differences could be a factor too, but I suspect the greater prevalence of inherited wealth in continental Europe is not unconnected. By the way, Raspberry Pi's and ARM's roots are English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#History | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Holdings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Holdings
    - neximo64 10y ago
      I'm a bit confused by your definitions. Continental Europe concerns Scandinavia, and the article refers to Europe as a whole including the UK, so the relevance of the continental part of Europe of any form is mute.
- hibikir 10y ago
  Inditex has made tremendous changes in how fashion is made and delivered: It's a logistics marvel. Other companies selling clothes are either stealing large percentages of that model or dying. If you look at how often a store turned inventory and changed styles in the 80s, and look at how it's done now, it's like a different industry. You might as well claim that Walmart, Amazon or the Sears catalog, didn't change the world. They all just sold stuff, right?

cs702 10y ago

The founders of Skype, Spotify, Ikea, are not out of continental Europe; they are from the Scandinavian Peninsula, no? LVMH's roots go back centuries (Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854; Moet was founded in 1743; Hennesy was founded in 1765). Amancio Ortega of Inditex is self-made, but he has not changed the world with new products and services.

neximo64 10y ago
Yes this is true, with LVMH the businesses were combined & acquired more recently by B Arnault even though the original businesses are very old. I would hardly say Inditex hasn't changed the world. Apple mimics their JIT inventory technique.. There used to be a time when it took a few years to get phones out to the public. I think the thing that makes these particular entrepreneurs stand out is they keep a relatively higher profile. The cultural tendency in Europe is more socialist and not to show off and keep out of the news - This is what my point was more on. The startups and founders are there, but they don't let themselves be known. Do we know who was responsible for the Raspberry Pi for example? or who built up ARM Holdings (the designers of the arm chips on everyones phones and tablets)? or who made Nokia do what it did? Who made the device that drilled the channel tunnel? Surely they changed the world, its just they don't 'get out there' as much as American entrepreneurs.
- cs702 10y ago
  Cultural differences could be a factor too, but I suspect the greater prevalence of inherited wealth in continental Europe is not unconnected. By the way, Raspberry Pi's and ARM's roots are English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#History | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Holdings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Holdings
  - neximo64 10y ago
    I'm a bit confused by your definitions. Continental Europe concerns Scandinavia, and the article refers to Europe as a whole including the UK, so the relevance of the continental part of Europe of any form is mute.
hibikir 10y ago
Inditex has made tremendous changes in how fashion is made and delivered: It's a logistics marvel. Other companies selling clothes are either stealing large percentages of that model or dying. If you look at how often a store turned inventory and changed styles in the 80s, and look at how it's done now, it's like a different industry. You might as well claim that Walmart, Amazon or the Sears catalog, didn't change the world. They all just sold stuff, right?