I'm from California and currently work as a traveling circus monkey, otherwise known as a consultant. I've worked with startups in Europe, Japan, and the US, an

I'm from California and currently work as a traveling circus monkey, otherwise known as a consultant. I've worked with startups in Europe, Japan, and the US, and while I don't consider myself an expert, I do at least have some idea of the differences between the various markets. Europe is a big place, with lots of different countries, and much like states in the US, they work differently. True, the investment climate makes raising money much harder than for companies in the US, but on the other hand, there are sometimes fewer regulatory hurdles for companies looking into exploring new business concepts. Take FundedByMe. They're fulfilling the promise of equity-based crowdfunding in Sweeden, and because they're not a US-based company, don't need to deal with the SEC and FINRA. The US has tried to set up something comparable via the Jobs act, but major players have kept all the regulatory hurdles in effect, and so for-profit crowdfunding is still a few years off, if it ever really happens at all. Don't get me wrong -- we still have a big lead in the US, especially in the Valley, but don't get complacent about how quickly that lead can evaporate through the missteps of well-meaning regulators and politicians, or through the negative effects of software patent law.