I believe the biggest problem by far is a lack of VC money in Europe. In the US, it seems like you can show up at a VC with nothing more than an idea written on a bar tab and a pot-smoking coder and you get tens of thousands of VC money (obviously exaggerated).
In the EU "startup scene", if such a thing exists, the only chance to get meaningful amounts of money is if you take loans on something (your house, car, whatever) or clone a US-proved concept/site/technology.
THIS is what needs to change. Europe badly needs VC firms/banks which can readily supply capital!
Edit: also, we (ESPECIALLY Germans, badly burned by the Deutsche Telekom IPO desaster, and now the Prokon scandal) do not have a large stock market. Stock trading here is for the dead rich and banks only, I believe. And without private (stock) capital, no VCs...
In the EU "startup scene", if such a thing exists, the only chance to get meaningful amounts of money is if you take loans on something (your house, car, whatever) or clone a US-proved concept/site/technology.
THIS is what needs to change. Europe badly needs VC firms/banks which can readily supply capital!
Edit: also, we (ESPECIALLY Germans, badly burned by the Deutsche Telekom IPO desaster, and now the Prokon scandal) do not have a large stock market. Stock trading here is for the dead rich and banks only, I believe. And without private (stock) capital, no VCs...