Europe has over 200 accelerator programs, the vast majority of which are corporate or government-backed. Since these programs were created in 2011 and 2012, they have yielded thousands of accelerated startups, a small but growing number of which emerge as global success stories. Despite comparatively low success rates and very modest investor returns, these programs have been instrumental in connecting the fragmented European startup communities into the wider global technology ecosystem. With leading US investors like USV, YCombinator, and 500 startups engaging more and more with European teams, this SXSW session analyzed the benefits and risks of working with and investing in accelerated startups from Europe, as well as discuss the opportunities for experienced US founders and operators to benefit from the European tech boom.
26. Risks:
○ Lack of company building experience
○ Lost in translation
○ Fear of getting real
Bomb by Freepik CC BY 3.0
27. Benefits:
○ Low cost of experimenting and learning
○ Generally high technical prowess
○ Low entry valuations vs. comparative exit valuations
Gift by Freepik CC BY 3.0
38. See You in Europe!
Elina Zheleva and Max Gurvits
@ellie_zheleva @mxgur
Runway.vc CCCstartups.com
39. Photo credits:
● Europе map by Charles Clegg
● Quality seeds by Christopher Dombres
● Clock by Paupsers
● Hanging rulers by Nic McPhee
● Balancing on bike by followtheseinstructions
● Crossroads: success & failure by Chris Potter
● Good or Evil by Matt Reinbold
● Swim at your own risk by Tim Fau
● Market gap (OpenStreetMap GPS bulk data map of Europe)
by Steven Kay
● Hire me, graduation by Benson Kalahar
● Steve Jobs by tenz1225
● Ford vs Smart by Sivi Steys
● Bull’s head, Picasso sculpture by Lars Wästfelt