Europe’s 28th regime for our tech future.

In case you missed it, apparently, we’re lagging a bit behind in Europe when it comes to investing in tech and innovation as a whole. Spoiler alert: we’re also overregulating new tech such as AI and data laws, making our EU a harder place to invest in. Want to go deep into all of that data? There are two wonderful reports that just hit, like Atomico and the EU directive.

It’s not all a sh*tshow; we are waking up or giving something to hold on to whilst we actually fix it. Ursula von der Leyen just announced she plans to propose a "28th regime" for startups, or as it’s being called, an "EU Inc." It’s like a BV in the Netherlands but then for Europe - easier to invest in and with one set of rules instead of many.

Ok, great, but how do we actually compete for the market? We would be a fool to believe that we can build software products in today's day and age and not sell beyond Europe’s ‘borders.’ Our companies sell beyond Europe better and faster than anywhere else!

To compete, we need a change of mindset - not in innovation or overregulation, we’ve got that, for real ;). The entrepreneurial mindset to fix the world’s hardest problems has to come from within - you, who are reading this. Us, who are building companies within a model; in short, celebrate the bold moves and celebrate the things that fail - not because we love failure, but because we have to keep upping the ante until we win in the most crucial industries. There’s no question - it’s a must!

From our universe 🪐

On the studio side 🌌

• European Business Angel Investment Summit 2024. We attended the EBAN Summit, where leaders from European angel networks underscored the urgency of investing in tech. As the Draghi report highlights, early-stage support from angels and VCs is key to reversing Europe’s innovation lag. Explore our insights here.

• The Founders Vault, Builders Playbook. Over the past few weeks, we are excited to have shared multiple pieces of resources from our Builders Founder Vault. Here is the 🔗 LINK to the resource, where you can access all the past and future resources in one database.

• Builders at SaaS Summit 2024. It's one of the few places Dutch software companies come together to rejoice and eat some freshly made stroopwafels 🧇 from Builders. Catch the key takeaways here. Spoiler alert: conferences still matter to make the right connections and gain valuable insights.

• Builders Investor House. On November 26, we hosted our Investor House at Builders HQ, featuring a fantastic chat with tech advocate Nils Beers about Europe’s tech future and the need for bold thinking to compete globally. Beyond the talk, the night was all about connecting, and sparking ideas. We wrapped up with curated 1:1 chats and lively drinks, leaving everyone energized. Save the date: our next Investor House is on February 11, 2025!

  

At our ventures 🚀

• 🚀 Avery - AI-powered candidate sourcing - made huge strides into delivering its Job Intelligence solution to select launching customers. The features transform hiring into data-driven decisions through real-time market validation and intelligent job design. Next steps: actually open up HR, ATS, and LinkedIn networks to autonomously match to the intelligent job profile. Connect with Alisher to learn more about Avery.

• 🚀 Everyday - Skill intelligence platform - is about to come full circle with the addition of an assessment agent. It’s like a very intelligent chatbot that almost feels human due to the personalized questioning and almost inhuman results it produces. The outcome? Hundreds of skill passports created just in the last few weeks. Experience the next evolution of skill assessment with Everday! Get in touch with Estef and Dylan to learn more.

What we’re following

• Agentic reasoning. Scaling laws reveal that increased compute power is unlocking AI with deeper reasoning abilities, allowing new applications to automate complex, expert-level tasks. Dive into the details here.
  

• GTM efficiency. Traditional growth strategies that rely on people are proving linear and slow. AI, however, offers a process-driven alternative, enabling real-time scalability and faster market response. Soon, AI could manage 30-70% of GTM roles, driving exponential growth. Learn more here.
  

• State of European Tech 2024. Europe’s tech scene has transformed over the past decade, with explosive growth in startups, talent, and billion-dollar companies. Deep tech and AI are leading the way, but challenges like funding gaps for women-led startups and limited exit options remain. Sustainability and AI present big opportunities, while stronger IPOs and inclusivity are key to unlocking Europe’s potential. Dive into the full report here.

Forward, always,

Michael van Lier
Founder & Managing Director at Builders