Mali M. Baum & Felix Häusler & Thomas Bachem

Techies vs. Suits: Decoding the Distinct Paths to Startup Success in Europe and the US

Are you a developer 'dying in beauty' with unvalidated code? Learn why you should fall in love with the problem, not the product.

Techies vs. Suits: Decoding the Distinct Paths to Startup Success in Europe and the US
#1about 3 minutes

Why European tech startups historically struggle to scale

The European startup ecosystem has matured beyond e-commerce, but historically lagged behind the US due to timing and a less developed venture environment.

#2about 4 minutes

Avoid the feature creep trap by focusing on the problem

First-time technical founders should validate ideas quickly with no-code tools and fall in love with the customer's problem, not the technical solution.

#3about 4 minutes

Build scrappy prototypes and embrace the rewrite

Focus on building fast, disposable prototypes to learn quickly, as product pivots will likely make your initial carefully crafted architecture obsolete anyway.

#4about 4 minutes

Use extreme pricing to get honest product feedback

Proposing a price 10 times higher than intended forces potential customers to reveal their true objections and what features they actually value.

#5about 5 minutes

The challenging transition from developer to entrepreneur

A founder contrasts the clear problem-solution satisfaction of coding with the ambiguity and rare successes of running a business.

#6about 4 minutes

Securing venture capital requires strong proof points

Before approaching VCs, startups need to demonstrate traction through early growth, significant monthly recurring revenue (MRR), and validation from large enterprise customers.

#7about 4 minutes

Why bootstrapping can be smarter than VC funding

Bootstrapping a company can offer developers more control and greater personal financial returns compared to the high-risk, high-dilution venture capital path.

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Saby Company

Saby Company
Delebio, Italy

Remote
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Node.js

Matching moments

Examining the ambition and funding landscape in Europe
04:38 MIN

Examining the ambition and funding landscape in Europe

Scaling Startups to Success

How Europe can compete in the global tech landscape
03:36 MIN

How Europe can compete in the global tech landscape

Inside Mercedes-Benz: How CIO Katrin Lehmann is Empowering 5,000 Developers and Driving Digital Change

Addressing the root causes of Europe's startup drain
04:29 MIN

Addressing the root causes of Europe's startup drain

AI Sovereignty: What Does It Take?

How Europe can avoid repeating past tech commercialization failures
05:04 MIN

How Europe can avoid repeating past tech commercialization failures

Quantum Tech: Preparing for the Next Leap

Retaining top talent against the pull of US ecosystems
04:04 MIN

Retaining top talent against the pull of US ecosystems

Scaling Startups to Success

Leveraging Europe's unique ecosystem and strengths
05:45 MIN

Leveraging Europe's unique ecosystem and strengths

Business Strategies for Scaling European Tech

Navigating the European tech funding landscape
03:37 MIN

Navigating the European tech funding landscape

Business Strategies for Scaling European Tech

The case for founding an AI startup in Europe
04:28 MIN

The case for founding an AI startup in Europe

AI Sovereignty: What Does It Take?

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Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.