Why Europe Needs More Moonshots (and Better Regulation), Yesterday

Over the years, I’ve written several articles about why Europe needs more startups and how crucial they are for future-proofing our economy. While I wasn’t wrong, I also missed the bigger picture: Europe’s lack of an innovation-driven economy has become an existential threat. Let me explain.

For decades, we’ve watched the rise of semiconductors and the networked era. We’ve grown accustomed to personal computers, the internet, mobile phones—and soon, we may take robots and self-driving cars for granted, too. If that sounds far-fetched, just look at today’s modern cars.

They tell you when to stop at a traffic light, when you’re speeding, and when there’s even the slightest risk of a crash. Not because that’s all they’re capable of, but because regulators mandate these as minimum safety features. And this isn’t just Tesla—this is required in every new car sold. Yet in Europe, we rely entirely on foreign chips, foreign software, and foreign network components to power these innovations.

That brings us to one of the biggest, yet least understood, challenges of our time: regulating technology. Yes, the EU has given us mobile phone roaming at domestic prices across member states. Yes, we now have USB-C chargers for all new devices. Yes, we even have caps attached to plastic bottles to reduce waste. That last one gets its fair share of EU-bashing memes, but even that small regulation makes sense. Yet the dominant narrative on technology regulation remains frustratingly simple: the EU regulates, while the US and China innovate. Ooof.

I have always been European at heart. I’m a German living in Portugal, my son is Portuguese, and I couldn’t be happier about that. In business, I’ve always believed that no single European country is large enough to be a true tech innovation powerhouse on its own. No venture capitalist will back a startup that thinks only within national borders. No startup that fails to scale across Europe will ever reach meaningful size. And without such scale, Europe will never produce a trillion-euro company to rival the magnificent seven in the US —companies that shape the future of technology and power dynamics across continents.

But we must change that. That’s why I’m proud to take on the role of President of Allied for Startups, an umbrella association focused on improving the policy environment for startups in Europe. I’ve been supporting it in in various roles since its founding almost a decade ago, and I step into this role just as Serena Borbotti-Frison takes on executive leadership, growing the association and leading it at a pivotal time for Europe.

Together, we will challenge Europe’s leadership. Alongside our members and partners across member states and beyond, we will push for smarter regulation—regulation that empowers European startups to become world leaders. Because we desperately need them. We need them to secure technological sovereignty, drive sustainability, and maintain the social cohesion that is increasingly under pressure.

Big goals? Absolutely. But 2025 has already started strong with the EU-Inc petition and the 28th Regime. By year’s end, I want us all to look back and say: Damn, Europe has changed a lot. There’s been a vibe shift, and the future looks bright.