Three veteran tech entrepreneurs with global experience – Martin VarsavskyLoic Le Meur andJoi Ito – discuss with me whether it is better to start a tech company in the US, Europe or Asia.

All three have strong links to Silicon Valley, but only Loic is currently launching a company there.

Loic moved from Paris to San Francisco last year to launch Seesmic, a community for video conversation. San Francisco has been treating Loic well and from his level of enthusiasm it does not sound like he will be moving back to Europe anytime soon.

“You can succeed in Europe, but only locally,” Loic said. “You are more likely to have a global hit if you are based in San Francisco.” A European website must be translated into 22 languages in order to reach the same potential audience as an American website in English.

A further advantage of the US, Loic added, is the network effect. “In San Francisco everyone is just one block away and you can meet them for coffee.”

Martin, whose latest company is Fon, insists that Europe has one great inherent advantage due to lifestyle: “I do my work and then when I go home, I am here in Europe.”

The issue of US vs Europe is one that Martin has considered deeply and has now concluded that it comes down to an issue of lifestyle. “You really have to make a lifestyle choice to see where you set up.”

While the US might have a larger market, Martin said the exchange rate of what he calls the “peso-dollar” means that American companies are making much of their money in Europe.

Japan offers a fairly large and affluent homogenous market, but Joi Ito still tends to invest in the US and Europe.

A key difference of dynamic is that companies can more easily go public in Europe, while US companies look to be acquired. This changes the dynamic under which they are operated.

written by Thomas Crampton of Ogilvy. see more.

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: Researchers have developed a technology that creates “audible enclaves” in open air, creating highly focused, localized zones of sound. These isolated audio pockets allow sound to materialize only at a precise point in space, unheard by others nearby. This breakthrough could revolutionize public communication, entertainment, military applications, and office design. The process, known […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaway: Research shows that some animals form surprising partnerships, challenging traditional views on how intelligence evolves in the animal kingdom. For example, Octavia and Finn, a day octopus and coral trout, work as a team, each bringing unique skills to the hunt. Other species have also developed remarkable partnerships, such as the greater honeyguide […]
Key Takeaway: Satellite re-entry, a process where defunct satellites are disposed of, is causing a significant environmental impact on Earth’s atmosphere. As satellite usage increases, researchers are focusing on the re-entry process itself, which releases metal particles into the Earth’s atmosphere. These particles, such as aluminum oxide and lithium, can influence the planet’s energy balance, […]

Trending

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics

We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics