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Top-tech entrepreneurs present manifesto for start-up success

Some of Europe's top tech entrepreneurs and startup community pioneers this week presented EU leaders with their manifesto on how Europe needs to adapt for the digital age. This contains ideas for how decision makers – at every level in every country – can improve the climate for innovation and growth. On the eve of an EU Summit which focuses on completing the digital single market and digital economy, the Startup Europe Leaders Club (see IP/13/262), will presented their manifesto to Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, and discuss it in a round table with Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and other national leaders and ambassadors.

The Startup Europe Manifesto has been drawn up by the 9 members of the Startup Leaders Club and draws on the combined experience of dozens of Europeans who have imagined, built and grown successful businesses. It contains 22 recommendations to the European Commission, EU Member States and EU companies in the fields of education and skills, access to talent, access to capital, data protection and thought leadership. For example:

  1. Companies and Member States should encourage university students to start a business before they graduate

  2. Member States and the European Commission could turn Europe into the easiest place for highly skilled talent to start a company and get a job by rolling out a pan-European Startup Visa

  3. That companies and EU governments should buy more from smaller businesses

  4. Asking the European Commission to remove the requirement for data providers to store information in any given country.

  5. Asking Member States Appoint a Chief Digital Officer for every country in the EU.

Taken together, the Leaders Club believe that the 22 recommendations will give European businesses the best chance of future success, all the same influencing and powering the growth in the EU.

Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said "I think these are excellent ideas. We need to give a voice to the entrepreneurs of Europe. I hope that all European leaders will take their suggestions to heart so that we can change mentalities about startups, entrepreneurs and global leadership."

In March 2013, Neelie Kroes invited the Leaders Club to develop a manifesto for economic growth. This was formally presented to the Vice President at the Startup Europe Forum in London in early September 2013. (SPEECH/13/668) Over the last six weeks, the manifesto has been endorsed by more than 5000 people including entrepreneurs, bloggers, and journalists who care about the EU startup scene

Background

The Startup Europe Leaders Club is an independent group of founders in the field of tech entrepreneurship, who act as role models for European web entrepreneurs and provide guidance to the Commission on how to strengthen the environment for web entrepreneurs to start in Europe and stay in Europe.

Its members are:

  1. Zaryn Denzel, (@Zaryn) founder of Tuenti, Spain's largest social network & mobile multiplatform

  2. Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) and Martin Lorentzon (@MartinLorentzon) – founders of online music streaming service Spotify

  3. Kaj Hed (@RovioHQ) – Chairman of Rovio (Angry Birds)

  4. Lars Hinrichs (@LarsHinrichs) – founder and CEO of HackFwd, a pre-seed investment company

  5. Joanna Shields (@TechCityUK) CEO and Chair of Tech City Investment Organisation

  6. Reshma Sohoni (@rsohoni) – partner of SeedCamp, a catalyst for Europe's next generation of entrepreneurs

  7. Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten (@Boris) entrepreneur - founder of The Next Web

  8. Niklas Zennström (@atomicoventures) – co-founder of Skype, Kazaa, Joltid and Joost and Atomico

The Leaders Club is just one element of Startup Europe the Commission's plan to promote ICT and enable web entrepreneurs to start their business in Europe and to let them flourish in Europe

Useful Links

Startup Europe Manifesto

Startup Europe Leaders Club

Startup Europe

@StartUpEU

Hashtags: #startupmanifesto, #startupeurope

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