Live data from Hacker News

Zombie Startups in Europe

threader.app

1–10 of 32 posts

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#3
So glad people are talking about the deceptive strategies EU companies uses to mimic those in the US. It's as if there's a deep cultural force against acting like US startups here in the EU, which I frankly don't like and would like to see some push against, and I think all parties will be happier once we've gone through the phase shift.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#4
post #2

Nicolas Colin : everyone knows them in town because they're spending their time speaking about entrepreneurship to ignorant people gathered in salons Well isn't that what TheFamily is ? https://www.thefamily.co/about/nicolas-colin

From TFA:

> ... there were zombie startups all over the place. Mine eventually became one.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#5
post #3

So glad people are talking about the deceptive strategies EU companies uses to mimic those in the US. It's as if there's a deep cultural force against acting like US startups here in the EU, which I frankly don't like and would like to see some push against, and I think all parties will be happier once we've gone through the phase shift.

I don't think this is a special EU force.

Only the fact that most people can't deliver.

Sometimes it's the dev and you end up with crap instead of a product.

Sometimes it's the CEO and you end up with a consultancy instead of a product business.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#6
This is brutally true in Spain as well. I used to love everything I read about startups, being lean, iterating, etc. But seeing Valencia/Spanish startup ecosystem... yikes

I have only seen up close one startup (out of dozens) with actual profit that could sustain itself if VC money was to withdraw. From my University friend who I always though he could do it.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#7
I got to pt4 with my solo startup/project

`The first step is inevitably to raise money from dumb/ignorant investors who couldn't care less about your startup: that would be the government / unemployment benefits in France / tax-incentivized angel investors in the UK.

It buys you 12-18 months of runway.`

After it I realised it has no market and no interest from anyone.

Now I am in a mixed bag of thinking that I did well in stopping it at an early stage and dealing with the feelings of having failed/wasted a lot by pouring 2 years in it.

Such is life :/

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#8
It's not just in Europe, it's mostly the same everywhere, with very minor modifications. I'd even risk saying that most startups are like this, i.e. at one of the stages described in the article - only a small minority are actually successful.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#9
post #2

Nicolas Colin : everyone knows them in town because they're spending their time speaking about entrepreneurship to ignorant people gathered in salons Well isn't that what TheFamily is ? https://www.thefamily.co/about/nicolas-colin

The problem is not the salon itself. Rather it's zombie entrepreneurs being all over it, and non-zombie entrepreneurs wasting time in it trying to catch up.

Neither is happening at The Family: our portfolio entrepreneurs are busy working on their product/their customers and are on stage only when it makes sense from their roadmap's perspective.

As for the zombie "entrepreneurs de salon", they are not allowed as speakers at The Family.

Re: Zombie Startups in Europe

#10

I got to pt4 with my solo startup/project `The first step is inevitably to raise money from dumb/ignorant investors who couldn't care less about your startup: that would be the government / unemployment benefits in France / tax-incentivized angel investors in the UK. It buys you 12-18 months of runway.` After it I realised it has no market and no interest from anyone. Now I am in a mixed bag of thinking that I did we…

Who are these tax incentivised angels in the UK??
Post reply on HN