A startup doesn't need to be a unicorn

If everyone was a unicorn, wouldn't that by definition mean they weren't unicorns??

Parts of this feel a lot like Canada's SRED program, which is intended to be a subsidy for technology research but the expected bureacracy has spawned an industry of consultancies that work solely to find marginal & questionable activities within companies that qualify. It can be worth it for a company to jump through the hoops - especially if they get something while another company does all the work - but it's an incredibly inefficient way to grow tech businesses.

> even a relatively small deal would produce a life-changing outcome for the founding team.

I run a SaaS with a business partner and this is basically our thesis for getting rich. My saying around this is "This amount of revenue/profit will cause a company of 500 or 1000 to go bankrupt, but it will make a company of 5-10 filthy rich"

> For example in the USA, they will refuse to speak German with you. So what?

Actually they would most likely be delighted to show off their German if they knew any. But that is besides the point. English for better or worse is the current international language.

I can found a new company in Estonia in literal minutes without speaking a single word of Estonian and without being physically present in the country because the whole process is digital and in English.

If you want to attract international talent you have to adapt.

> The German word "Freund" (commonly translated with "friend") has a different meaning than the English "friend" - the relationship goes much deeper. I don't think that Germans are not open to making new "Freunde", but if you want to have shallow, superficial relationships, Germany is not the ideal country. Vice versa, if you want to have deep relationships, you will likely be annoyed by the USA.

Yeah, Americans have only superficial friendships, only us Germans know the value of real friendships. (Sarcasm)

You are not wrong about there being subtle cultural differences but it isn't an either or. You can value deep friendships but still be friendly towards acquaintances.

In the end it doesn't matter the reason. If expats feel like Germans are acting coldly towards them and have a bad time in Germany, that is what they are feeling. It doesn't matter if there are good reason for that or if Germans didn't even intend to act coldly. It just fact that Germany is often seen as one of the least friendly countries for outsiders. Not everyone, some do find it easy to integrate but most don't.

I sick of the chauvinism is see from other Germans. Our culture isn't better or worse than others. We certainly have many areas we could improve.

You are lying by omission.

The Gewerbeanmeldung typically registers you as a sole proprietor (Einzelunternehmer) or GbR (partnership). Most tech startups need a limited liability structure like GmbH (similar to LLC) or UG. Those require notarized founding documents, minimum capital requirements (€25,000 for GmbH), and a commercial register entry (Handelsregister)

The simple Gewerbeanmeldung structure is problematic for venture capital because most VCs require a corporate entity structure (GmbH/UG) and converting from a simple structure to a proper corporation later can trigger tax consequences.

At each investment round all shareholders must appear before a notary or provide notarized power of attorney, the entire investment agreement must be read aloud by the notary, changes to company documents require notarization, and each notarization costs thousands of euros and creates delays.

Major decisions which are likely to affect shareholders require formal shareholder meetings with proper notice periods. Unanimous consent is often required for key decisions. Capital increases must be executed through complex formal processes. Registration with the commercial register takes weeks. Minimum nominal values of shares restrict flexibility. Required reporting to tax authorities is extensive. I can go on and on. And don't even get me started about German employee stock option plans.