European tech has a confidence problem that has little to do with its results. The companies are there, the exits are there, and yet the dominant story has long been one of catching up to Silicon Valley.
Balderton Capital wants to change the register. On Monday it launched “Built in Europe,” a campaign backed by more than 100 founders that is less an argument than an assertion: the continent already builds world-class companies, so stop apologising for it.
The campaign goes live across London, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin and Munich, with billboards, city banners and digital advertising vans planted in each city’s tech quarter.
In London it takes the Old Street roundabout screen, the symbolic heart of the city’s startup scene; in Paris, the facade of Station F; in Stockholm, the Stureplan billboard. The timing is deliberate, coinciding with London Tech Week, Founders Forum and the run-up to VivaTech in Paris.
The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!The founders lending their names span the breadth of the ecosystem. The roster includes AI companies such as Mistral, ElevenLabs, Lovable and Synthesia; deep-tech and infrastructure names like Wayve, Quantum Systems, Proxima Fusion and
