> can anyone point me to high profile megacap EU startups
Don't waste your time looking, there are none or almost none.
EU is simply not geared (anymore) for this type of endeavor to succeed:
- finance infrastructure for this is non-existent (VCs are a joke in Europe, both in terms of size and in terms of the type of stuff they invest in)
- risk-taking is simply not a cultural value anymore
- administrative burdens (taxes, labor laws, cost of labor, hyper-restrictive regulations, etc ...) are such a gigantic drag that most people potentially potentially capable of starting such things either walk away, or move to a place where they can actually conduct business (historically, the US, although it's not as good as it was).
- at least in Western Europe, (Germany, France), people are so very comfy in their social cocoon (social security, retirement, social programs), the whole notion of "making it" (e.g becoming truly financially independent) is *very* hard for them to even understand. Net effect: no motivation, no GOOG/FB/AMZN/TESLA/SpaceX
- the US has a "let the tree grow first, we'll regulate once it bears fruits" attitude towards emerging and potentially disruptive tech. The EU on the other hand has a "oh, my god, this is potentially very disruptive, someone ought to legislate, and quick".
When you try to propose a SpaceX sized idea to a bunch of smart engineers in EU, the
immediate reaction is a non-stop list of detailed explanation why the plan simply can't happen. Having really big plans in the EU is a guaranteed way to be classified as complete bozo.
Don't waste your time looking, there are none or almost none.
EU is simply not geared (anymore) for this type of endeavor to succeed:
When you try to propose a SpaceX sized idea to a bunch of smart engineers in EU, the immediate reaction is a non-stop list of detailed explanation why the plan simply can't happen. Having really big plans in the EU is a guaranteed way to be classified as complete bozo.