We built a $1 billion tech unicorn in Europe, living proof that our economy is just as dynamic as America's. Success comes down to three core principles

"The world tends to see Europe as fragmented, bureaucratic, and underfunded - a tough place to build global companies. But those very constraints are why Europe is producing some of the most resilient billion-dollar businesses today. Scarcity forces discipline. Fragmentation gives startups diverse talent. And limited funding pushes founders to act globally from day one. In today's market, where investors reward efficiency over hype and customers demand solutions that work across borders, Europe's supposed weaknesses have become its greatest strengths."

"Progress beats polish every time In DataSnipper's early days, our founders didn't have much capital, brand recognition, and certainly no fancy office. They had a few laptops, a shared workspace that doubled up as the lunchroom, and a product that barely worked. That might sound like a list of disadvantages, but I believe they're the main reasons why the business moved fast enough to win."

"When you don't have extensive resources, you must turn to being creative, resourceful, and fast. Instead of over-engineering, you test ideas quickly. Instead of waiting for the "perfect" conditions, you take action with what you have. For example, they ruthlessly focused on getting our product into customers' hands as quickly as possible. Often, far too early. This was intentional. It created a very swift feedback loop to build and improve our offering. They moved fast and iterated rapidly."

Constraints in Europe—scarcity, fragmentation, and limited funding—create discipline and force startup teams to be creative, resourceful, and fast. Fragmentation supplies diverse talent and drives founders to design products for multiple markets from day one. Limited capital makes teams prioritize progress over polish, pushing rapid experimentation, early customer engagement, and tight feedback loops. Scrappiness encourages employees to wear multiple hats, learn new skills, and treat obstacles as puzzles to solve. In markets that reward efficiency and cross-border solutions, disciplined, globally-minded companies are more resilient and better positioned to scale to billion-dollar valuations.

Read at Fortune