Building tech bridges on both sides of the Atlantic - Main contents
It has been at least 30 years since Silicon Valley became a byword for U.S. high-tech companies and startups. This was an innovative pioneering community that was keen to push digital boundaries - and it remains so today.
Since that time, a lot has changed in technology entrepreneurship.
It has become a truly global phenomenon, built on a system of interconnected elements - digital ecosystems - which do not recognise borders and which are re-shaping entire markets, changing the way we work and live.
These ecosystems have become more interconnected between themselves.
Startup companies have become more international, with a digital footprint that is not meant to be limited to one country. Their aim is, after all, to expand and scale up.
Given the pivotal role that tech startups play in the global information economy, the importance of healthy startup ecosystems spanning countries and continents is very likely to increase in the future.
This is the background to a series of events being organised on the U.S. west coast next week - Startup Europe Comes to Silicon Valley (SEC2SV) - where leading EU tech companies, investors and policymakers will aim to encourage closer ties between the two regions and build bridges between the US and EU’s tech sectors. My colleague Günther Oettinger will be present at some of the week's events.
It has been organised by Mind the Bridge as part of the European Commission’s Startup Europe initiative, which looks at the resources that entrepreneurs need - like venture capital and accelerators - and aims to strengthen the business environment for web and ICT entrepreneurs so that their ideas and business can start and grow.
And Europe's tech scene has already been growing for many years.London and Berlin now rank as some of the most important startup hubs in the world; many European startups are now seeing rapid growth rates in exit value.
We are producing a new generation of startups that can have a disruptive and positive impact on many areas of the global economy.
I think that the tech communities on either side of the Atlantic can help each other.
Their goals are the same: to expand into new markets by scaling up beyond their borders and to expand their individual businesses, by forging new relationships with their customers, end-users and suppliers, with their partners, developers and data source providers.
More broadly, I believe that Europe and the United States have the same goals when it comes to maximising the positive impacts of digital technologies in creating jobs and growth.
The week's events are not a one-off - rather, they are the starting point of a pragmatic process of discussion and cooperation between the EU and Silicon Valley.
They will also be a good forum to improve the understanding in Silicon Valley of the policies that surround and underpin the increasingly dynamic European startup ecosystem - particularly our project to build a Digital Single Market (DSM).
SEC2SV will provide an occasion for creating more awareness about the European technology sector, as well as the business and investment opportunities that it offers for U.S. tech companies to tap into a significant EU market.
This is a core element of our 'digital philosophy', that the future DSM should mean more opportunities for trade, investment and innovation. Not only for Europe, but globally - which also means for the United States.
It is a tremendous opportunity for the entire transatlantic tech community to push the boundaries of the global startup landscape. I wish SEC2SV every success.
Another blog soon.
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