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Europe needs to tell its story better

Adyen co-founder's advice to European entrepreneurs

Fortune1 min

1Adyen's success story

The Adyen co-founder recounts the journey from being employee #9 in 2007 to building Europe's most valuable fintech. He emphasizes customer focus, product quality, and disciplined execution as key to this success.

2New venture Noah

After meeting his new partner in 2024, the founder launched Noah, a stablecoin-based platform. Their mission is to build infrastructure enabling money to move at internet speed, promising fundamental changes to financial systems.

3Europe's quiet strength

The article highlights how European entrepreneurs' modest approach is both a strength and weakness. While product focus is crucial, the ability to articulate vision is equally important for attracting resources.

4Lesson from the US

American entrepreneurs' skill in describing futures that don't yet exist is cited as exemplary. Storytelling is framed not as exaggeration but as belief-building, crucial for attracting talent and investment.

5Europe's hidden advantages

Fragmented markets forcing global thinking from day one, resource constraints breeding discipline - these apparent disadvantages are revealed as competitive strengths for European startups.

6Vision-execution balance

The conclusion stresses that category-defining companies combine great products with compelling visions. Europe doesn't lack ambition but needs to stop hiding it and start telling its story more effectively.

Original article: Fortune — Avrupa'nın hikayesini anlatması gerekiyor