Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

What if the single biggest challenge for European founders isn’t talent or ambition, but the system itself? In this conversation, Andreas Klinger takes us from his roots as a founder and investor to his unexpected role in shaping European startup policy. Sparked by frustration with bureaucracy, mismatched legal frameworks, and international skepticism, Andreas and his peers launched EU Inc - a bold push for a pan-European legal entity designed to level the playing field for entrepreneurs. Exclusively for our newsletter subscribers, Andreas has shared additional insights below.

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How to create more moonshots in Europe

What you will get out of this episode

In our conversation, Andreas shares:

• How to understand the systemic disadvantages European founders face—and why EU Inc could be the fix.

• How to rally communities, investors, and policymakers around a single shared cause.

• Why building ambition circles matters more than location in shaping global startups.

• How to see Europe’s hidden hubs and micro-ecosystems as global power players in robotics, AI, and deep tech.

• and much more!

Our main take away’s

1. Systemic barriers, not talent, hold Europe back: Founders in Europe play on “hard mode,” battling bureaucracy, fragmented laws, and investor hesitation. Simplifying corporate law and creating EU Inc could drastically reduce friction and accelerate growth.

2. Community power creates momentum: EU Inc gained traction not because of one voice, but because hundreds of founders, investors, and associations rallied together, proving what collective action can achieve when focused on one shared solution.

3. Ambition is contagious: The most successful European founders surround themselves with high-intensity peers. By building “ambition circles,” they create an environment where extraordinary goals become the norm rather than the exception.

4. Europe’s hidden hubs are world-class: From Zurich’s robotics ecosystem to Estonia’s defense tech scene, Europe already hosts cutting-edge clusters. What’s missing is bold branding and cross-regional collaboration to position them as global leaders.

5. Sustainability depends on passion and control: Avoiding burnout isn’t about working less but about working on what excites you and maintaining control over progress through small, frequent wins.

Additional material on the topic

• Andreas Klinger ⅹ Europe's Most Ambitious Startups

• EU Inc Org

How to reach out to Andreas

• LinkedIn

• Prototype Capital

Exclusive from Andreas

What role do you think AI-native infrastructure (legal, financing, company building) could play in making Europe more competitive?

AI and software in general is a great way to wrap complexity and hide it from users. Europe got plenty of complexity.

What’s one very practical thing founders can do this year to strengthen the European founder community, beyond just tweeting or wearing a cap?

Improve the ambition of the 5 people around you, you spend most of your time with. Eg by moving together, organizing meetups, organizing weekly stammtische, by working together on side projects. This small self-selected networks are insane leverage tools for you and everyone around you.

If you could clone one founder mindset you’ve seen in Europe and spread it across the continent, which would it be?

The founder of Rivan – Harvey Hodd – I interviewed him for my YouTube channel.

His previous company was in ecommerce. He simply said, this is important, let me learn everything i need to learn to build these machines and then built the first prototype himself.

But what also inspired me: Every second i wasnt filming him he was carrying a box, screwing a bolt, helping a coworker, reiterating current priorities with a project team. They got their roadmap and current milestones on the wall. They are relentlessly focused around their current goals.

It's not the hours, which people online mention all the time. They are important too sure. But it's mainly the intensity and focus in these hours that inspires me from founders like this.

What is success for you?

Enjoy what I do, make sure my family is well, enable others to do the say.

⁠What books, podcasts, articles inspired you?

• Breakneck - Dan Wang

• About 50 hard sci-fi books: The Expanse, Hail Mary, dozens others

What is one “growth hack” (be it business, health or personal-wise) that has a positive impact on you or the company?

Never try to beat a game, break the game and invent your own. in spaces where outliar success matters it's usually better to be unique than to be "same but a tad just better". combine that with a ton of work and long-term thinking