Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

Europe is brimming with potential - world-class researchers, deep industrial expertise, and a wealth of data. Yet, as Nicole Büttner reminds us, potential alone won’t carry us into the future.

In this episode, she challenges founders to think bigger, move faster, and build bolder. From navigating design partnerships with corporates to escaping the dreaded POC limbo, Nicole shares an insider’s perspective on what it really takes to scale. Beyond strategy, she speaks candidly about courage, mindset, and the weight of responsibility that comes with leadership. Exclusively for our newsletter subscribers, Nicole has shared additional insights below.

🎧 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, and for the first time, you can watch the full episode also on YouTube 👀

In the meantime: Follow the Gradient and stay tuned!

🫶🏼 Melanie & Christian

PS: Has this e-mail been forwarded to you? Sign up here.

How to build a winning European startup ecosystem

What you will get out of this episode

In our conversation, Nicole shares:

• How to navigate corporate partnerships without getting stuck in pilot purgatory

• Why courage and speed - not perfection - are critical to European founders

• How to build defensibility in AI by going deep into workflows and industries

• How to shift from a local to a global ambition from day one

• and much more!

Our main take away’s

1. Ecosystems create leverage: Success in European AI won’t come from isolated brilliance but from connective tissue between startups, corporates, academia, and investors. Founders who embed themselves in these ecosystems gain momentum and credibility.

2. Partnerships must align with incentives: The smartest collaborations aren’t about landing big corporate logos - they’re about working with partners who feel the pain of the problem and are motivated to solve it with you. Without shared urgency, design partnerships risk becoming dead ends.

3. Courage beats caution: Perfectionism slows progress. Leaders need to design systems that reward speed, risk-taking, and storytelling. By reframing defaults - such as asking why not to share data - founders can shift cultures toward bold action.

4. Global ambition from day one matters: Too many European startups build for their immediate region. Nicole urges founders to shed this mindset and aim to become global industry leaders. This ambition influences everything - from team design to go-to-market strategy.

5. Defensibility lies in depth, not features: In the age of rapid AI innovation, moats aren’t about secret algorithms. They come from deep integration into workflows, intimate knowledge of industries, and closeness to real customers and problems.

6. Leadership is human, not just strategic: Scaling isn’t just about frameworks - it’s about people. Nicole reminds us that founders carry the weight of their teams’ livelihoods. Choosing who to work with, where energy flows, and how to balance resilience with empathy is part of the journey.

From our Partners

Used by Execs at Google and OpenAI

Join 400,000+ professionals who rely on The AI Report to work smarter with AI.

Delivered daily, it breaks down tools, prompts, and real use cases—so you can implement AI without wasting time.

If they’re reading it, why aren’t you?

Join 400K+ pros

How to reach out to Nicole

• LinkedIn

• Merantix Momentum

Exclusive from Nicole

What’s one underrated AI use case you think European startups should be building for right now?

One underrated use case that I think should get more attention is AI for neuroscience, a space we’re really interested in at Merantix Capital. Understanding, simulating, and decoding the human brain is one of AI’s most ambitious frontiers. Unlocking its full potential will create entirely new interfaces between humans and machines, not to mention lead to breakthroughs in treating things like Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline. Europe has the research and deeptech expertise to lead in this highly important space.

Which AI tool or workflow change has made the biggest difference in your own day-to-day productivity?

ChatGPT/Gemini and in workflows: taking more time to properly delegate things

What’s the most overlooked strength of Europe’s startup ecosystem that we don’t celebrate enough?

Capital efficiency

What is success for you?

Having the opportunity to work and connect with some of the brightest minds in my field

What books, podcasts, articles inspired you?

Mostly Murakami and Ishiguro fiction books

What’s one advice, founders should actually ignore?

At the end, no opinion is better than the gut feeling of a successful founder. 

What are habits, activities or rituals that keep you sane?

Sleep and connecting with friends & family

What is one “growth hack” that has a positive impact on you or the company? 

Building the business with a mindset of getting rid of your current job