What is preventing Europe from attaining the same success as Silicon Valley?
Leo Apotheker insists that, contrary to popular belief, Europeans are not simply limited to going to the beach for leisure activities.
Mr Apotheker was the leader of SAP, a German business software corporation which attained great success in its sector. He was also briefly head of US giant Hewlett-Packard.
He holds that Europe has much to offer.
The 69-year-old, who is partially retired, spends his time between Paris and London and for the past decade has been offering advice to small software businesses.
Today, he serves as part of a squad of tech veterans with a mission to put an end to Europe's unsatisfactory performance when it comes to generating big tech companies.
Mr Apotheker is associated with Boardwave, an idea which was conceived by Phill Robinson. Mr Robinson is a past software executive from Britain who had been living in Silicon Valley and retired following his Parkinson's Disease diagnosis.
Mr Robinson pondered how he could raise the tech sector in Europe to match the standard of California's. This pondering was the genesis of Boardwave.
The day after Boardwave's website went live, Mr Apotheker was welcomed onboard. As Mr Robinson expressed, their appreciation for the journeys they have had and the chance to impart their knowledge.
They have a strong motivation stemming from a feeling of urgency due to the fleeting nature of time and a wish to keep future technological innovators from having to go through the same difficulties they did.
Mr Apotheker emphasizes that Europe does possess some prominent figures, particularly in areas such as industrial design courses and Britain's progress in financial software. Additionally, London's fintech industry garners his admiration.
Yet why aren't there more?
He disputes the customary notion that it is considerably simpler to acquire funds in the US.
I don't believe this is related to securing funding, as there is an abundance of venture capital firms in Europe.
Venture capital firm Atomico forecasts that investors will put $50 billion into European tech businesses in 2023.
European tech entrepreneurs face a difficulty in that they are without peers.
Mr. Apotheker said that while living in Silicon Valley, there were always people available to provide advice. He reminisced that when he was running SAP, he would talk to the wall for counsel.
Boardwave is attempting to provide guidance to other corporate leaders to promote their development. Being a supervisor can be an extremely solitary job. You may experience anxieties about a certain issue during the night that continue to haunt you. Having the opportunity to make a phone call and converse with someone is of immense benefit.
He envisages Boardwave's team protecting the next generation from staying up late and helping their grand aspirations to become realities.
Businesses are increasingly utilizing more technology. They are taking advantage of the latest developments in the field to gain a competitive edge. This includes utilizing advanced software solutions, automation, and other digital tools to enhance operations. By taking these measures, companies can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase their overall productivity.
Mr Apotheker laments his lack of guidance when running SAP, wishing for someone to confide in and receive feedback from. "There were many decisions I had difficulty making at SAP and I wish I had a mentor who had been in my shoes before me, someone to discuss my ideas with."
Boardwave was also birthed from the realization that the available time of wise elders is limited. "I have a few strands of hair left, and many of them are gray. Therefore, I am willing to devote the time I have remaining to this."
Discussing decisions that were not successful.
We discuss the errors we have committed. We have made several mistakes, but we have achieved some success as well!
The outlook of Silicon Valley stands in stark contrast to the oft-cited scepticism of Europe.
Mr Apotheker appreciates the importance of probing inquiries in an industry with multiple dishonesty issues, like that of Theranos, the Silicon Valley business led by Elizabeth Holmes, who has just been incarcerated for eleven years for deceiving financiers.
I hail from both German and French ancestry, and while I can be cynical and skeptical, I use this trait to my benefit.
Mr Robinson, aged 58, is open about how his Parkinson's Disease motivates him. "I have a lot of experience in the software industry that I'd like to pass on before my mental capacity decreases."
He was among the first to obtain a computer science degree in the UK and his career in software business commenced at the age of 23 when he started to work in the Silicon Valley.
He believes that the European talent pool has enormous potential but is split up over a vast area. In contrast, Silicon Valley is a much smaller region, of only 40 miles in length. He set up Boardwave in his kitchen, in 2022, and since then, its membership has grown to include 800 chiefs and business owners across Europe.
Registering with Boardwave enables start-ups to access mentors to help them reach the milestone of £100m turnover, at which point they can expand their reach globally.
Finland's largest annual tech event, Slush, is in line with Boardwave's mission to amplify Europe's most cutting-edge companies. The conference provides a platform for early-stage companies to network with potential investors.
Juhani Hintikka is the head of WithSecure, a Finnish cybersecurity business with international reach, specializing in the fight against malicious software, hacking and ransom demands.
He does charitable coaching for local new businesses and agrees with the idea behind Boardwave. "People are looking for counsel and I am attempting to help."
Despite his recognition that innovators are hindered due to the division of Europe, with a number of various business approaches different from the broad market that American businesses are equipped to draw from, he concedes.
Mr Apotheker is highly ambitious and holds Airbus as a standard of excellence that other European enterprises could strive for. He claims that Airbus's success is a great illustration of what can be achieved when European businesses join forces, noting that the planemaker is now the #1 in the world.
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