European AI and Tech Startups Launch 'Built in Europe' Campaign

Four notable European technology companies—Revolut, Mistral, Wayve, and ElevenLabs—have joined forces to support the 'Built in Europe' advertising campaign, which seeks to promote the viability of scaling startups within Europe instead of moving operations to Silicon Valley in the United States.

The campaign was initiated by venture capital firm Balderton Capital and is endorsed by more than 100 European startup founders and CEOs. It publicly encourages both entrepreneurs and tech professionals to build or join European startups and aims to shift the narrative surrounding the European tech sector.

Longstanding concerns persist that Europe continues to lose startup talent to the U.S., where larger pools of investment and access to Silicon Valley's ecosystem are viewed as advantageous for founders seeking to grow rapidly. European governments and investors have echoed these concerns, citing the pressure felt by many founders to relocate in search of funding and opportunities.

Suranga Chandratillake, a partner at Balderton Capital, emphasized the disparity between the firm's recent successes—including significant investments and exits in 2025—and the generally negative portrayal of the European tech landscape on social media and in news outlets. Chandratillake noted, “Every time the team opened up our LinkedIn or opened up the newspaper, we would read all this negative stuff about ‘Europe is not doing this right, it needs more money, we’re losing people to this, we’re losing people to that.’”

According to Chandratillake, the campaign seeks to move the conversation from speculation about Europe's potential to recognition of its current achievements. He added, “There are people who read those headlines and think there is no funding for companies in Europe, so 'I am going to have to move to the US'. And it’s just not true.”

The advertising initiative, which requires a six-figure budget, will appear on billboards and in digital formats across cities including London, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, and Munich. Its timing is coordinated with high-profile industry events, such as London Tech Week, Founders Forum, SXSW Festival, Stockholm's Sommarminglet, and throughout VivaTech in Paris.

A central element of the campaign is BuiltInEurope.com, a newly launched job platform that aggregates technology roles from the top 1,000 European startups to link founders with available talent and strengthen the sector's growth trajectory.

Alex Kendall, CEO of Wayve, an autonomous vehicle startup, highlighted the importance of building ambitious technology in Europe. “If you think about what’s going to matter in the next 100 years, it’s the really hard, deep technology, and startups are where that’s built,” Kendall said. “It’s the most adventurous, exciting thing you could do—build or join a startup in Europe.”

Anton Osika, CEO of Lovable, further echoed the momentum, stating: “There has never been a better time to build from Europe than now. The talent is here, the capital is here, the ecosystem is here. And we have the ambition to match.”

In parallel, both EU and UK governments are advancing policies to retain tech talent and foster the growth of AI startups within Europe. The EU’s €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund is making targeted investments in promising startups, while the UK's government-backed Sovereign AI fund aims to ensure leading AI companies scale domestically.

tech.eu