The European tech ecosystem no longer lacks capital, or even success. However, there remains an essential battle to win, that of talent. It is around this issue that Balderton Capital is launching “Built in Europe”, a campaign bringing together more than a hundred founders and leaders among the most emblematic of European tech, from Revolut to Mistral AI, including Wayve, ElevenLabs and The Exploration Company.
Deployed simultaneously in Paris, London, Berlin, Munich and Stockholm, the campaign has a simple objective: to convince more engineers, developers, researchers and business profiles to join European startups rather than large groups or American technology giants.
Behind the posters installed in the heart of the main technological hubs of the continent also hides a very concrete tool. BuiltInEurope.com hosts a recruitment platform designed to aggregate job offers from the thousand most dynamic technology startups in Europe. Developed by Balderton using data feeds and API integrations, it aims to facilitate the meeting between growing companies and the talents likely to join them.
The initiative comes at a special time for European tech. In recent years, the ecosystem has seen the emergence of a new generation of champions in artificial intelligence, defense, space, cybersecurity and fintech. However, these companies continue to face intense competition to recruit the most qualified profiles.
“There has never been a better time to build from Europe. The talent is there. The capital is there. The ecosystem is there. And the ambition is high,” says Anton Osika, co-founder of Lovable. An observation shared by Alex Kendall, co-founder and director of Wayve, who considers that the most complex and decisive technologies of the coming decades are being developed today within startups.
Beyond the communication operation, Balderton seeks above all to change the perception of careers in European tech. For a long time, the most prestigious paths led to large international groups or to Silicon Valley. From now on, European companies like Mistral AI, Revolut, ElevenLabs or The Exploration Company intend to demonstrate that it is possible to participate from Europe in the construction of world-class technologies.
This battle for talent has become a strategic issue, whether in artificial intelligence or in defense technologies, access to the best profiles now constitutes a competitive advantage as important as access to financing. For European startups, attracting engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs capable of building the next generation of champions has become an essential condition for their growth.
With “Built in Europe”, everyone is betting that European talents no longer necessarily need to leave to participate in the great technological adventures of their time.
