The European Commission has launched a campaign to inspire would-be high-tech entrepreneurs to build and grow businesses in Europe.
The first element of the Startup Europe campaign is the Startup Europe Leaders Club, a group of successful European IT entrepreneurs enrolled by the Commission as role models. The list includes the creators of the web-based calling service Skype, the online music streaming service Spotify, and the video game franchise Angry Birds.
The campaign will also include activities to make venture capitalists more aware of success stories in web business, and a network to link up crowd-funding platforms specialised in web start-ups.
From January 2014, the campaign will be accompanied by a separate programme to provide research funding for European startups, according to the EurActiv news website.
“We’re trying to show that running to America or selling out your company to America isn’t necessary to be successful,” Commission spokesman Ryan Heath told EurActiv.