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London is Europe's "Silicon Valley" simply because it is Europe's largest and most prominent tech economy. Yes, it is a better choice as a city, place, and environment than America's Silicon Valley (the San Francisco Bay Area). By a lot on majority of the objective measures in which we are prone to comparing cities with (though which place you enjoy is your personal preference). The San Francisco Bay Area has more stunning natural features and that's all it has on London.
However, if you're in the tech industry and have the sort of drive to be the best and be in the most competitive environment possible for your profession then obviously the San Francisco Bay Area would be more suited for those causes. It has the largest tech-centric braintrust and accumulated capital of any tech economy on Earth, which may be a benefit for those folks who are looking into getting in the door with their own startup venture. There is no substitute location for that sort of thing.
I would recommend against it very strongly. For many reasons - mostly due to a relative lack of opportunity.
1. As a foreigner, you'll never really get anywhere - in Germany unless you're native speaker or so fluent as to pass for one, they are not welcoming. Maybe as a low-level employee...not as an executive or leader.
2. the tax rates are confiscatory and discouraging for entrepreneurs
3. GPDR is strangling innovation, adoption, and user growth everywhere in the EU
4. The funding/capita ratios are much lower. California as a whole is 6:1 the investment rate of all of Germany. That's just one state with half the population as Germany. Granted its our most successful state for startups..but that disparity should reveal there is far more start-up influence and opportunity here in CA than in Germany.
5. Despite the existing level of startup capital going into Germany, surprisingly little innovation emerges. I challenge anyone to name one German tech startup that has made a global impact. In my experience most startups are limited to regional and national presence- what does come out is IP typically spun off for acquisition by foreign corporations or monetized through a foreign subsidiary.
If you're just looking to have a startup experience in a foreign place (making it that much more challenging and unlikely), then I'd say go on and try it....but if you're trying to maximize opportunities and chances of success...don't do that.
This is hilarious. There is no such thing as the "Silicon Valley of Europe".
Munich (or better yet the entire the Bavaria region) can likely be crowned the scientific innovation hub of Europe (truth be told they actually lead the world in certain fields).
There are start up incubators / hubs set up everywhere these days in Europe. No one region is famous for them over the others (one can say a bunch are better than the rest, but not just a single city alone holds the "Silicon Valley" label).
I agree there is no such "hub" in Europe which is something I like actually which proves people in europe lack communist-centralized like thinking as in other regions. I actually thought about all the european startups/succesfull tech that I know of and none of them seems to be gravitating towards single place:
cd-projekt red: in my opinion the best video game makers of our age, based in eastern europe (poland)
binance.com: likely the most important bitcoin exchange/site...100% chinese but incorporated in eu/malta
localbitcoins: finnish
anydoindirect: dutch
stex.com: estonian
some german startup that produces 100% solar based cars, already having 5000+ pre-order,s may turn out to be the "next tesla"...maybe only they're in Berlin?
some dutch startup that makes 'in vitro' "fake" meat burgers...
In fact I'm willing to say it's either one of these: Amsterdam, Warsaw, Talin estonia. Maybe: Prague, Czechia.
So "eastern europe" or Holland (fine: netherlands...).
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