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Report on Tech Skills and European Startups

Report on Tech Skills and European Startups

CTOs & Tech Co-Founders: European Startups and the Competition over Tech Talent

In our new report, co-published with Etinx, we investigate the tech skills of startup founders in Europe. We analyzed 3,000 profiles of founders from 35 European countries and interviewed startups and support organizations from across Europe.

Our main findings:

  • Only about one third (34.56%) of startup founders in Europe have relevant tech skills.
  • Nine of the top ten European startup cities have a below-average share of tech-skilled founders.
  • Among founders with tech skills, only 32.1% are female.
CTOs & Tech Co-Founders: European Startups and the Competition over Tech Talent

Report by Etinx and Startup Heatmap Europe

The report explains how important it is for startups to attract tech talent, especially in the early stages. Yet startups face key challenges:

  • Identifying the right people with the right skillset: What makes a good CTO?
  • Affordability challenge: Startups find it difficult to compete with larger companies on salaries.
  • Talent source: Diversity and inclusion could help to widen the tech talent pool.

How to support startups in the competition over tech talent

To tackle these challenges, the report also discusses options and offers solutions to startup founders in need of tech talent.

Etinx, co-author of this report, is a transnational venture studio that helps startups develop their product and build their company.

Arguing that outsourcing is not a long-term solution for startups, Etinx helps businesses to develop their product and build their company through a mix of cash and equity.

Insights for founders and ecosystems

With reports like this one, we seek to better understand important trends and dynamics in the European startup ecosystem. Our goal is to support ecosystem builders, investors, and governments to make smarter decisions and plan strategically. Together we can empower startup entrepreneurs to innovate and tackle the most pressing problems of our times.

We invite you to find out more about our reports and publications, our Startup Heatmap platform, and DEEPSEA – our accelerator programs for ecosystem builders and innovation managers.

We thank all interview partners for their support.