Prospects for start up's in Europe over the next few years

Starting a business in Europe has become very lucrative within the past several years. Many of the world’s top companies call Europe home, and the increasingly investor-friendly atmosphere is making Europe a new hotbed of entrepreneurial activity.



It’s safe to say that David Langer, co-founder of the London-based GroupSpaces, believes in the benefits of European company formation .



"If you’re an entrepreneur complaining about Europe not being a good place to build a company, I have some simple advice for you: come to London," he wrote in a January column in TechCrunch. "Because everything you need to build a billion-dollar company is right here on your doorstep."



Langer isn’t alone. Skype founder Niklas Zennström also believes in the prospects of European company formation .



"Today, the whole culture in Europe – from talent to funding – is so much healthier," Zennström said. "You have people who take risks, more entrepreneurs, and more investors who know what it takes to bet on people rather than on companies with cash flow. An ecosystem is being built."



Prospects for startups in Europe have never looked better for those interested in forming a company abroad. Langer writes in his column that the biggest noticeable difference is how attitudes have changed in Europe. In the past, an entrepreneur might have spent years working up a business, selling it, and then moving on without mentoring the future generation of entrepreneurs. This is a practice, Langer says, which has led to great success in the U.S., but until recently was not adopted by European investors and business owners.



European entrepreneurs who have experienced success are now becoming angel-investors, who are known to make seed-stage investments. This is fostering the ecosystem of startups in Europe that is rapidly growing.

With the U.S. still on shaky ground, Europe is looking more appealing for entrepreneurs and investors. Many countries offer unique benefits, such as Ireland’s zero-percent corporate tax for certain businesses until 2014.



And with websites like CompanyFormations.eu, getting help with starting a business overseas has never come so easy. Websites like this will advise business owners on the type of company registration they should consider, and it will even take care of company registration procedures for a fee.



The European startup ecosystem is continually growing in popularity among investors and business-minded people. Now is the time to jump on board.