Why Europe's next great companies will be built differently, and why I’m betting on Lisbon

One of the hardest parts of being a founder is the loneliness.

You live in a future that does not yet exist, people around you struggle to understand you. Your mum hopes you get a proper job.

A lot has been written about what makes Silicon Valley special. Much of it comes down to one thing: being surrounded by people who understand and cheer for you.

But I think the next generation of great companies won’t be built by recreating that. They’ll be built by founders who are responding to something deeper: a growing exhaustion with platforms that manipulate, systems that extract, and companies that treat growth as permission to do harm.

People aren’t just craving better products. They’re craving companies they can actually trust.

That is a different brief. And it calls for a different kind of founder, building in a different kind of place.

What I’ve found in Lisbon, and what I believe is quietly becoming Europe’s greatest advantage, is a generation of builders who are ambitious enough to compete globally, and principled enough to refuse the old playbook. Companies rooted in openness, collaboration, and a simple but radical idea: that success should be defined by earning trust, not just capturing attention.

And in many ways, it proves that the time for Europe has come.

Arriving With Nothing But an Idea

I’ve been building ventures for more than twenty years across China, Hong Kong, London, New York, and other global hubs. I’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t, in places where billions flow into innovation.

Lisbon was different. I didn’t come here to launch a startup. I came on holiday: a surf trip during a long sabbatical. I knew no one. No network. No co-founders, investors, or team.

When I decided to build again, I had to start from scratch. That’s why I want to share this story: to break the self-fulfilling prophecy I’m tired of hearing, that you have to move away to make it.

My journey as a startup builder in Lisbon started at Web Summit. I walked into a room full of strangers and did something reckless: I stood up and asked for help turning an idea into reality.

What happened next didn’t just confirm I was in the right place. It made me realise Lisbon may be one of the best places in the world to build a startup right now.

A Calculated Bet on Builders

Here’s one anecdote that proves my point: last September, Meetball (the startup I am working on) was still just a prototype, far from ready for public use.

I explained the vision to João Nunes Rosado at Unicorn Factory Lisboa. He told me their flagship event, the Entrepreneurship Awards, was coming up. Then he asked a simple question:

Would Meetball be ready to test there?

It was a huge opportunity. The team went all in, nights and days of relentless work. When the event arrived, the product was rough, but it worked well enough: more than half of the participants engaged, made connections, and gave feedback that shaped the product.

João and his team weren’t naive. They had reviewed and set minimum requirements before supporting us. It wasn’t blind trust, it was a calculated bet on builders. A safe path would have been to wait until the product was “perfect.” Instead, they gave us the chance to test and improve. The kind of early support that startups need.

Lisbon’s ecosystem is full of institutions and people that don’t just cheer, they give startups real opportunities to prove themselves.

The Startup Ecosystem

Lisbon’s startup ecosystem is built by people who value collaboration and actively support one another. Everyone is busy, yet everyone seems to have the time to lend a hand when asked.

When we needed office space, VCs like Ground Capital and startups like Wincredible offered theirs. When we needed guidance on setting up a company, Startup Lisboa’s One Stop Shop provided practical support. When we needed fresh talent, Nova University Lisbon and Técnico opened doors, bringing energy and experimentation into our team.

Communities like the 351 Portuguese Startup Association, Redbridge, Portugal Tech Week, and local chapters of Startup Grind and Techstars act as the connective tissue of the ecosystem. Together, they create something bigger than any single entity, the hallmark of a true startup community.

The Competitive Advantage of Europe

People are exhausted by platforms that manipulate them, systems that mislead them, and companies that treat growth as a license to extract.

The next wave of great founders aren’t idealists. They want to generate real wealth, because they understand that money brings influence, and influence is how you change systems. But they refuse to do it by eroding the thing that actually makes a company last: trust.

It turns out the world is hungry for exactly that balance. Companies built by people who deeply care about what they are solving will earn trust by being open about the choices they make. 

That combination, ambition without compromise, may be Europe’s greatest competitive advantage. And investors who understand that are already paying attention.

Several forces are converging in Lisbon right now that point to something bigger than one city’s success story. Global operators arriving with capital and hard-won experience. Portuguese who built careers abroad and came back with global networks and a desire to contribute. A young generation of local founders who no longer believe they have to leave to build something ambitious.

I see it in my own team. The people building with us refuse to compromise their values for short-term gain. But they are building for the world.

I believe Europe won’t just produce more successful companies. It will produce companies worth believing in. And Lisbon, with its unique mix of global talent, returning diaspora, and homegrown ambition, is where I place that bet.

The Builder Mindset

I could write an essay about what frustrates me about building in Lisbon. Investors can be risk-averse. Bureaucracy is a pain. There is literally an office called “Empresa na Hora” (Company in One Hour) where incorporating a company can still take months.

Or I can tell you about all the great things that make it super cool to build here! What defines this city is the response to problems.

I remember venting to João at Startup Portugal about how long it was taking to incorporate our company. He asked one simple question:

“Give me one practical thing we can improve.”

The energy here is focused on solving challenges. Discussions center on attracting investors, supporting growth, and preparing the ecosystem for the next stage. The 351 Association is a perfect example: founders, investors, and policymakers working together, not waiting for someone else to build it.

Lisbon also has a unique scale. It feels like a village, you run into the same people at events, cafés, coworking spaces, and meetups. Yet it’s big enough to test ideas at city scale. This village-city balance creates fertile ground for experimentation.

The community ties it all together. People cheer, give feedback, and push you to improve. Belief plus accountability, that is how ecosystems thrive.

Having built across multiple global ecosystems, I can say there is something special about building in Lisbon.

A City Full of Builders

Every week is packed with startup events, meetups, talks, demo nights, and gatherings.

Those conversations form the connective tissue of the ecosystem. If you’re a founder in Lisbon, you don’t need to cook, there’s always someone handing out pizza at a cool event. But the real value is the advice, the network, and the collaborative energy.

I built my entire team by going to events and sharing my vision. The builders are here.

The Bet I’m Still Making

I arrived in Lisbon with no contacts, no network, and no plan to start a company.

One year later, I’m surrounded by collaborators and supporters who genuinely want to see us succeed. 

That didn’t happen because Lisbon is perfect. Every emerging ecosystem has its challenges.

And to be clear, I don’t believe Lisbon is the only place where great startups can be built. Strong ecosystems exist in many cities around the world. Trying to rank them or declare a single “best place” misses the point.

What actually matters is something much simpler.

Ecosystems become great when the people inside them decide to make them great. When communities focus not just on what is missing, but on how to build what is needed. That is the spirit I have experienced in Lisbon.

I arrived here knowing no one. One year later I’m building with people who refuse to compromise and refuse to stay small. Lisbon is where that generation is gathering. I know, because I’m building with them.