For decades, the interior of European technology have looked across the Atlantic with a mix of admiration and frustration. Taking envious eyes on deep pocket VVs, a large market of customers and an elite talent pipeline, they often see the US as a promised land for business growth.
The feeling of fuel calls for Europe to copy the model of Silicon Valley. But Vidya Peter, CEO of Datanipper Dutch Unicorn, argues that this approach is wrong.
Instead of simply imitating American technology, it requires the beginnings and scaling to embrace Europe’s strengths. A key is a steady, long -term growth.
“Five years ago, it wasn’t too fashionable to be lucrative,” Peters TNW tells. “But I think here is European sensitivity is a strength, because European companies have always taken this approach, and now it is extremely highly valued in the current economic climate.”
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This strongly opens with the mentality of the growth of Silicon Valley-at-All-os-os. European businesses are already benefiting from this special approach. “WHen you see some of these companies emerging, they are much more sustainable in their growth and competitive advantage, ”says Peter.
Datasnipper is a main example. The company was lucrative early, rapidly escalated, and recently hit a $ 1 billion rating. Before her main conversation in Tnw conference In June, Peter shared some secrets after the company’s success.
One is based on another European brand: Data protection. Privacy and safety are integral features of the essential product of Datasnipper, an empowered platform that automates repeated finance and audit procedures.
“Been is super important for our clients that we are not training in their documents and data – and that has been a central part of how we built our products,” Peter says. “We review and look at their data to provide knowledge, but the data are theirs.”
The company also has to comply with the strict EU data laws. Critics argue that these rules hinder innovation, but Peter points to the advantages.
“Europe really has the opportunity to lead in this space by balanced innovation with customer data protection,” she says.
By inculcating security and transparency in him, it continues, the beginnings and stairs can create a competitive advantage over American rivals.
“Making it from a trust basis can help European companies win clients in a different way than their American counterparts can.”
DataSnipper also has roots in another European sign: A bar in Amsterdam.
By Amsterdam to the world
In 2017, Maarten Alblas and Jonas Ruyter were drinking a beer. Joining them was a friend who worked in the audit for the KPMG. He faced a common wrench in his profession: a great spreadsheet that required painful control. He had to search through the bills for invoices, bank statements and bills-all the time by checking the data.
Alblas and Ruyter believed that software could ease his suffering. They settled in a solution: an intelligent automation platform that will dramatically increase the quality and efficiency of ordinary audit procedures. The idea led to the founding of Datasnipper.
Their software testified with a hit with auditors. Soon, their user base had spread from the Netherlands to the UK and Germany. After finding success in Europe, they aimed at new markets beyond the continent.
To further promote growth, the company named Vidya Peter as CEO in 2023. She joined dear expertise in Silicon Valley, most recently as Mulesoft’s leading marketing official. During its time in the software giant, the company went public in NYSE before it was bought by Salesforce for $ 6.5BN.
She later gained extensive experience in Europe’s technology landscape. In 2019, it served as the main operating official of Marqeta, a payment processing firm. Again, she helped her company go public. In 2022, Marqeta made its market debut in Nasdaq. The company ended the day with a market cap of over $ 16BN.
In Datasnipper, she placed her images in accelerating global growth and expansion.
The strategy has reaped rewards. In 2024, Deloitte called Datasnipper the technology company with faster growth in the Netherlands for the second year in a row. Last month, the business reached the coveted unicorn status after collecting $ 100 million in a $ 1 billion rating. Over 500,000 audit and finance professionals in more than 125 countries now use software.
As Datasnipper escalated, the company benefited from another European advantage: access to international talent.
Datasnipper’s talent pipeline
“People underestimate the ability to employ from all over the world here,” Peter says.
Datasnipper has benefited directly from this approach. From the Netherlands, the company can hire global talent with a visa with ease more than in the US Peter Little as “a secret weapon” for European beginnings and stairs.
“MUCH is much easier to do this with your visa options in Europe, the ability to issue work visas is significantly easier in Europe than in the SH.BA”
A diverse range of people now work for Datasnipper. within Amsterdam’s headquarters, 70% of employees are from outside the Netherlands.
“This is very valuable because we have any language you may want to sell in Europe, and you can draw them here in Amsterdam,” Peter says.
The global view of Datasnipper has been useful in expanding it. After settling in Europe, Datasnipper opened offices in New York, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City.
Despite its global expansion, Datasnipper remains firmly rooted in the Netherlands. One of the many attractions of the country is a simple matter of time.
“People forget that America is not the heart of the world,” Peter says. “You can wake up to Europe and sell to Asia Pacific. And after your lunch, you can sell at the SH.BA”
The pros and cons of Europe
Despite the advantages of life in Europe, the beginnings here still face essential challenges. One is divergent regulations, tax laws and banking systems, which represent roadblocks to grow across the continent.
“We are not fully using to be part of a European Union and allow companies to expand within the continent,” Peter says. “It would be extremely useful if we could open places within Europe, just like you in SH.BA, in another state.”
Funding is another obstacle. European VCs tend to be more dangerous, making capital more difficult to secure. “We’ve had talks with perhaps every main company of the Entrepreneurship Capital in the SH.BA – they were shaking at our door,” Peter says. “However, European VCs were not reaching.”
For Datasnipper, this was not a big problem. Only US firms had produced a rounded round. However, Peter was surprised: where were European investors? With the curious time, they began to arrive after the fund was announced.
“Was the appetite of danger?” Peter wonder. “Was what was what made them a little more careful?”
These are common questions in European technology. But the beginnings and stairs do not need to wait for the answers.
Peter advises them to think across borders. “Don’t be confined to where you are in or in Europe,” she says. “Arrived at VC all over the world.”
When this happens, Peter hopes that Europe’s investment landscape will be moved to a bolder funding model. But even if it does not happen, companies across the continent can create their own paths towards success.
Vidya Peter will provide further knowledge in Tnw conferencewhich takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are Now on sale. To get 30% off, use TNWXMEDIA2025 Code in the check.