Ciao amici,

Happy Saturday!

I've been thinking a lot about two words that have become Europe's unofficial motto:

"It's impossible."

You've probably heard similar before when it comes to Europe:

"It's impossible to compete with Silicon Valley."

"It's impossible to start a unicorn in Europe."

"It's impossible to change the regulatory landscape."

But here's the fascinating thing...

When Trent McGonaghy (Ocean Protocol founder) moved from Canada to Berlin in 2013, something incredible was happening. Berlin was becoming the crypto capital of Europe. Room 77 had become the first brick & mortar business in the world to accept Bitcoin in summer of 2011. Ethereum was about to set up its dev office there.

The energy was electric. Anything felt possible.

Then came the regulations...

One by one, crypto companies fled to Singapore & Switzerland. AI startups started moving to the US. And now with the new AI Act, we're about to lose what's left of our tech ecosystem.

(This isn't hyperbole - even BASF, with €60B+ in annual revenue, is closing some production facilities in Europe, particularly in Germany, and restructuring due to regulatory burdens)

But here's why I'm still hopeful:

1. Mario Draghi just proposed an €800B investment boost
2. The EU's "28th regime" could revolutionize how we start companies
3. 13,000+ tech leaders are pushing for change through EU Inc
4. Memes (yes, really) are driving awareness like never before

Recently, I sat down with Trent for a deep dive on what it will take to make Europe competitive again.

But what really struck me was his warning about Europe's AI regulations being "the worst piece of legislation since GDPR."

Here’s the link to the full conversation. If you’re interested in hearing the inside scoop on Europe from an incredible entrepreneur, this one's essential viewing!

Alla prossima,

Ale