{"id":661606,"date":"2025-04-09T08:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T05:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/european-startup-founders-work-longer-hours-than-you-might-think\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T08:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T05:40:16","slug":"european-startup-founders-work-longer-hours-than-you-might-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/european-startup-founders-work-longer-hours-than-you-might-think\/","title":{"rendered":"European startup founders work longer hours than you might think"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d2c097042c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d2c097042c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/european-startup-founders-work-longer-hours-than-you-might-think\/#Whats_motivating_founders\" >What\u2019s motivating founders?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F04%2FUntitled-design-6.jpg&amp;signature=d3de56b6b93b2de384c5120edc47b423\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite recent claims that European startups aren\u2019t working hard enough, new research shows the continent\u2019s founders are putting in serious shifts to turn their ideas into successful businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A survey of 128 founders by early-stage VC firm Antler found that three-quarters of them work more than 60 hours weekly, with 19% exceeding 80 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">German founders emerged as Europe\u2019s hardest workers, with 94% working more than 60 hours weekly and 38% exceeding 80 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daria Stepanova, co-founder of German startup AIRMO, said she\u2019s sacrificed \u201ctime, stability, and relationships\u201d to grow her company. However, she sees a certain level of obsession is a good thing. Otherwise, \u201cwhat you\u2019re building probably isn\u2019t worth building.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swedish entrepreneurs followed closely behind. While UK founders were still working long hours, they were least likely to cross the 80-hour threshold, with only 10% doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 70% describe building their company as \u201ceasily the hardest thing they have ever done.\u201d Yet nearly all (98%) remain passionate about their career choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s despite feeling under<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>reciated for their hard work. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of European founders feel their dedication goes unacknowledged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn Europe, you are more likely to be an Olympic medalist than the founder of a unicorn company,\u201d said Alan Poensgen, a partner at Antler. \u201cWhilst both require similar levels of ambition, resilience, and endurance, founders don\u2019t get the same level of recognition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_motivating_founders\"><\/span>What\u2019s motivating founders?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The survey paints a picture of founders driven more by impact than income. Only 4% cited financial reward as their primary motivation, with the majority instead pointing to creating innovation (27%), positive global impact (22%), and proving they can tackle difficult challenges (19%).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This commitment comes at a cost. Founders identified their biggest sacrifices as work-life balance (61%) and salary reduction (36%). Family concerns add another layer of pressure, with 62% reporting that relatives expressed confusion about their decision to leave stable careers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What keeps these ambitious entrepreneurs awake at night? Execution speed (40%), customer acquisition (24%), and runway concerns (18%) top the list of worries \u2014 reflecting the intense pressure to deliver results with limited resources and time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings come amid a growing debate in European tech over whether workplace culture is holding the region back compared to the US or China.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a podcast <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KpijNrG_w8M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last month, Revolut boss Nik Storonsky criticised European startup entrepreneurs, saying they weren\u2019t working hard enough and valued work-life balance too highly. Those comments followed a lively <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> debate earlier this year about whether French founders lacked the \u201cgrindset\u201d to succeed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Antler\u2019s findings challenge the notion that European founders prioritise balance over hustle \u2014 suggesting that behind the continent\u2019s startup scene is a culture of quiet, often overlooked, hard work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople often see the headlines but not the sleepless nights or personal risks behind them,\u201d said Danyal Oezdeuzenciler, co-founder of London-based Capsa AI. \u201cFounders pour so much into an idea \u2014 financially, emotionally, mentally \u2014 and the resilience it takes is pretty extraordinary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Startup founders from all over Europe are heading to Amsterdam\u00a0for<\/em> <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/41IbD3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TNW Conference<\/a>, which takes place on June 19-20.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tickets\u00a0for the event are <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/4hueZwX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">now on sale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/european-startup-founders-work-long-hours\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite recent claims that European startups aren\u2019t working hard enough, new research shows the continent\u2019s founders are putting in serious shifts to turn their ideas into successful businesses. A survey of 128 founders by early-stage VC firm Antler found that three-quarters of them work more than 60 hours weekly, with 19% exceeding 80 hours.\u00a0 German&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":661607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F04%2FUntitled-design-6.jpg&signature=f7e6a40ccdf554754e314e4a2df20e80","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}