The Information Age has brought about a lot of major innovations and businesses, all thanks to the power of computing and technology.

This huge spike in both interest and demand for new tech has caused many startups to rise and fall within the notoriously cutthroat Silicon Valley— with a lot claiming that it has already reached its saturation point.

Thankfully, Silicon Valley isn’t the only place where great minds and advanced technology can flourish. In fact, the US isn’t the only leader when it comes to producing successful businesses that advance the latest solutions in the present age.

With the internet securing its position as a staple necessity within populations around the globe, it only followed that businesses would focus on providing more internationally tailored solutions, and a lot of these solutions hail from Europe.

A handful of European countries have veered into tech’s global market due to its promise of larger user bases, especially since European populations are relatively small.

Today, many of these European countries continue to emerge with promising tech businesses and solutions, offering partnerships and cultures vastly different from American startups and organizations.

With that being said, if you want to launch a brand new startup but want to explore beyond the confines of the US borders, you can take a good look at the following list of top European countries with thriving tech companies.

United Kingdom

The number of UK tech startups has been rapidly growing, even despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, in 2021, around £19.1 billion worth of known equity deals were raised by UK tech startups— which is 123% higher than the previous year’s deals alone.

With currently 40,000 startups— and counting— this trend is gaining momentum in growth, which means it won’t be falling any time soon, making it one of the best European countries to build your dream tech business in.

One of the famous UK-based ventures is the media-identifying app, Shazam, launched in 2002 and bought by Apple Inc. in 2018.

Shazam is an application that identifies music, movies, and so much more, based on short clips or samples.

Of course, many UK tech companies have already followed Shazam’s footsteps, such as the food delivery services, Deliveroo, and one of the UK tech industry’s rising stars, the global space-powered communications network, OneWeb.

Only ten years since its launch, OneWeb has already raised $5.4 billion, being well on its way to competing with its closest competition, SpaceX and Blue Skies Space.

With all these top names and more that continuously rise up within the UK’s tech industry, you’ll never run out of solid business partners and insights when it comes to establishing your business within London’s historical borders. Top it all off with regular rounds of the UK’s fine breaktime tea.

Germany

If you’re someone who places high value on efficiency and punctuality, Germany is probably the best country for your next startup launch.

Germany is not just another top contender on this list— they are, in fact, the leader in continental Europe’s tech industry, so it’s not a surprise that Germany has produced its fair share of successful tech startups and businesses.

One of the famous products of the German tech industry is the hotel search and comparison app, Trivago, which is known and used worldwide.

As for startups to watch out for, the team workspace software for collaboration and presentation, Pitch, and an AI company specializing in democratic defense technology, Helsing. Both companies have raised past the €100 million mark despite being fresh faces in the industry.

For a heightened value of tech startups and the work and team effort that goes into them, Germany is the place to be.

Best of all, the Germans value their work-life balance, so your business stays in the office during work hours. All in the name of maximized productivity, of course.

Sweden

The leader in tech among the Nordic countries, Sweden simply has to be on this list.

Not only has Sweden given birth to widely used applications such as the music streaming app Spotify and the telecommunications giant Skype, it is also home to a handful of game development companies such as Mojang (popular for Minecraft) and King (popular for Candy Crush).

Newer faces such as the lithium-ion battery developer Northvolt have also been stepping up the tech industry’s ladder, which is a telling hint of the rise of greener tech. So far, they have already raised around $7 billion despite just being founded in 2016.

As for the company culture in Sweden, expect flat hierarchies to be the prevalent company structure.

People, on the other hand, are quite relaxed and value their mental well-being. Expect your colleagues and business partners to value punctuality— and their coffee.

Finland

Another consistently growing Nordic country in terms of tech businesses and startups, Finland is bound to be on this list.

Home to game developers Supercell (famous for Clash of Clans) and Rovio Entertainment (famous for Angry Birds), Finland has already gained worldwide recognition in terms of the robustness of its tech industry.

Other startups to watch out for are the plastic-alternative innovators Sulapac, and another eco-friendly solution that focuses on digitizing receipts, ReceiptHero.

Similar to Sweden, Finland’s work culture leans towards flat hierarchies as they value equality and non-discrimination. Their deeply rooted honesty and trusting nature also make them very well adapted to remote work setups, giving them a global advantage. Flexible working hours are normally not an issue, as well.

The bottom line is: if you want well-managed fully remote teams to be part of your business, Finland is the place to be.

Denmark

Despite Sweden taking the lead among the Nordic countries, Denmark has notably grown the fastest among all the countries within the area, with a 240% increase in total funding between the years 2020 and 2021.  Denmark is also proclaimed as the “number 1 unicorn factory” among the Nordic nations.

The business review site, Trustpilot, is one of the most famous Danish business ventures, with nearly 1 million new reviews posted each month.

There are a lot of advantages to setting up your business in Denmark. Firstly, there is a wide range of public and private funding schemes to choose from. Then, there are a lot of experts that offer free guidance to those just starting up. Finally, their tightly-knit network of startups makes it easy to meet, partner with, and learn from other tech companies.

As for company culture, like in Sweden and Finland, there is a strong sense of equality among colleagues, making the flat hierarchy preferable yet again. Denmark also values informality— formality comes off as unfriendly. If wearing casual attire in the office might be what you long for in a startup, you might want to consider launching your business in Denmark.