Hugging Face Co-founder Criticizes High Admin Costs in German Startups
PMinervini · x · 2026-08-30
Hugging Face co-founder Thom Wolf retweeted and commented on the challenges of the German startup environment. He agreed that founders need grit, but noted that startups need a village, meaning high administrative burdens ask supporters to share the load.
The cited case involves a German founder forced by law to spend a full day having a notary read a 90-page investment contract, costing €30,000. His second company was consequently not incorporated in Germany. Thom noted that as an angel investor, dealing with notary procedures is a massive ask even for projects he loves.
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