Vsquared's Nicolas Colin: Europe has a company-scaling problem, not a founder problem
StephanSturges · x · 2026-11-08
Nicolas Colin (Head of Research at Vsquared Ventures) argues the West runs a "carry trade against itself": Europe exports savings to US assets, America exports manufacturing to China — capital-rich but increasingly unable to build.
Key claim: Europe doesn't have a founder-quality problem but a founder-retention and company-scaling problem; the US captures a disproportionate share of the value, so flipping a European late-stage startup to the US is rational. Post-2025 trade war, Chinese exports are landing in Europe, and each factory closure permanently removes suppliers and process knowledge.
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