EPISODE · Mar 9, 2026 · 44 MIN
Europe’s future GDP growth needs tech: Niklas Zennström, CEO at Atomico
from Scaling Europe · host Sebastian Johnson
European tech is now a $3.8tn ecosystem, and Niklas Zennström has seen the entire journey from quitting his job around the dotcom crash to building Skype and later founding Atomico to back the next generation. He explains why technology now sits at the core of Europe’s future GDP growth and why unlocking Europe’s own institutional capital could determine whether the next wave of global tech leaders are not just built here, but owned here too.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show1:00 - Niklas Zennström discusses his entrepreneurial journey3:30 - Importance of tech in Europe5:49 - GDP growth driven by technology innovation9:02 - Pension funds' conservative investment strategies10:37 - Need for global companies headquartered in Europe12:28 - Importance of entrepreneurial partners14:01 - Institutional investors' understanding of venture17:12 - Need for more late-stage capital in Europe18:56 - Ambition of European founders today20:50 - Friction in Europe affects scaling25:22 - Powerful speeches at Davos and Italian tech week27:19 - Discussing climate policies and GDP growth30:08 - Defining sovereignty in the tech landscape31:51 - Monetizing consumers in the tech economy34:54 - Need for European social networks36:31 - Future of European technology development38:09 - Discussion on Europe's tech sovereignty39:44 - Importance of AI compliance with European values42:40 - Notable founders and investment lessons
What this episode covers
European tech is now a $3.8tn ecosystem, and Niklas Zennström has seen the entire journey from quitting his job around the dotcom crash to building Skype and later founding Atomico to back the next generation. He explains why technology now sits at the core of Europe’s future GDP growth and why unlocking Europe’s own institutional capital could determine whether the next wave of global tech leaders are not just built here, but owned here too.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show1:00 - Niklas Zennström discusses his entrepreneurial journey3:30 - Importance of tech in Europe5:49 - GDP growth driven by technology innovation9:02 - Pension funds' conservative investment strategies10:37 - Need for global companies headquartered in Europe12:28 - Importance of entrepreneurial partners14:01 - Institutional investors' understanding of venture17:12 - Need for more late-stage capital in Europe18:56 - Ambition of European founders today20:50 - Friction in Europe affects scaling25:22 - Powerful speeches at Davos and Italian tech week27:19 - Discussing climate policies and GDP growth30:08 - Defining sovereignty in the tech landscape31:51 - Monetizing consumers in the tech economy34:54 - Need for European social networks36:31 - Future of European technology development38:09 - Discussion on Europe's tech sovereignty39:44 - Importance of AI compliance with European values42:40 - Notable founders and investment lessons
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Europe’s future GDP growth needs tech: Niklas Zennström, CEO at Atomico
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