Reframing ambition in Europe
At the close of the first Gründerszene × The Delta Campus event, Zalando co-founder Robert Gentz turned the conversation outward from his own founder journey to the future of entrepreneurship in Europe.
The question came from the audience: What makes Europe strong compared to the U.S.?
Robert’s answer wasn’t abstract. It was grounded in numbers, culture, and conviction.
“We have 450 million people in Europe,” he said. “That’s a larger human market than the United States. The potential is enormous if we treat it as one.”
For him, the challenge isn’t capability but Europe already has world-class talent, capital, and ideas. The challenge is fragmentation: regulations, markets, and mindsets that make founders look elsewhere before they look at home.
The European Dream vs. the American Dream
Robert drew a contrast between the old American Dream, the belief that anyone can build something from nothing and what he sees as Europe’s opportunity to redefine that idea for this era.
“The American Dream has become more exclusive,” he said. “But the European Dream can be something different; more inclusive, more sustainable, more collective.”
It’s a subtle but important shift. Where the U.S. startup narrative has long centered on individual success, Europe’s strength lies in collaboration, in ecosystems like Berlin, Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam, where innovation spreads through shared spaces and networks rather than isolated competition.
At Delta Campus, that vision feels tangible. The conversations that happen here between founders, investors, and operators, reflect the energy of a continent that’s starting to believe in its own potential again.
Infrastructure, incentives, and staying power
Robert was clear that for Europe to reach its potential, founders need not only vision but also better infrastructure and incentives.
He pointed to one founder’s question about cloud infrastructure as a practical example. “The question isn’t whether Europe can build its own platforms,” he said. “It’s whether we focus on what really drives value for our customers.”
His point was pragmatic: European founders should prioritise what differentiates them, design, customer experience, ethical standards, and deep technical skill, rather than simply replicating Silicon Valley models.
Equally important, he said, is keeping European talent in Europe. Many of the people driving innovation in global tech companies originally come from Europe. The goal isn’t to send them abroad but it’s to create the conditions that make them want to stay and build here.
“We have the people,” he said. “We just need to make founding in Europe as attractive as leaving it.”
Learning from other markets, leading from our own
Despite his global outlook, Robert made it clear he still sees himself as a European founder first. He regularly travels to markets like China and the U.S. to study what’s emerging, especially around AI and e-commerce innovation, but he believes the real opportunity lies in adapting global lessons to local strengths.
“Every market has its own rhythm,” he said. “Our role is to learn, not copy. Europe’s version of innovation should reflect European values.”
That balance, learning globally, building locally, is the mindset that has kept Zalando relevant through waves of disruption. It’s also the mindset that defines the next generation of European founders.
Building the European Dream together
For Robert, the “European Dream” isn’t a slogan. It’s a call to action: for founders to build ambitious, scalable companies rooted in the values that make Europe unique such as collaboration, integrity, creativity, and long-term thinking.
“A stronger Europe is better for the world,” he said. “We have the talent and the values to lead, we just have to believe in them.”
That belief is what connects this conversation back to Delta Campus. Spaces like this exist to make the European Dream real to give founders a community where ideas become companies, and companies become movements.
Because building in Europe isn’t a compromise. It’s a statement of confidence in what’s possible here.
Founder Learnings
- Europe’s greatest strength is its combination of talent, diversity, and shared values.
- The “European Dream” can redefine global entrepreneurship, inclusive and long-term by design.
- Founders should prioritise differentiation over imitation.
- Keeping talent in Europe means creating environments that reward ambition and collaboration.
- Building locally doesn’t mean thinking small but it means building with purpose.
If this vision resonates with you, come see what we’re building at The Delta Campus and meet the people shaping Europe’s future.
Written by Alexandra Matthews
Chief Operating Officer
