In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Andreas Klinger—founding team at Product Hunt, ex-CTO at On Deck, and now GP at Prototype Capital—to dive into the work behind EU Inc., a grassroots initiative to fix Europe’s fragmented startup ecosystem by rewriting its regulatory plumbing.
Klinger shares how his experience as a founder and investor on both sides of the Atlantic led to a mission to standardize how we do business in Europe. They unpack how EU Inc. is working with the ecosystem—associations, communities, and top GPs—to propose a concrete policy blueprint aimed at simplifying scaling across borders.
But the conversation goes much deeper: into the role of media as a self-selecting tool for ambition, how to build conviction and access as a micro-VC, and why VCs must engage with both macro-level systems change and micro-level founder support to make a lasting impact.
Here’s what’s covered:
- 01:15 From Product Hunt & AngelList to Fixing European Venture
- 02:30 Why Klinger Made VC a Full-Time Play
- 06:10 Vlogging Hyper-Ambition: Behind-the-Scenes of Europe's Top Startups
- 09:30 The Cultural Gap: Work Ethic, Values & Systemic Signals
- 12:00 The Hidden Power of Performative Culture (and Its Risks)
- 14:22 What EU Inc. Actually Is: A Business-Led Policy Blueprint
- 18:30 Industry-Wide Buy-In: Why Everyone's Signing the EU Inc. Manifesto
- 24:15 Can VCs Stay Apolitical While Driving Change?
- 34:00 Reports Don’t Build Economies—People with Bias for Action Do
- 37:10 Action, Not Words: What Europe Really Needs Next
