Where should entrepreneurs look for their early adopters? A European challenge

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It is no secret that early adopters actually shape a new product. Selecting the right early adopters significantly increases chances of success.

Where should entrepreneurs look for their early adopters? A European challenge

Being that Europe has several very large markets, like Germany, France and Italy, European entrepreneurs often find it tempting to ‘test the waters’ locally and then try to ‘go international’.

Much as it looks straightforward, my experience tells that this approach rarely works. And it explains well why we have only a few global tech companies out of countries like Italy, Germany, France etc (with large domestic markets), while we have proportionally very many say from nordic countries (where the domestic market is not even a choice to find early adopters).

In summary, a friendly piece of advice to fellow entrepreneurs from Europe:

Try to find your early adopters from your primary target market.

In most cases (not always), at least as far as B2B software is concerned, this is no other than the US.

Dimitris Tsingos Dimitris Tsingos - Co- Founder & CEO Epignosis, Founder & President Starttech Ventures

Dimitris Tsingos is a Greek entrepreneur and venture builder, Co-Founder and President of Starttech Ventures, a firm focused on building high velocity B2B SaaS startups with a North American commercial focus. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Crete and an MBA International from Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). He is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Epignosis, a global eLearning technology company, and Co-Founder and President of Yodeck, a leading provider of cloud-based digital signage solutions. Dimitris is known for his commitment to capital efficiency, lean startup principles, and cultivating founder-driven, product-led companies. Together with his colleagues from Starttech Ventures, they have also launched the Practical AI Community in Greece. A former President of YES for Europe – the European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, he is also the founder of Together for Europe, a civic initiative promoting European federal integration. Most recently, he launched a foundation to support education, research, and cooperativism. Beyond tech, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement, Dimitris' family co-owns an organic winery in Distomo, Boeotia, reviving the region’s viticultural heritage.