How Europe Can Better Support the Entrepreneurs Building Its Next Economy
A Changing Landscape for Migration and Enterprise
Across Europe, entrepreneurs are choosing to start businesses away from their country of birth. They bring practical experience, early traction, and projects rooted in real need. Start-up visa schemes were set up to support this kind of ambition but many founders still find themselves navigating systems built for a different era.
While some manage to overcome the obstacles, others are slowed by requirements that don’t reflect how modern businesses operate. The process doesn’t always stop them, but it often delays them. And in fast-moving industries, delays can cost opportunities.
Policies Struggling to Keep Pace
Many visa frameworks still ask for long-term leases, minimum investment thresholds, or fixed operational plans. These may have made sense a decade ago, but for small, mobile teams working across borders, they feel out of step.
“Visa systems in many EU countries still expect entrepreneurs to prove themselves using yesterday’s markers, office space, set locations, rigid legal structures,” says Sergo Pogosov, an immigration consultant advising on EU business migration at Montegna Private, a London-based business consulting, citizenship, and residency services company. “But today’s founders build lean, remotely, and respond to real-time demand. The rules need to reflect that.”
Uneven Progress Across the Region
Some countries have adapted more quickly than others. Estonia’s digital-first approach allows founders to operate companies from abroad. The Netherlands offers support through recognised facilitators. Ireland has started exploring faster visa timelines in targeted sectors.
But across the region, the experience remains inconsistent. For many applicants, the process depends not on what they’ve achieved but on which country they apply to.
Michael Wishman, a strategic advisor on innovation and migration, points out the risk this poses. “Europe doesn’t just compete for capital anymore, it competes for talent. If we make the path unnecessarily difficult, those founders will go elsewhere. The opportunity won’t wait.”
Founders Need Systems That Match Their Reality
“Early-stage businesses rarely look impressive on paper,” says Pogosov. “You might have two people serving hundreds of users. A founder working out of a flat in Tbilisi could be solving real problems for families in Barcelona or Rotterdam.”
“Stories like these don’t always fit the system’s expectations but they’re real. A lot of founders have customers before they have contracts. That should count for something.”
The Case for Practical Reform
Smarter visa systems wouldn’t lower the bar they would shift it to where the action actually is. Clearer timelines, more flexible evidence requirements, and a better understanding of remote-first business models would allow Europe to attract and retain the kind of entrepreneurs who are already solving problems on the ground.
Wishman adds: “When people feel supported and see a future for what they’re building, they stay. The places that offer that won’t just attract talent – they’ll become home to the ideas that shape what’s next.”
Closing the Gap
Those building real impact shouldn’t be held back by outdated visa systems. Europe has a clear choice: adapt to support today’s entrepreneurs or risk watching the next generation of businesses grow elsewhere.
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