“I don’t want to put a single euro into the US economy”: Why German founders are turning their backs on the USA

Only seven percent of the unicorn founders surveyed would start a company in the US again today – a year ago, that figure was more than three times higher. At the same time, 57 percent say they would choose Germany again. This is the result of a recent survey. Bitkom survey among 14 founders of German unicorns who are still active in management.

Other EU countries are also becoming more attractive. The trend is clear: the focus is shifting away from Silicon Valley and towards European alternatives.

How do you think Benjamin Domnick, founder of Wow Urban Utopias, about that? We interviewed him.

The American Dream? No thanks!

Domnick isn't a typical tech founder from the venture capital scene, and that's precisely what makes him such an interesting barometer of the current entrepreneurial climate. With Wow Urbane Utopien, he develops and implements creative and sustainable solutions for public spaces: from park-like meeting areas and urban furniture to concepts for mobility and participatory neighborhood design. For him, founding a company in the USA is out of the question. Not for pragmatic reasons, but primarily for fundamental ones.

"From a purely ideological standpoint, I definitely wouldn't go to the USA. I would do everything I could to avoid that path. The political and economic developments there increasingly deter me. This extreme capitalism, this Silicon Valley vibe, it doesn't appeal to me at all."

Domnick thus expresses what is also suggested in the Bitkom survey: The attractiveness of a location is no longer measured solely by the availability of capital or market size, but also by values, political stability and social environment.

"I don't want to put a single euro into the American economy. In the end, I would be supporting a policy I cannot endorse. That's incompatible with my conscience. If we want to strengthen Europe, we have to invest in our own economy."

Infobox

Benjamin Domnick is the founder and CEO of the Munich-based startup Wow Urbane Utopien. A graduate in environmental engineering, he has been exploring for many years how cities can be made more livable, sustainable, and collaborative. Before co-founding Wow Urbane Utopien, Domnick worked in the cultural and event industry, gaining extensive experience in the conception, organization, and implementation of complex projects. Today, he develops innovative concepts for public spaces, ranging from parklets and urban furniture to participatory urban development projects, in collaboration with municipalities, institutions, and civil society organizations.

Europe, yes – but please, make it simpler

At the same time, Domnick is far from viewing Germany or Europe uncritically. Bureaucracy, complex funding landscapes, and tax differences cost him, like many other founders, a lot of time and energy. Nevertheless, Europe remains his preferred location.

"I don't know if I would start a business in Germany again, but definitely in Europe."

He says he finds countries like Estonia or Lithuania, with their more digital and faster company formation processes, particularly interesting. The crucial point, he says, is that Europe as a whole needs to become stronger, also to reduce its dependence on US tech companies.

Bitkom believes Germany is on the right track.

That this European focus is not an isolated case is also shown by the Bitkom survey. Half of the unicorn founders surveyed expect Germany to be a more attractive location for innovative tech companies in 2026, significantly more than in the previous year. At the same time, almost 80 percent call for a consistent reduction in bureaucracy.