Matthias Schmidt 🇪🇺
@eurofounder.bsky.social
Founder based in the EU 🇩🇪🇪🇺 • Building GDPR-compliant startups • 7 years in, €7k MRR
You need to grow faster - this is what an American #VC told me recently.
I am at €7k MRR after 7 years of hard work. The VC said I should be doubling every quarter.
I explained that would violate German employment law (cannot hire that fast) and our #GDPR compliance couldn’t scale that quickly. 🔽
I am at €7k MRR after 7 years of hard work. The VC said I should be doubling every quarter.
I explained that would violate German employment law (cannot hire that fast) and our #GDPR compliance couldn’t scale that quickly. 🔽
February 17, 2026 at 7:20 PM
On my recent trip to America 🇺🇸 I visited a Silicon Valley #startup - absolute chaos.
They were shipping #features WEEKLY.
I asked how do they get #government approval that fast.
They laughed and said they don’t need government approval for software updates. 🔽
They were shipping #features WEEKLY.
I asked how do they get #government approval that fast.
They laughed and said they don’t need government approval for software updates. 🔽
February 17, 2026 at 9:26 AM
On my recent trip to America 🇺🇸 I visited a Silicon Valley #startup - absolute chaos.
They were shipping #features WEEKLY.
I asked how do they get #government approval that fast.
They laughed and said they don’t need government approval for software updates. 🔽
They were shipping #features WEEKLY.
I asked how do they get #government approval that fast.
They laughed and said they don’t need government approval for software updates. 🔽
Visited a #startup accelerator in Palo Alto last week.
It was 10pm and the founders were still coding.
“Do you have a #government permit to be working at this hour?” I asked them.
They looked at me and said “bro what are you talking about” in a typical condescending American way. 🔽
It was 10pm and the founders were still coding.
“Do you have a #government permit to be working at this hour?” I asked them.
They looked at me and said “bro what are you talking about” in a typical condescending American way. 🔽
February 16, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Visited a #startup accelerator in Palo Alto last week.
It was 10pm and the founders were still coding.
“Do you have a #government permit to be working at this hour?” I asked them.
They looked at me and said “bro what are you talking about” in a typical condescending American way. 🔽
It was 10pm and the founders were still coding.
“Do you have a #government permit to be working at this hour?” I asked them.
They looked at me and said “bro what are you talking about” in a typical condescending American way. 🔽
I was at a cafe in Brussels ordering coffee.
Barista asked for my name and wrote it on a cup.
I caught myself and said “Wait, did I consent to you storing my name?”
She put down the marker and looked at me confused. 🔽
Barista asked for my name and wrote it on a cup.
I caught myself and said “Wait, did I consent to you storing my name?”
She put down the marker and looked at me confused. 🔽
February 13, 2026 at 10:55 AM
I was at a cafe in Brussels ordering coffee.
Barista asked for my name and wrote it on a cup.
I caught myself and said “Wait, did I consent to you storing my name?”
She put down the marker and looked at me confused. 🔽
Barista asked for my name and wrote it on a cup.
I caught myself and said “Wait, did I consent to you storing my name?”
She put down the marker and looked at me confused. 🔽
I was at my local gym when a man collapsed while lifting weights.
“Call 911!” someone yelled.
A receptionist grabbed her phone.
Hold on, I said, blocking her. Have you verified this with gym’s emergency response #policy?
“What? He’s not breathing!” she gasped. 🔽
“Call 911!” someone yelled.
A receptionist grabbed her phone.
Hold on, I said, blocking her. Have you verified this with gym’s emergency response #policy?
“What? He’s not breathing!” she gasped. 🔽
February 12, 2026 at 3:20 PM
I was at my local gym when a man collapsed while lifting weights.
“Call 911!” someone yelled.
A receptionist grabbed her phone.
Hold on, I said, blocking her. Have you verified this with gym’s emergency response #policy?
“What? He’s not breathing!” she gasped. 🔽
“Call 911!” someone yelled.
A receptionist grabbed her phone.
Hold on, I said, blocking her. Have you verified this with gym’s emergency response #policy?
“What? He’s not breathing!” she gasped. 🔽
It’s pathetic to see Americans chase these moonshot projects while they still haven’t figured out basic data #privacy frameworks. #EU truly is light years ahead. 🏆
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February 12, 2026 at 9:52 AM
It’s pathetic to see Americans chase these moonshot projects while they still haven’t figured out basic data #privacy frameworks. #EU truly is light years ahead. 🏆
www.cfs.energy
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Got a panicked call from my #co-founder at 11pm last night.
“Our biggest competitor just launched a new feature that will kill us”.
I told him to calm down.
First, we need to form a #committee to assess the market impact.
Then file the proper #regulatory paperwork with the innovation council. 🔽
“Our biggest competitor just launched a new feature that will kill us”.
I told him to calm down.
First, we need to form a #committee to assess the market impact.
Then file the proper #regulatory paperwork with the innovation council. 🔽
February 11, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Got a panicked call from my #co-founder at 11pm last night.
“Our biggest competitor just launched a new feature that will kill us”.
I told him to calm down.
First, we need to form a #committee to assess the market impact.
Then file the proper #regulatory paperwork with the innovation council. 🔽
“Our biggest competitor just launched a new feature that will kill us”.
I told him to calm down.
First, we need to form a #committee to assess the market impact.
Then file the proper #regulatory paperwork with the innovation council. 🔽
American #founder told me he’s raising a Series A.
I asked how much #revenue.
“Crossed $5 million #ARR last week”
I politely excused myself to make a phone call and immediately reported him to authorities.
In #Europe it’s illegal to discuss financial metrics without a government permit. 🔽
I asked how much #revenue.
“Crossed $5 million #ARR last week”
I politely excused myself to make a phone call and immediately reported him to authorities.
In #Europe it’s illegal to discuss financial metrics without a government permit. 🔽
February 11, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Saw that #OpenAI is being investigated by the #EU for potential data privacy violations.
I reached out to Sam Altman to offer support - told him about my friend's #AI startup in Brussels.
Took them 3 years to get regulatory approval for the chatbot that helps people pick restaurant reservations. 🔽
I reached out to Sam Altman to offer support - told him about my friend's #AI startup in Brussels.
Took them 3 years to get regulatory approval for the chatbot that helps people pick restaurant reservations. 🔽
February 10, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Incredible #milestone - we just hit €8k ARR after short 7.5 years of sustainable growth.
My wife's boyfriend Pierre (our #CFO) ran the numbers three times to be sure.
The Americans in our accelerator cohort are burning through $1M/month and calling it progress. 🔽
My wife's boyfriend Pierre (our #CFO) ran the numbers three times to be sure.
The Americans in our accelerator cohort are burning through $1M/month and calling it progress. 🔽
February 9, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Incredible #milestone - we just hit €8k ARR after short 7.5 years of sustainable growth.
My wife's boyfriend Pierre (our #CFO) ran the numbers three times to be sure.
The Americans in our accelerator cohort are burning through $1M/month and calling it progress. 🔽
My wife's boyfriend Pierre (our #CFO) ran the numbers three times to be sure.
The Americans in our accelerator cohort are burning through $1M/month and calling it progress. 🔽
We’re looking to expand to #France.
To comply with #EU directives, our French translation of the privacy policy needs to be #certified by a sworn translator that itself needs to be approved by the EU #Court of Appeals. We have started the process and expect to be done by Q3 2026. 🔽
To comply with #EU directives, our French translation of the privacy policy needs to be #certified by a sworn translator that itself needs to be approved by the EU #Court of Appeals. We have started the process and expect to be done by Q3 2026. 🔽
February 9, 2026 at 9:44 AM
We’re looking to expand to #France.
To comply with #EU directives, our French translation of the privacy policy needs to be #certified by a sworn translator that itself needs to be approved by the EU #Court of Appeals. We have started the process and expect to be done by Q3 2026. 🔽
To comply with #EU directives, our French translation of the privacy policy needs to be #certified by a sworn translator that itself needs to be approved by the EU #Court of Appeals. We have started the process and expect to be done by Q3 2026. 🔽
Met an American founder at a conference last week. We both started our companies in 2018.
Him: just raised Series B at $500M valuation. 200 employees. Operating in 30 countries. Burns $3M monthly.
Me: €7k MRR. Six employees (three for compliance). Operating in Germany. Profitable (€300/month). 🔽
Him: just raised Series B at $500M valuation. 200 employees. Operating in 30 countries. Burns $3M monthly.
Me: €7k MRR. Six employees (three for compliance). Operating in Germany. Profitable (€300/month). 🔽
February 8, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Met an American founder at a conference last week. We both started our companies in 2018.
Him: just raised Series B at $500M valuation. 200 employees. Operating in 30 countries. Burns $3M monthly.
Me: €7k MRR. Six employees (three for compliance). Operating in Germany. Profitable (€300/month). 🔽
Him: just raised Series B at $500M valuation. 200 employees. Operating in 30 countries. Burns $3M monthly.
Me: €7k MRR. Six employees (three for compliance). Operating in Germany. Profitable (€300/month). 🔽
We reached a HUGE milestone today.
After 7 years of building, we’ve finally achieved something most Silicon Valley startups never will: full #compliance with every single #EU directive. 🔽
After 7 years of building, we’ve finally achieved something most Silicon Valley startups never will: full #compliance with every single #EU directive. 🔽
February 7, 2026 at 6:28 PM
We reached a HUGE milestone today.
After 7 years of building, we’ve finally achieved something most Silicon Valley startups never will: full #compliance with every single #EU directive. 🔽
After 7 years of building, we’ve finally achieved something most Silicon Valley startups never will: full #compliance with every single #EU directive. 🔽
Incredible growth update from our #startup:
Year 1: €0 revenue (built #MVP, registered GmbH)
Year 2: €0 revenue (waiting for business license, registered to VAT)
Year 3: €0 revenue (#GDPR compliance audit)
Year 4: €1,200 revenue (first customer after passing GDPR assessment) 🔽
Year 1: €0 revenue (built #MVP, registered GmbH)
Year 2: €0 revenue (waiting for business license, registered to VAT)
Year 3: €0 revenue (#GDPR compliance audit)
Year 4: €1,200 revenue (first customer after passing GDPR assessment) 🔽
February 7, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Exciting news - we have raised €450k series A from a combination of regional development funds and angel investors (mostly former #EU government officials).
The whole process took only 14 months - pleasantly surprised it was this quick. 🔽
The whole process took only 14 months - pleasantly surprised it was this quick. 🔽
February 6, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Exciting news - we have raised €450k series A from a combination of regional development funds and angel investors (mostly former #EU government officials).
The whole process took only 14 months - pleasantly surprised it was this quick. 🔽
The whole process took only 14 months - pleasantly surprised it was this quick. 🔽
After 6 years of building, we've finally received approval from our local data protection authority to store user emails in our database.
The approval process took only 5 months (much faster than expected - we budgeted for 9). 🔽
The approval process took only 5 months (much faster than expected - we budgeted for 9). 🔽
February 6, 2026 at 7:45 PM
After 6 years of building, we've finally received approval from our local data protection authority to store user emails in our database.
The approval process took only 5 months (much faster than expected - we budgeted for 9). 🔽
The approval process took only 5 months (much faster than expected - we budgeted for 9). 🔽