Is relocating to the United States a positive signal when evaluating a European founder?

Marc Andreessen · Mar 30, 2026

Venture firms should reflexively back every European founder who moves to the United States.

It combines two things: the raw level of European talent and its excellent education system, plus the signal that moving to the US indicates a willingness to take risk and pursue a greater level of achievement.

Scope: stated as one of his internal rules at a16z; he prefaces it as something Harry will hate to hear

46:54 20VC: Marc Andreessen on The Future of Venture Capital: Will a16z Go Public | Why Labour Displacement with AI is Wrong | Why Introspection is Dangerous | Why "Diamonds in the Rough" is BS in VC | Why a16z Invested $300M into Adam Neumann

Harry Stebbings · Mar 30, 2026 · hedged

The data supports backing European founders who relocate to the US.

47:24 20VC: Marc Andreessen on The Future of Venture Capital: Will a16z Go Public | Why Labour Displacement with AI is Wrong | Why Introspection is Dangerous | Why "Diamonds in the Rough" is BS in VC | Why a16z Invested $300M into Adam Neumann

Severin Hacker · May 19, 2025 · hedged

European founders who moved to the US would have been roughly half as successful, or in some cases not successful at all, had they stayed in Europe.

The most ambitious people still leave, which is a sign the European environment has not caught up.

51:51 Us relocation substantially increases founder success odds vs staying in europe

Eléonore Crespo · May 9, 2025

A European founder can serve the US market without relocating, provided they spend heavy time there — flying out for a single customer or hire and bringing customers to Paris.

Customers are always willing to come to Paris, and constant travel substitutes for residence; her logistics as a mother of young kids and her engineering team keep her in France.

33:47 Heavy travel substitutes for relocation serving the us market from europe