The Denial of Riches

I was able to pick up and move from America to Amsterdam within a matter of weeks, without any tariffs imposed on my crates of luggage. And after 3 years I still don’t speak Dutch. I wanted to learn, and my first Dutch boss simply asked: “But why? No one speaks it.”

“You speak it! And I live here now!”

“Yeah but everyone here speaks English so I really wouldn’t bother.”

This was my first introduction to Dutch pragmatism, and it factors into what I see is the Netherlands' near-perfect patriotic balance. Dutch flags and orange shirts are worn with a sense of brotherly love, and with little trace of chauvinistic pride. English is permitted as a lingua franca among expats here even though the official language is, of course, Dutch. 

In America, patriotism is very polarized in ways that often make no sense at all: in the West Village of NYC you'd think you're walking through gay Ukraine instead of the U.S., while in Texas you'll find so many American flags waving around you'd be surprised Texas tried to become its own country (and perhaps it should have been). US pundits scream at immigrant communities to learn English despite the U.S. not actually having an official language.

I don't want to inspire jingoism on the language front in NL- I took Dutch courses for 6 months and mijn praten nog steeds slecht. But especially after joining a VC fund, I'm compelled to poke the lion as I'm convinced Dutch entrepreneurs and indeed the broader tech ecosystem is simply selling itself too short, in a manner that reeks of pessimism more than pragmatism.

i tried...

Global vanaf dag een

America is a massive and homogenous TAM. That does make it easier for American entrepreneurs—they can build for one language, one regulatory system, and one cultural context, and still reach a market of 330 million people.

Dutch builders don't have this luxury. From day one, they have to think in multiple languages, navigate different VAT codes, perhaps tackle various healthcare systems, and adapt to diverse cultural nuances. This makes the job harder initially, but it's ultimately the key to building resilient companies that scale internationally.

When Dutch startups launch, they're already battle-tested for global expansion. They've developed the muscles for international operations that American companies only develop when they're forced to look beyond their borders. By the time Dutch founders are pitching to Series A investors, they've often already figured out how to operate in multiple European markets—a challenge many American unicorns still struggle with years after their IPOs.

A labor force with options is an opportunity, not an obstacle, for founders

Sure, in the US it's easier to fire people or to hold them hostage by their thinly protective visas (a la Elon Musk). The American "at-will" employment system certainly gives founders more flexibility. But in the end, you need to build a company people want to work for and attract the right kind of talent at each stage.

The Netherlands forces founders to be better employers. Here, since workers actually have some cushion between choosing to work for for you and abject poverty, you have to put in more effort to attract them. There are plenty of hard workers in the Netherlands—both the early employees willing to put in 60+ hours a week and the typical 9-5ers once you've scaled—but they need to be genuinely inspired by your mission.

This creates companies with stronger cultures, better retention, and more sustainable growth. Dutch startups aren't built on burnout and churn; they're built on commitment and collaboration. When your business model doesn't depend on exploiting labor, you build more ethically and, often, more profitably in the long run.

x employees on h-1b visas were forced to choose: work "extremely hardcore" or risk deportation

The importance of myth making

One quip you’ll hear a lot is that the U.S. has innovation in its DNA, since its population is made up of the people that boldly decided to leave their home countries and build a new life for themselves in a foreign one. This somehow empowers them and their descendants to be uniquely suited for creating unicorns out of thin air.

But countries are more rivers than statues- always changing, constantly remade by their people and the stories we tell ourselves about the societies we were born into or elected to make our own. The Netherlands used to be quite good at this- after the revolution against Spain, the seven provinces basically had to invent a national identity out of thin air- claiming Batavian heritage even though that tribe was two millennia past by this point, and crafting a unifying Protestant narrative in a country that was home to many Catholics and Jews. Yet this invented identity was powerful enough to forge a new, unified nation that would go on to become a global power.

It’s time to craft a new national myth for the Netherlands. There’s a better story to be written here than “GTFO and build in the U.S.” Regardless of what we perceive to be the advantages of building Dutch versus building American in the present, the future is comprised of what we tell ourselves is possible, and it’s time to start writing a better plot.

Doen wat je wilt

I don’t like telling people what to do. I work in VC, I can’t tell anyone what to do no matter how many times I warn them that sacrificing solid unit economics for top-line growth will not give them the round of their dreams.

Build wherever you want to build. Write whatever story you want to write. I’ve worked in the U.S. and in NL, and strongly believe the challenges of building internationally from day one and creating truly compelling workplaces aren't bugs—they're features that create more resilient, adaptable companies. Others can and will come to different conclusions and that’s fine.

I simply hope that those building in the Netherlands might recognize and embrace the distinctive strengths that come with this ecosystem, rather than seeing them only as obstacles to overcome. After all, the most successful companies don't succeed despite their environment—they succeed because they leverage it to its fullest potential.