Computer & Communication Industry Association

An Analysis of the Performance of European Venture Capital-Funded Startups

PublishedMarch 18, 2026
Written By
  • Susan E. Woodward
  • Shawn Blosser

The Digital Markets Act and antitrust enforcer scrutiny eliminated European startup acquisitions by explicitly targeted U.S. companies and reduced European startup acquisitions by other large U.S. companies. However, this did not lead to more European startup creation, better European startup performance, or more European startup IPOs, and may have actually harmed European startups and founders. Moreover, analysis of startup and venture capital data reveals that European startups were performing well until the DMA was enacted, and Europe did not have a startup "Kill Zone" problem to solve.

Read Download Press Release

Research
October 16, 2026

Protected: The KFTC’s Uneven Hand

Korea’s competition authority fines U.S. companies several times more per dollar of Korean business than Korean companies and orders of magnitude more than Chinese companies. The evidence support...

  • Competition
Read more
Research
October 15, 2026

Broadband Revenues Fund Universal Service at a Low, Stable Contribution Factor

The Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution base is shrinking, leading to a spiraling contribution factor assessed on the contribution base. Broadband revenues are roughly eight times the size of...

  • Telecom
Read more
Research
October 11, 2026

Freshwater Strategy UK Data Regulation Survey

Freshwater Strategy has conducted a quantitative survey of 113 senior decision-makers at British technology and data-intensive businesses, looking at both the compliance cost and broader economic o...

  • Digital Economy
Read more
Research
October 6, 2026

The Anti-Brussels Effect in Digital Competition Policy and the DMA’s Fading Appeal As a Global Model

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is losing appeal as a global model for digital competition policy, with governments increasingly pursuing narrower approaches. Of the 14 jurisdictio...

  • Digital Economy
Read more