U.S. founders are 'shameless' with feedback and Europe's should do the same: OpenAI's startup boss

OpenAI's EMEA startups head, Laura Modiano, highlighted a significant cultural disparity, noting American founders are 'shameless' in providing direct feedback and demanding features, which directly influences OpenAI's product roadmap, including GPT-5 development. She urged European founders to adopt a similar assertive approach to avoid missing opportunities and shaping critical AI tools, citing successful European examples like Lovable and Sana. This observation underscores a broader concern within the venture capital community and among policymakers regarding European entrepreneurs' perceived lack of assertiveness and self-promotion compared to their American counterparts, potentially impacting their competitive edge and investment appeal in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Analysis

OpenAI's EMEA startups head, Laura Modiano, highlighted a critical disparity in engagement between American and European founders, noting American counterparts are "almost shameless" in demanding features and providing direct feedback. This assertive approach directly influences OpenAI's product roadmap, as demonstrated by the inclusion of European developer input in GPT-5's launch due to proactive feedback from companies like Lovable. Modiano explicitly urged European founders to increase their vocal participation to avoid missing significant opportunities in shaping AI development.

This observation underscores a broader concern within the venture capital community regarding European entrepreneurs' perceived lack of intensity and self-promotion compared to their American peers. Venture capitalists and policymakers, including UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle, have criticized European founders for a culture of reservedness and insufficient ambition, potentially hindering global competitiveness. Harry Stebbings of 20VC noted Europeans are less adept at marketing themselves to VCs, impacting investment appeal.

The article cites Lovable, a $1.8 billion valued Swedish startup, and AI-learning platform Sana (SANA: 0.6 sentiment) as positive examples of European companies effectively engaging with OpenAI. Despite these successes, the overall sentiment regarding European startup competitiveness remains moderately negative (-0.4) and pessimistic, suggesting a systemic challenge. This dynamic could influence private market investment flows and the competitive positioning of European AI ventures against their American counterparts.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should closely monitor the proactiveness and feedback mechanisms of European AI startups in their portfolios or target lists, as this directly correlates with their ability to influence core AI platform development and secure competitive advantages.
• Evaluate management teams of European AI companies for their assertiveness, communication strategies, and willingness to engage directly with platform providers like OpenAI, which can be a proxy for their potential to drive product innovation and market penetration.
• Incorporate cultural and communication style assessments into due diligence for European private market investments, recognizing that perceived "reservedness" could impact fundraising success and strategic partnerships in a fast-moving sector like AI.