Jim Pulcrano Breaks Down the Myths of European VC

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor talks with Jim Pulcrano, IMD Professor and veteran entrepreneur, about the evolving relationship between European and Silicon Valley venture ecosystems. They explore how cultural differences influence startup growth, investment styles, and innovation strategies. From academic institutions to AI's role in venture capital, the conversation offers sharp insights for investors, founders, and educators seeking to bridge global innovation cultures and prepare for the next wave of tech disruption.

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor talks with Jim Pulcrano, IMD Professor and veteran entrepreneur, about the evolving relationship between European and Silicon Valley venture ecosystems. They explore how cultural differences influence startup growth, investment styles, and innovation strategies. From academic institutions to AI's role in venture capital, the conversation offers sharp insights for investors, founders, and educators seeking to bridge global innovation cultures and prepare for the next wave of tech disruption.

What you will learn:

How European venture capital has evolved to a mature ecosystem today
Why Silicon Valley's "think big" mentality creates fundamental differences in startup scaling compared to European approaches
The critical distinction between European consensus-driven and Silicon Valley's disagreement-tolerant business cultures
How European academic institutions are adapting to foster entrepreneurship
Why industrial and cleantech startups find better footing in Europe
The evolving role of AI in venture capital investment decisions

Jim Pulcrano is a distinguished Professor at IMD Business School, bringing over 26 years of expertise in entrepreneurship education and venture development. As both an academic and practitioner, he combines his engineering background with extensive startup experience, having co-founded three companies and served as a key advisor in three others. His work bridges the gap between European and Silicon Valley entrepreneurial ecosystems, particularly through IMD's executive MBA program, where he pioneered the integration of entrepreneurship education focused on developing entrepreneurial mindsets for business leaders, investors, and innovators.