This is another article in the series Spain vs the world, where Singular Spark brings comparisons of the business models of each country in order to help Brazilian entrepreneurs make the best decision regarding internationalization in Europe, therefore, we chose for this content the comparison between Spain and France.
We emphasize that our intention is not to diminish or depreciate one country or exalt another, but to offer information on how to undertake in each territory so that the reader can decide what is best according to his own criteria.
Let’s get to know a little about the entrepreneurship environment in France?
About Entrepreneurship in France
France is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in Europe where each space tells a little bit of the country’s history.
Known around the world for its characteristic cuisine and romantic language, France had its peak as one of the reference countries in practically all aspects:
- Modelo econômico e político
- Arquitetura e urbanismo
- Moda
- Artes Cênicas e Música
- Poesia
- Indústria & Tecnologia
A brief history of France
As one of the countries that most opened up to the Enlightenment of the 18th century, France created a culture rooted in scientific innovations, which led the country to be a pioneer in the greatest technological revolutions.
Despite the great advances, one of the obstacles to French development was the growth of labor laws, unions and organizations averse to innovation.
Possible disadvantages of starting a business in France
In addition, the labor tax (42%) has contributed to slowing down innovation, which has recently changed with the inauguration of President Emmanuel Macron, historically France’s youngest president.
One of the reflections of this is the incentive that the country has given to Startups, which are the most promising types of ventures today.
French Startup Ecosystem
Station F , for example, is recognized in the world as the largest Startup Facility.
The incubator is located in Paris. It has more than 34,000 square meters, and houses entrepreneurs from various areas of technology, attracting the attention of major players such as Amazon, Google and Facebook (Meta).
What did France do to encourage entrepreneurship in the country?
The president of the French nation facilitated the entry of entrepreneurial immigrants in the area of technology.
For this, the government created the French Tech Visa , which is a visa specifically aimed at entrepreneurs in the technological field.
It is important to remember that this type of visa does not apply to other areas of entrepreneurship. For the other areas, France already has Passeport Talent .
French for Brazilians
Given the advances, one of the difficulties for Brazilians to internationalize their business in France is the language.
Although French has the same Latin root as Portuguese, the lexical difference is large, which requires a longer adaptation period.
About Entrepreneurship in Spain
When talking about Spain in terms of business, the keyword is an enabling environment . Let’s explain why.
Seeing the need for digitalization that the world has taken over the last decade, the Spanish government decided to create resources to support startups and independent entrepreneurs (new talent).
Valencia at the heart of Spain’s technological entrepreneurship
Focusing our gaze on Valencia, a city with great potential for growth and expansion of technology companies, we can observe a series of advantages to undertake.
Valencia has a technology park that houses more than 600 companies divided into 15 sectors, the largest number of which are focused on information technology and telecommunications, followed by services.
The center has advanced technology services, research centers, collaboration with local universities (which are among the top in the world).
In addition, Valencia is surrounded by nature among other resources that guarantee a better quality of life.
Valencia has been recognized as the healthiest city in the world for its lifestyle, investment in public safety, mobility and healthy activity options.
For this reason, the city has been a destination for digital nomads from different countries who find in the city a link between the technological ecosystem and quality of life.
Madrid and Barcelona are also potential cities for entrepreneurship
In addition to Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona are exponential cities in terms of technology growth and investment in Startups.
Spanish cities, in addition to being in the focus of entrepreneurship, also have a 30% lower cost of living than Dublin, London and Berlin , European cities that also have their relevance when it comes to internationalization and entrepreneurship.
What drove the growth of entrepreneurship in Spain?
The reflexes of the crisis in Europe took Spain to a new level of entrepreneurship.
Around 2016, with the intention of reinventing themselves due to the high unemployment numbers, thousands of professionals opened their own businesses, further accelerating the business ecosystem.
In the same year, more than 66% of Spanish workers were found to be entrepreneurs new to the market or employees of small companies, that is, new private initiatives.
Because of this need to undertake, the number of Coworkings spread across Spain grew, which came to attract attention to the talents in the country.
The result of this is the more than 500 startup accelerator companies, that is, those who are in the right place are even more likely to get opportunities and carry out important networking for collective growth.
Spain draws the world’s attention to Internationalization
Among the most developed countries in the world, Spain was chosen to have one of the 6 Google campuses, which is located in Madrid.
France or Spain: in which country should I carry out my internationalization plan?
In both countries, success can be achieved, as long as the planning of this success is guided by the best internationalization practices.
Anyone who deals with business knows that any investment involves risks, and such risks must be foreseen in a consistent plan capable of revealing the best environment for such an important step as the expansion of the company in an international environment.
Singular Spark has positioned itself as a consultancy specializing in the Internationalization of Brazilian Startups, as its CEO is a Brazilian who has been in Europe for two decades dealing with entrepreneurship, management and productivity.
Having a partner to carry out the internationalization plan is essential for the success of an expansion, as just knowing the country is not enough.
A good plan is able to map details such as:
- Aspectos financeiros e econômicos para implantar uma empresa
- MarketFit, ou seja, possibilidade de aderência do produto
- Estudo da competitividade para averiguar o cenário de concorrência
- Pesquisa do perfil de público-alvo, levando em consideração aspectos econômicos e culturais.
If you are part of the select group of Brazilian Startups that intend to expand their business on European soil, we invite you to learn more about Singular Spark .