Perspectives
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30 Apr 26

EU Inc. takes aim at the legal friction that slows European scale-ups

Computerworld reports on the EU Inc. proposal and why founders say cross-border rules push scale-ups to the US. 0TO9 CEO Tord Topsholm is among those quoted.

Tord Topsholm

CEO, 0TO9

0TO9 — Building the next generation of European financial services.

Europe is a lot of different countries, with different cultures, languages, and legislation. It's messier to scale here.

– Tord Topsholm, CEO of 0TO9, quoted in Computerworld, April 2026

Computerworld’s news analysis of 30 April 2026, written by senior reporter Matthew Finnegan, asks why so many European technology companies find it easier to grow outside Europe, and whether the European Commission’s proposed “EU Inc.” could change that. 0TO9 CEO Tord Topsholm is among the founders and investors quoted. The full piece is available on Computerworld.
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What the Commission has proposed

EU Inc. is a standardised corporate structure that would apply across the EU’s 27 member states. According to the article, a company could incorporate digitally within 48 hours for under €100, and the Commission aims to have the framework in place by the end of 2026. That date is a target, and the structure is still a proposal.
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Where companies change course

Finnegan cites Atomico’s State of European Tech 2025 report: roughly 18% of European tech startups are headquartered outside Europe at seed stage, rising to around 30% by Series C.

Topsholm’s comment responds to that pattern. “That’s typically where we lose them,” he says. “The US is a big single market; Europe is a lot of different countries, with different cultures, languages, and legislation. It’s messier to scale here.”

Other founders describe the friction in practical terms. Gerardo Gagliardo, co-founder and CFO of Exein, says: “Every new market treats us as a new company.” He also calls the tax treatment of employee stock options “really a mess right now”. The article reports that a recent JP Morgan revolving credit facility required Exein to hire lawyers in three countries and run separate governance processes, taking three months.
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Why it is relevant to 0TO9

0TO9 helps start and scale financial services businesses across Europe, so the question of how a young company first crosses a border is a practical one. The Computerworld article is the publication’s own reporting, and 0TO9’s part in it is limited to Topsholm’s comment.

Read the full piece by Matthew Finnegan in Computerworld.

This summary was generated by AI and edited by 0TO9

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