Europe does not do tech well. Europe does not do tech as well as the US, however, there has been one particular area where Europe has been able to strongly compete with and beat the US... Fintech. Revolut’s Nikolay Storonsky was quoted saying “We are three/four years more advanced compared to US companies in terms of product, in terms of regulation, in terms of size. US companies should learn from Europe.” It would have been difficult to find many who would have disagreed wit

In April 2012 Facebook made headlines for agreeing to pay $1billion for Instagram, at the time the price seemed excessive for a business with no obvious route to monetisation. Instagram’s operations were beautiful, personal and delicate. Aesthetically pleasing but difficult to scale successfully as the business gained more users. For Instagram, being acquired offered an opportunity to exploit Facebook’s economies of scale to successfully cope with growing demand. For Facebook

In 1890 Senator John Sherman declared that “if we will not endure a king as a political power, we should not endure a king over production, transportation, and the necessities of life. If we would not submit to an emperor, we should not submit to an autocrat of trade, with the power to prevent competition and to fix the price of any commodity”. At the time, this speech was a thinly veiled attack on the power held by industry titans such as J.D. Rockerfeller’s company Standard

Techies are often portrayed as being logisticians. They are cast as observant, deep thinking, introverts who only take action after critically analysing all potential choices. They lean towards a rational outlook on life and so it is reasonable to assume that they are should be less susceptible to the sweet allure of conspicuous consumption. Conspicuous consumption is ‘the purchase of goods or services for the specific purpose of displaying one’s wealth’. It is the reason why

In 1947 a copywriter by the name of Frances Gareth coined the fame phrase ‘A Diamond is Forever’, this helped to rebrand the diamonds industry, establish De Beers as an industry leader and led a generation of consumers to deeply associate diamonds with marriage and engagements. The phrase and accompanying campaign was an indisputable success, it is often discussed in business and fashion schools alike till very day. It introduced the idea that a company or industry could buil

The Chanel Boy bag is a classic. Its rectangular shape, quilted stitching on grained Calfskin, chain detailing and iconic Chanel logo which sits super imposed on a metal plaque screams luxury, exclusivity, status. A highly coveted bag, with a price tag to match it. A price tag justified on the quality of the materials used to create it, the artistry in its design, consumer demand and brand equity. Consumers accept the price tag, in part because it acts almost like a membershi