EU VCs pass on 18% of deals purely due to "non-scalable name." Your name signals global ambition or local limitation. Choose wrong and funding conversations end before they start.
Think Global From Day One
"Berlin Tech Solutions GmbH" signals local lifestyle business. "Contentful" signals global ambition. VCs invest in companies conquering markets, not serving single cities.
Avoid: City names, country names, regional references. "Munich Motors" = Germany only. "Tesla" = everywhere. Geographic names cap perceived market size.
The Pronunciation Test
US VCs = 65% of EU startup funding. Can American VC pronounce your name after hearing once? "Wise" (rebranded from TransferWise) = easy. "Schoonmaak" (Dutch cleaning) = hard.
If US investor stumbles saying your name, they'll struggle pitching you to their partners. Name friction = funding friction. Make it effortless.
The Zoom Call Rule
Investor hears your name once on Zoom intro. Can they spell it correctly in email 2 minutes later? "Klarna" = yes. "Schiphol" = no (is it Schipol? Schippol? Skipool?).
Misspelled emails = missed connections. Investors won't chase you. Make it spellable on first hearing or lose opportunities.
Avoid EU-Only Signals
".eu" domain = immediate red flag for VCs. Signals lack of US expansion ambition. Secure .com even if primarily EU market. Shows global thinking.
UK startups post-Brexit: Don't use ".co.uk" only. VCs see it as Brexit-constrained. .com = global ambition. URL signals strategy.
The GmbH trap: Don't put legal entity in brand name. "Acme GmbH" = Germany-locked. "Acme" = global potential. Legal entity lives in paperwork, not pitch deck. VCs evaluate brand separately from corporate structure.
Tech Credibility Signals
Tech VCs favor: Short coined words (Spotify, Klarna, Wise), .io domains (developer credibility), or .com. Avoid: Long descriptive names, .net/.biz domains, acronyms requiring explanation.
Compare: "Financial Technology International Solutions" vs "Revolut." Latter gets meetings. Former gets ignored. Brevity = seriousness in tech.
The API Test
Will your name work in API documentation? "Stripe API," "Twilio API," "Plaid API" - all clean, professional. "European-Financial-Tech-Solutions API" - awkward, unprofessional.
Developer-facing products especially: Name affects API namespace, SDK names, code examples. "import stripe" (clean) vs "import euro_fin_tech_solutions" (messy). VCs notice these details.
Category Leadership Names
Generic names = small thinking. "Food Delivery App" vs "Deliveroo." Latter signals category creation, former signals "me-too" mentality. VCs back category leaders, not followers.
Invented words > descriptive phrases. "Zalando" (fashion - invented word) raised €4B+. "EuropeanClothingRetail.com" raises €0. Unique names signal unique vision.
The Email Signature Test
Does your name + title fit in email signature professionally? "John Smith, CEO, TechCo" = clean. "John Smith, Chief Executive Officer, European Technology Solutions International Limited" = amateur.
Investors judge professionalism. Cluttered signature = cluttered thinking. Short names = tight operations. Details matter.
Trademark = Seriousness Signal
EUIPO trademark filed before first VC meeting = serious founder. No trademark = "still figuring it out" signal. €1,800 EUIPO filing shows commitment to name, brand, IP protection.
VCs ask: "Is name trademarked?" Yes = diligence check passed. No = red flag about IP awareness. File before fundraising, not after term sheet.
Avoid Trendy Suffixes
2015: Everything ended in "-ly" (Bitly, Shopify). 2024: Dated. Don't chase trends. "Acme.ai" signals 2023 AI hype. "Acme" timeless. VCs back 10-year visions, not 2-year fads.
Test: Will name work in 2030? "MetaverseSocialNetwork" dates to 2022 hype cycle. "Discord" timeless. Pick names that age well.
Trademark Lens evaluates EU startup names against VC perception factors - global scalability, pronunciation clarity, trademark strength, and investor appeal scores based on 1,000+ funded European startups.