How founder burnout is quietly becoming Europe's biggest threat to startup survival - Silicon Canals

"A recent report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions found that entrepreneurs across the EU report significantly higher levels of work intensity and emotional exhaustion than salaried workers. According to a separate study published in Small Business Economics, nearly 72% of founders experience mental health challenges directly tied to the pressures of running a company - yet fewer than a third ever seek professional support."

"European founders are navigating a market that has tightened considerably since the peak of 2021. Funding rounds are longer. Due diligence is more invasive. Runway expectations have shifted from 'grow at all costs' to 'prove unit economics yesterday.' That pressure doesn't simply evaporate when the laptop closes - if it ever closes at all."

"What makes this dangerous isn't just the human cost, though that alone should be enough. It's that burned-out founders make worse decisions. They hire reactively. They avoid hard conversations. They miss signals - from their teams, from the market, from their own bodies - that something is breaking."

European founders face unprecedented burnout driven by tightened market conditions, longer funding rounds, and shifted expectations toward profitability. Studies show entrepreneurs report significantly higher work intensity and emotional exhaustion than salaried workers, with 72% experiencing mental health challenges directly tied to company pressures. Despite these alarming statistics, fewer than one-third seek professional support due to structural and psychological barriers. Burnout poses systemic risks beyond individual health, as exhausted founders make poor hiring decisions, avoid difficult conversations, and miss critical market and team signals. The European startup ecosystem remains uniquely vulnerable compared to Silicon Valley, which has developed more established support infrastructure and cultural acknowledgment of founder wellness.

Read at Silicon Canals