European start-ups encourage 'tech for good' ethos

As a birthplace for global tech disrupters, Europe -- home to the likes of Spotify and Skype -- still lags behind the US and China and their juggernauts such as Apple, Alibaba, Google and Amazon. The continent is also falling behind North America and east Asia in artificial intelligence, as measured by investment and patent activity. A fragmented digital market, limited risk capital and onerous bureaucracy are several reasons cited for Europe playing catch up to Silicon Valley. However, Europe's more regulated, activist political culture has proved to be an asset, as highlighted by many of the region's start-ups tackling social-services issues in the "tech for good" sector and working directly with central and local governments in "govtech". Europe's start-ups reflect its public service traditions, says Paul Duan, founder of Bayes Impact, a non-profit group that built an AI -powered job counsellor.