ReadWriteStart

I am sure you have seen numerous books about how one Silicon Valley mogul or another has started his or her venture, but there are few books reporting from the scene across the pond. A new book, edited by Pedro Santos, attempts to remedy that situation with European Founders At Work. It has interviews with 20 different entrepreneurs, and as Santos says in his introduction, of course "there are many successful start-ups spread throughout Europe and there is no single large pocket of innovation."

European startup incubator Seedcamp has launched a new online platform, Seedsummit.org, aimed at connecting startups with European seed investors. An attempt to create a European version of the incredibly successful AngelList, plans for the website grew out of the Seedsummit conference last year, along with the recognition that Europe needed a "stronger more cohesive network to support enrepreneurs."

Springboard has launched a new mentorship-led accelerator program for European startups. Springboard debuted in 2009 as an "accidental incubator" emerging from the company Red Gate Software.

Springboard aims to help early stage startups. The program offers seed capital, office space, and "most importantly - that magical ingredient of 'smart-community' with mentors and other entrepreneurs." It's a 13-week program, based at Cambridge University's ideaSpace. Participants will receive £5,000 per founder (to a maximum of three founders) for which Springboard will accept 6% of founder shares.

If you're capable of seeing past the old stones of Paris and the picturesque rural villages, you'll realize that France is every bit as technologically advanced as any other Western country - more so in some areas. Not only does the country have a higher percentage of homes with high-speed Internet than the U.S. (plus it's faster and costs half as much), it ranks first in the world for number of blogs per Internet user, and has a formidable market of Internet consumers who spent €5.5 billion online in the first quarter of this year.

When I came to Paris in 2006, I had a well-developed idea for a startup and nothing else. It's now been about three years since I joined the fray as an entrepreneur and tech blogger. In that time, I've discovered that the startup scene is infused with passion, energy and a strong spirit of collaboration.

XING founder Lars Hinrichs has launched a new pre-seed investment company, HackFwd.

Although HackFwd provides financial support and mentorship to tech startups, HackFwd is not an incubator. In other words, rather than expecting startups to relocate to the company's headquarters in Germany, HackFwd meetups will be distributed - something that might be very beneficial for European startups.

The global economic downturn has lead to the perception that entrepreneurial opportunities in both the U.S. and Europe have declined. And with the ballooning debts in Europe, many have suggested that these opportunities in Europe are even more restricted.

But is the U.S. really in better shape than Europe for entrepreneurship? According to an infographic created by Grasshopper, the differences between the regions aren't as great as one might imagine.

A growing startup trend that we have been keeping a watchful eye on here at ReadWriteStart is mass customization and co-creation. Startups in this sector provide customizable products to the end user, like t-shirts, bags, jewelry and even food. Back in March we suggested that the U.S. may be on the verge of a co-creation invasion from Europe, where these kinds of startups are more prominent. This week the Smart Customization Seminar is being held at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts and some fascinating stats and trends have emerged from the discussions and talks.

Over the weekend, startup accelerator TechStars announced a partnership with Startupbootcamp, a Copenhagen-based incubator and the very first member of a new global affiliate program hosted by TechStars. With programs in Boulder, Boston and Seattle, TechStars is now expanding and "open sourcing" their incubation model by providing guidance and support for independent international startup accelerators. A TechStars presence in Europe, in any way, shape or form, is a positive step for seed funding in Europe, which - as we've discussed earlier - is in dire need of growth.

Index Ventures, one of Europe's largest and most prominent venture capital firms, has announced the creation of Index Seed, a program with which it plans to invest more heavily in seed-stage startups throughout Europe, Israel and the Unites States. The formation of such a fund is just what the doctor ordered for young companies in Europe, as they have been largely underfunded in recent years.

If you failed to notice Google's lovely new artwork this morning, today is Earth Day. The purpose of the day in recent years has been to reflect on our energy consumption and to raise awareness on how to better preserve our planet, and startups can play a significant role in that preservation. Seedcamp, arguably the largest and most influential incubator in Europe, is teaming up with IBM and other organizations to host SmartCamp, a series of networking events across the globe designed to uncover the hottest early-stage companies with an environmental focus.