Ask HN: Opportunities for foreigners in Europe

The problem starts simple: How would you build an temporary escape hatch out of the Silicon Valley bubble chamber? The next logical question? Where in the world can you replicate one particular, critical part of the Silicon Valley ecosystem?

Look around the valley and take a look at how many companies were started by foreigners, people who don't have the right color skin or birthplace. Does this ever happen anywhere in Europe? This is the ultimate question asked by three of my friends, one Swiss, one Turkish, and one Indian. All asserted that pedigree (or bullshit) matters more than ability in Europe. They pointed to a number of large European companies and noted that not one of them have a foreign-born national in their upper management.

It is damning. I won't even bother with Europe if they can't respect that I appointed an Indian as my CTO. The UK seems to be the most promising but the Indian buddy who'd worked in the UK didn't seem to think so. Have things changed at all?

The ultimate question? How many examples of foreign-born executives are there at the head of UK companies? Danish companies? Swedish companies? This is closely tied to the whole alternatives to Silicon Valley question, and I'd like to opt-in or shut-out Europe for good. France and Germany are already out.