Martin Varsavsky
english.martinvarsavsky.net · Personal blog · on HN since 2009
Martin Varsavsky, a Spanish-American entrepreneur and founder of Fon, writes about startups, investing, time management, and living in Europe versus the US.
What HN saysHN links it for entrepreneur advice and Fon background, including a post on legal obligations such as severance pay in Europe.
18HN people shared it
3linked it in comments
40stories submitted
694story points
7 years agolast shared
2009people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Advice for US entrepreneurs who move to Europe2 people · 143 points · first shared 2012 · 157 comments on HN
- 2Google should be a dictatorships and Page should be as dictator as Jobs2 people · 5 points · first shared 2011 · 1 comments on HN
- 3On managing my time2 people · 1 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 4ONO sells for $9.5 billion and nobody cares1 people · 239 points · first shared 2014 · 121 comments on HN
- 5Fon has decided to open our WiFi network in Japan to all for free1 people · 120 points · first shared 2011 · 10 comments on HN
- 6Aviation is stuck in the 60s – a reflection on MH 3701 people · 96 points · first shared 2014 · 71 comments on HN
- 7Are you thinking of moving to Silicon Valley? Think again1 people · 17 points · first shared 2011 · 2 comments on HN
- 8Europe? USA? I Can’t Decide1 people · 10 points · first shared 2013 · 4 comments on HN
- 9My investment in Tumblr (11/2007)1 people · 8 points · first shared 2013 · 4 comments on HN
- 10Students who students think smart vs. students who professors think smart1 people · 4 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 11The Spanish crisis is a crisis of understanding of how wealth is created1 people · 3 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 12NYC vs. Bay Area vs. Miami, Pros and Cons1 people · 3 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
- 13How to stop rising sea level1 people · 3 points · first shared 2020 · 1 comments on HN
- 14Why the USA will get over its crisis and Spain may not1 people · 3 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 15Something better to do1 people · 3 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
wslh · 2012-12-18
And Martin Varsavsky, http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/investments , just moved to New York from Spain. So he will add some competition to other investors in NY.
lotsofmangos · 2014-06-15
Here's Fon's figures from 8 years ago -
1 – Spain – 6344 (28 new yesterday) registered users
2 – United States – 6334 (11 new yesterday) registered users
3 – France – 2571 (15 new yesterday) registered users
4 – Germany – 1302 (12 new yesterday) registered users
5 – Italy – 1269 (15 new yesterday) registered users
6 – United Kingdom – 1039 (4 new yesterday) registered users
7 – Netherlands – 760 (2 new yesterday) registered users
8 – Sweden – 721 (1 new yesterday) registered users
9 – Argentina – 636 (3 new yesterday) registered users
10 – Canada – 382 (0 new yesterday) registered users
11 – Switzerland – 331 (1 new yesterday) registered users
12 – Belgium – 296 (0 new yesterday) registered users
13 – Portugal – 237 (0 new yesterday) registered users
14 – Mexico – 208 (0 new yesterday) registered users
15 – Japan – 198 (2 new yesterday) registered users
16 – Chile – 195 (0 new yesterday) registered users
17 – Austria – 177 (1 new yesterday) registered users
18 – Ireland – 170 (0 new yesterday) registered users
19 – Brazil – 169 (0 new yesterday) registered users
20 – Denmark – 135 (1 new yesterday) registered users
21 – Israel – 129 (0 new yesterday) registered users
22 – Norway – 125 (0 new yesterday) registered users
23 – China – 120 (0 new yesterday) registered users
24 – Australia – 109 (1 new yesterday) registered users
25 – Finland – 108 (0 new yesterday) registered users
26 – Poland – 85 (0 new yesterday) registered users
27 – India – 77 (1…
prostoalex · 2013-06-28
Counter-point: http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/entrepreneurship/advice-for-us-entr…
"Another legal obligation that is very common in Europe and unheard of in the USA is state-mandated severance pay packages. This is a direct impediment to start ups, the reason being that most start ups fail and in the USA there is an understanding of this. In the USA employees demand stock options as upside should the start up succeed knowing that there will be no severance package should the start up fail. But I have yet to find a place in Europe where employees or governments truly understand this. Not only are forced severance pay packages a problem because most start ups fail and they still have to pay them, but also because start ups are constantly trying out people and the concept of trying out people is very costly in Europe. In some countries like France, forced severance packages of people who have been with you say only half a year can be as high as double their earnings during that time. For most Europeans stock options are considered a scam to pay them less."