Skype founder gives thumbs-up to European IT sector

Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom on Wednesday praised European information technology, saying 2015 had been an "amazing year" for the sector.

"This is the most exciting moment to be in the European tech, whether you are an investor or an entrepreneur," Zennstrom said at the Slush tech fair in Helsinki.

"This year 2015 has been an amazing year for achievements," Zennstrom, who is Swedish, told an audience of investors and startup entrepreneurs.

He said 10 European software companies had reached billion-dollar valuations and that technology startups had attracted 10 billion dollars (9.3 billion euros) in venture capital.

Zennstrom said a new study published by Atomico, his technology investment firm, said there were 237,000 mobile developers in Europe, compared with just 187,000 in the United States.

"Having conducted one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken into European tech, it is clear to us that 2015 has been a breakthrough year in which our major hubs have gone to a new level," Atomico said in a blogpost.

© 2015 AFP