Next-gen IT firm in Europe will earn $1bn next year, say Magister Advisors

Funding for European companies in areas such as big data and mobility to rise

Consultancy Magister Advisors reckons a Europe-based tech firm specialising in next-generation IT such as big data analysis or mobility will achieve the region's first $1bn (£627m) valuation in 2013.

However, although many of these next-gen firms will remain headquartered in Europe, their location will ultimately become less important, Magister said – suggesting future difficulties for channel companies that have long focused on their location as a crucial selling point.

Victor Basta, managing director at Magister, noted that Europe has always lagged behind the US when it came to company valuations, but the playing field is now much more level, with European companies arguably better at exploiting particular aspects of the commercial potential of the internet.

"To build scale online requires an ability to trade across borders and cultures and Europe is a better breeding ground for web-based businesses in this regard," Basta said. "We now have mobile ecosystems from Apple and Google, which enable businesses to reach hundreds of millions of consumers almost overnight. It no longer matters where the company is based."

Magister Advisors believes that in 2013 at least one European next-generation technology company will achieve a $1bn value through a sale, IPO or fundraising, with European IT companies maturing much more quickly into high-value businesses. Basta added that what matters much more now than location is the sheer quality of the product or idea.

Entreoreneurial momentum The momentum has been building for several years, the company said. VC-backed technology exits in Europe in 2009-10 reached a high-water mark against the US, with European exits having a value of around $15bn against $30bn in the US.

"European investors typically enter at roughly half the valuation that US VC funds do, and exit at similar valuations as in the US. The quality of startups in Europe has increased enormously.

"Part of the reason for that is that we are seeing a wave of repeat entrepreneurs. In the late 90s, fewer than one in ten European startups was led by a serial entrepreneur. That figure is now closer to four in ten," Basta said.

Magister believes the companies most likely to achieve a $1bn financial event next year include: loans firm Wonga, payments provider Klarna, Moshi Monsters developer MindCandy, collaboration tool developer Huddle, takeaway specialist Just-Eat, and Angry Birds creator Rovio.