American startup founder: Dublin isn't on the list of Europe's best tech hubs

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A London-based tech entrepreneur has questioned whether Dublin is a leading European tech hub.

Some predicted that London-based startups and expanding European startups would move to the Irish capital as a result of Brexit but Jason Trost, CEO of betting startup Smarkets, which made £5.2 million in profit in 2015, doubts that'll happen.

"There is a real debate about who is going to win the European hub," Trost told Business Insider. "I don’t even consider Dublin up on the list. I think Dublin is more of a place for American companies to park their operations but it's not a tech destination."

Dublin is home to the European headquarters of several large Silicon Valley tech firms, including Apple, Google, and Facebook. However, cities like London and Berlin have spawned more successful startup companies than Dublin has.

Trost, who is looking to expand his company to the US following the Brexit decision, added: "Berlin is tiny compared to the London ecosystem and Berlin is probably number two."

The entrepreneur believes that access to Europe's digital single market allowed London to become the leading tech hub in Europe.

"Of course the EU is bureaucratic and slow and expensive but I think it’s done an amazing job of bringing together many languages and cultures and people," said Trost. "It’s amazing."

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