I chose Europe over the US for my startup. The Silicon Valley startup benchmark is unparalleled, but I still prefer Berlin. [Video]

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Ivan Maryasin, 31, about moving from the US to Germany and launching his startup, Monite, in Berlin. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2014, I left Russia to do my master’s in international business at the Hult International Business School in Massachusetts.

I had a background in marketing from jobs in Russia and wanted to work in America. While studying, I started working in the IT industry, doing marketing. It was a great introduction to innovation and startups.

During my course, I transferred to the San Francisco campus and then stuck around working for multiple tech companies, designing and implementing growth strategies.

But in 2017, I moved to Germanyto be closer to my then-fiancée, who I’d met in Moscow. We found it challenging to find a visa pathway that allowed her to move to the US and work as a dependant, so we both moved to …