Some of these startups have benefited from access to strong local European markets, and others have simply offered better global products. While a couple of these choices, such as Just Eat and Vente Privée, are a bit long in the tooth by startup standards, they have managed to remain agile and active.

Singling out which qualify to be Europe’s Super Stars has been a tall order, but in the first part of GigaOM’s Euro 20 roundup, we’ll look at five of the continent’s biggest — and hungriest — startups.

• The intro to our GigaOM Euro 20.

Just Eat

Founded: Copenhagen, 2000
Investors: Index Ventures, Greylock Partners, Redpoint Ventures
Business: Hub for online food delivery

Although it was founded more than a decade ago, don’t be fooled into thinking this Danish company is in danger of getting stale. The team behind Just Eat has spent a long time working on online food delivery, and now claims to have the largest site of its kind, anywhere, with listings for more than 15,000 restaurants in 10 countries stretching from Ireland to India.

On the surface, Just Eat’s model is simple: It partners with brick and mortar takeout firms to give them a reliable web interface, search engine and ordering service. But it works because everyone ends up winning: Users get a single site that can satisfy their appetites; restaurants get increased customers; and Just Eat acts as the broker and takes a slice of the business.

That model was perfected over five years working in and around Copenhagen, but things really kicked off when Just Eat launched its U.K. service in 2006. The company is now headquartered in London, and Britain counts for around half of its partnerships. It’s a truly European business, and having recently taken $48 million to fund its aggressive expansion, it has serious ambitions.

Rovio

Founded: Helsinki, 2005
Investors: Accel Partners, Atomico, Felicis Ventures,
Business: Games studio responsible for Angry Birds

If you want proof that overnight success is little more than a myth, look no further than Finnish games company Rovio, the name behind the blockbuster cell phone hit Angry Birds. While its deceptively simple physics game seemed to sling shot out of nowhere and become a smash hit, the small mobile games studio actually endured years of minor hits and significant misses before striking gold.

Angry Birds has become a sensation, downloaded more than 200 million times. Those are numbers that have convinced investors to deliver another $42 million to the company to help the business spring on to bigger and better things, and senior executives have said the company plans to go public.

But unlike many companies that develop games and apps, Rovio sees a broader future than simply creating more games. Boss Peter Vesterbacka has said he wants to exploit the games’ brands’ success in any way he can, whether it’s selling toys in China or making movies in the U.S. For the latter, he brought on former Marvel Studios boss David Maisel.

Whether the company has the chops to develop beyond the single Angry Birds franchise remains unclear. But for now, those irritable avians are a force to be reckoned with.

Spotify

Founded: Stockholm, 2008
Investors: Creandum, Northzone Ventures, Li Ka-Shing, Wellington Partners, Sean Parker, The Founders Fund, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, Accel Partners
Business: On-demand music streaming service

Spotify is probably the single startup from Europe that has gathered the most buzz in recent years — and for good reason. The hype around this streaming music service began almost as soon as it appeared in late 2008, with the launch of its smart application.

Technically the Spotify app is a triumph, using a peer-to-peer system to spread the work and make listening instant and smooth. In marketing terms, meanwhile, it was able to fill a void left by the likes of Pandora, which had retreated from Europe over concerns about licensing costs, and Last.fm, which had gone quiet after being purchased by CBS.

Built by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzen, a pair of serial entrepreneurs from Sweden, Spotify’s core business is subscriptions. More than a million users pay around $8 each month to gain unlimited access to the service’s music catalog, with a higher tier subscription allowing use on mobile.

But streaming music is an area where many companies have struggled to make the numbers work in the past, and there have been significant pressures on Spotify’s bottom line — pressure that has led the company to tighten up its freemium services and add more track-purchasing options. Still, it helps that the major labels (in Europe, at least) are on-board and taking some money out of the business, even if artists don’t earn a great deal from radio-style plays.

Right now, the big questions surrounding Spotify seems to be about its ambition. It has spent years trying to broker deals with labels to launch in the U.S., and finally in mid July, Spotify launched in beta (GigaOM offered invites to its readers here). Will the U.S. move prove to be a major breakthrough for the company, or will the new focus prove to be its Achilles heel? With another $100 million round in the bank, CEO Ek has a substantial war chest and relentless focus.

Vente Privée

Founded: Paris, 2001
Investors: Summit Partners
Business: Online flash sales of luxury goods

One of the continent’s biggest, and yet least talked-about, web companies is a French site credited with pioneering flash sales online. Although overstock sites had been around before it, Vente Privée’s spin — to offer luxury goods at sharply discounted rates for short periods of time — combines the desire for designer brands with the urgency and addictiveness of eBay auctions. And it has worked: The business has built up annual revenues reported at around $1.3 billion, and the model has been adopted by competitors such as Gilt Groupe, Amazon and (to an extent) Groupon.

Still run by founder Jacques-Antoine Granjon — an art-loving Frenchman who has been in the overstock business since the mid 1980s — it has taken a slow and steady approach to development. For most of its lifetime, membership was invitation-only, and it took years to move beyond the French market, even when Boston-based Summit Partners invested in 2007 to fund expansion.

But now, as the company’s bank account swells, its ambition seems to be ramping up, not least with a partnership alongside American Express that has seen it cross the Atlantic for the first time. With a decade of business under its belt, VP counts as the granddaddy of European startups, and yet it remains one with a solid business, and huge prospects for growth.

Wonga

Founded: London, 2007
Investors: The Accelerator Group, Accel Partners, Greylock Partners, Balderton Capital, Dawn Capital, Oak Investment Partners, Meritech, Wellcome Trust
Business: Payday loans with online approval

London’s reputation as a banking hub means it has thrown up all kinds of interesting financial startups, but few have captured the attention as much as Wonga, the brainchild of South African entrepreneurs Errol Damelin and Jonty Hurwitz.

The duo decided to take one popular but overlooked financial industry — the provision of short-term “payday” loans — and push it online. The result is that (subject to credit checks) Brits looking for an advance on their salary can log on, enter their credentials and get up to $1,600 wired into their bank account that day, with the stipulation that they pay it back within a month.

The service has been heavily criticized. In fact, during one particularly fierce advertising push, the company was even discussed in unhappy terms in the British parliament. And it’s true that payday loan companies may seem like vultures, especially given the interest they charge looks dangerous (Wonga’s rates are around 1 percent each day, plus a flat fee).

But the reality is that payday loans are good business, especially in recessionary times where traditional retail banks are loath to take risks. And the business went some way to allaying fears by signing up Britain’s largest charity, the Wellcome Trust, as one of its investors. International expansion is tough in a market like this, meaning a monster $116 million round announced in early 2011, is largely being used to give the business more capital and fund growth at home.

It follows initial funding of €300k in 2010 from well known angels Alberto Knapp, Iñaki Arrola, Rafael Garrido, Ramón Blanco, Luis Ongil and Alvaro Ortiz, among others, while the new funds will be used to boost growth locally and to start rolling out in Latin America in 2012.

Sindelantal, founded by Evaristo Babé and Diego Ballesteros, two guys who’ve been around the block where Internet startups are concerned here in Spain, operates in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Zaragoza and other smaller towns. To date they’ve signed up 350 restaurants and processed 2,500 orders. Its biggest competitor is Just Eat, which currently operates in 13 European markets, including Spain where it boasts 250 restaurants and over 10,000 orders processed. That said, both companies will have to work hard at getting local Spanish restaurants to warm up to the idea of taking orders online and the respective business model.

As for Sindelantal’s new investors, this would seem to be a big vote of confidence. If you haven’t heard of Michael Kleindl, he’s been involved either as an investor or a leading board member of companies such as Zanox, wunderloop, Buyvip, Astramedia, Smartclip and Offerum.

VitaminaK is a new fund led by Iñaki Arrola and Rafael Garrido.

Finally…….

In the blue corner: Domino’s Pizza!

At the end of last year, Jo was very excited about rumours that Hedge End was about to get its very own Domino’s Pizza. Almost perfect timing since we were going off our previous fast-food-lazy-meal of choice.

In the red corner: Mr Pizza!

If you’re not from round here, the defending champion may be new to you. They were new to me too; I was vaguely aware they existed, but had never even thought of going in before. As I walked in on the night of the contest, I overheard a few local kids exclaim how good Mr Pizza was. Really, I’m not making that up; the local choice was clearly going to be hard to beat.

To make the contest easier Domino’s and Mr Pizza are in the same building in the centre of Hedge End. A fact that seems to have upset a few people, who don’t think Domino’s should have been allowed to open. Surely if local people really don’t want a Domino’s, they just won’t buy pizzas from them. And if they do, why should a minority of grumpy locals stop them? I would agree that, “bureaucrats have an unfortunate habit of regulating the wrong things…” but I would certainly include trying to randomly protect one business from another in that. Fortunately Domino’s was eventually allowed to open, probably to the relief of whoever had an empty unit to let for so long.

Round 1: Domino’s

I’ve already mentioned that I was only vaguely aware of Mr Pizza, but it would be hard to say the same about Domino’s: we’ve had stacks of leaflets through the door since they opened, so no problem finding their menu, phoning an order, or knowing where they are. I was sure I had seen an advert for Mr Pizza buried somewhere (something about price matching), but no amount of searching could find it. And if you want to find them in the Yellow Pages or Thomson Local, don’t look under Pizzas!

That’s all very well, but it’s all a bit old fashioned. Why worry about finding bits of paper when we have the internet, which is where Domino’s stole round one. They have a website. It’s trivial to find all the information you need, along with a menu and an ordering system. Job done, well, with one small gripe that a lot of their special offers aren’t valid online.

Trying to find accurate information about Mr Pizza on the other hand was a bit of a lost cause. If they have their own site, I didn’t find it. That’s a bit disappointing these days, and even a basic page with phone number, opening times and a menu would be better than nothing. While I wouldn’t expect them to be running a site like Domino’s, there do seem to be some promising looking alternatives which might be worth investigating. (I might be imagining it but take aways in student areas seem to have embraced the idea already!)

Round 2: Tied

After round one, it seemed that the best way to order was going to be to park up and do it in person. Domino’s and Mr Pizza are in the same place, so getting there takes exactly the same time, and parking is easy.

First up was Mr Pizza, since I had no idea what was on the menu or how long it would take. As well as the glowing recommendation on the way in, first impressions were excellent. Order, pay in advance, take ticket, wait about 10 minutes. Or in my case, go to their new neighbour and order another pizza!

And Domino’s was similar, except they only want you to pay when you pick up. They seem to have to repeat that with every order as everyone I saw kept trying to pay in advance! Like Mr Pizza, estimated time to nosh was 10 minutes.

Everything seems to be going well, so back to pick up the first order via Jo in the getaway car to report on progress.

Round 3: Mr Pizza

To be honest, it was round three and the contest to Mr Pizza at this point, but there is a round four for completeness.

Back at Mr Pizza there’s a nice seated waiting area, magazines, and a TV. As well as menus which I picked up for next time! I didn’t get time to enjoy the facilities though because my order was ready: call number eight (that’s me), pick up food, go home. Simples. Except I was going to collect another pizza where it’s not quite so simples…

Arrive at Domino’s, stand about in tiny area by the door and fight for attention with people putting in new orders; no sign of pizza. Well, they are busier I guess. Wait for a bit longer watching legions of employees preparing pizzas and wandering about. Check again; still no pizza. Wait some more, get call from Jo threatening to eat the Mr Pizza pizza she’s looking after in the car! This time when I check, they pick up an order that’s been on the shelves for ages! A process that seems to involve dumping completed orders on a set of shelves unannounced, which then get checked by other staff at some point in the future seems a tad crazy, and completely ineffective on this occasion. Even Argos do a better job! To be fair, I was offered a free drink by way of apology, but there’s just no contest given the pleasant experience at Mr Pizza.

Round 4: Mr Pizza

I was never going back to Domino’s anyway, but what were the pizzas like? Both were good, and I did marginally prefer the side order from Domino’s, but in the end it was slices of Domino’s pizza left over after we’d finished. So Mr Pizza wins the taste test as well.

Even though I won’t be going back to Domino’s Pizza, I have no problem with them opening in the same building as another pizza business, or even next door for that matter. It’s also largely thanks to them that Mr Pizza has another customer, and Hedge End has more choice, more jobs, and more trade as a result.

You don’t have to take my word for it, but if you don’t want to buy pizzas from two places on the same night, I’d recommend you try Mr Pizza first.

In the interests of transparency, I have nothing to do with either Domino’s or Mr Pizza, neither of them knew that their customer was moonlighting with a competitor while planning to write a review, and I did not receive any free products. I even turned down the free drink, much to the confusion of the Domino’s staff!

This is char kuey teow. I also eat it at Seremban. It’s different from another char kuey teow because it has duck egg. I like to eat.

I don’t know what is it’s name, but it’s taste good. The black color soup is mushroom soup and the white color soup is clam soup. I like clam soup more than mushroom soup. Up side the two soup is tuna bread and salad.

<<<This box is beautiful. I think this box’s design is special for Christmas.

This is beard papa’s. I like to eat because inside the bread have many cream and it’s taste good. >>>

Ordering food is a common event for many students such as myself. Sometimes there are long nights when you don’t have the energy to cook or go out but your stomach continues to growl as you try to get through the next 4 chapters of your biology textbook.

Currently in Canada, there are restaurants in Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Hamilton and Kingston which use Just-Eat for ordering purposes. They are looking to expand further in the new year. This is convenient for the students and families in the southern-eastern parts of Ontario. I reside in Kingston and I have seen several restaurants proudly sporting the ‘Just-Eat’ sign outside of their front windows indicating their participation in the site. I have not yet used their services as I rarely eat out these days ( I prefer cooking as much as I can). If nothing else, the site does provide great insight on the menu and restaurant information in case you wanted to know hours/location and menu items of a particular place which are kept up to date.

There are even indicators if a place is still open for the night should you be in the mood for a late-night meal. Their take out menu is featured on their page and you can select which ones you’d like to order. Reviews are encouraged by those who use the Just-Eat service to let others know about the quality. The list of restaurants is still growing but the site has gained popularity. There is also online customer support for general enquiries and difficulties with ordering.

They also have a blog featuring certain popular cuisines and restaurants. There is also a demo restaurant on the site for those who’d like to familiarize themselves with the format of the site before using their services.

I think it’s a great site that is both user-friendly and convenient. I’ll certainly give it a try in the future when the occasion arises. For those who have tried it, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you liked their services.

My newest challenge is now in front of me…. Detoxify.  Today I start a self-generated detox that includes the following:

- Breakfast & Lunch: Protein Shakes made w/water

- Snacks: Pumpkin seeds

- Dinner: Veggie Minestrone Soup (homemade baby!)

And a sh*tload of water!  Approximately 120-160 oz a day…. Beat that Gwyneth Paltrow!  (I’m fronting to Gwyneth because she is always detoxing and eating like a health nut!  read all about it on her website Goop.)  So my hope is that my detox will renew my energy, shock my body into the realization that I can’t eat like an elephant 24/7, and trick my brain into thinking this is better than Chinese food…. We shall see

London – November 1, 2010 – Just-Eat, the leading European online takeaway brand, today announced that ‘Belly & Brain’ for iPhone and iPod Touch is now available for FREE on the App Store. The game features popular characters Belly and Brain from Just-Eat’s TV campaign and requires the player to control Brain’s food cannon whilst aiming and firing different snacks into Belly’s mouth to stop his stomach rumbling.

‘Belly & Brain’ is a sideways scrolling game of skill and accuracy set across 126 levels and is based upon three cuisine themes – Chinese, Indian and Italian. Players take on the role of Brain who has to satisfy his friend Belly’s constant cravings by controlling the power and angle of his food cannon to shoot a variety of tasty morsels into Belly’s waiting mouth. There are multiple food-based weapons to choose from including Bouncing Orange Bombs, Exploding Eggs & Melon Bombs. Each of the food types has unique properties and will react differently on the landscape after being fired from the Food Cannon.

The game also features ‘Truffle Shuffle’ mode that enables the player to slow the action down, allowing for much greater control over the food that is being fired. The aim of the game is to progress through the levels whilst achieving high scores and unlocking new modes. Once players have completed the single player game then they can enjoy a fresh set of multiplayer challenges through Party Play with up to three friends on the same handset. Players can also upload their high scores and share on Facebook.

“Belly and Brain have proven incredibly popular with customers since we launched the campaign and it seemed logical that we bring them to life in a mobile game” said Mat Braddy, CMO of Just Eat. ”We’ve developed a rich and vibrant game that provides days of challenging gameplay for free whilst enabling players to enjoy Belly & Brain’s unique humour wherever they go.”

Players can find out more about the game by visitingwww.bellyandbrain.com or searching for ‘Belly & Brain’ directly on the App Store. UK gamers can also text BELLY to 60777 to receive a link direct to the game on their phone. Further expansion packs are currently planned for the game as well as other platform versions including Android and an HD version for Ipad.

Check out this free game while stock lasts!

About Just-Eat

Just-Eat was founded in Denmark in 2000 and is listed in the TechCrunch Europe Top 100 Index 2010 . Just-Eat services 40,000 meals a day and has received and dealt with more than 7,000,000 meal orders. There are currently 5500 takeaway restaurants signed up to Just Eat’s UK site which uses its patented Just-Eat technology to offer a seamless on-line ordering service including latest menus.

Our second annual trip to the Nashoba Valley Winery was a smashing success, and culminated with a dinner at Agave Mexican grille and included everything from amazing sandwiches, to guacamole, to sparkling wine to margharitas.  Maybe we threw a couple naps in between, who knows!

But anyways… delish Guacamole recipe for y’all, check it out! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/guacamole-recipe4/index.html

You may be wondering ‘Kristen, how do you get enough fiber every day?’  My answer is simple, by eating stuff that has ‘Fiber’ in it’s name.  Let me give you an example…

Fiber One. http://www.fiberone.com/

They make Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Cereal, Snack bars… the list is endless! I love all of their products and religiously eat Fiber One Yogurt every day!  Try any of these and I guarantee you will love it!  They are even low in calories, sugar and unecessary other stuff.  So just do it… try some Fiber One stuff!

Fiber is super good for you!

No, I won’t, they exist…. and they are delicious.  They turn your cooking water purple, taste just like an everyday-Idaho and are pretty freakin’ cool.  Thanks for @Christa Moore for handing over your leftover produce… it made our evening quite delicious!

But I’m an optimist, and I am always looking for a positive note… And I think I found it!  I stopped at the grocery store and purchases some Bigelow Spiced Chai Tea.  I love Dunks Vanilla Chai, so this choice seemed like a logical one.   And this AM, I tried my selection and was pleasantly surprised.  It was still kinda bland, but less bitter and more mellow.  It was nice to sip in my Aruba souvenir coffee mug (GO Eco-Friendly!) and I only felt like an old lady for the first few minutes…. So my conclusion: Some Teas are good!

The health benefits are ginormous (real word, check out Merriam-Webster; its a combo word) and it tastes like heaven!  It makes everything taste better, cooked or raw. It is a staple in most of my recipes and I buy it fresh and cut it or paste it myself.  But don’t take my word for it, check out these facts: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60.

So in summary, Garlic is a super food, it belongs in every meal and my I will suffer the breath for the heart & other health benefits!  Now how can I get more creative with Garlic, hmmmmmmm….

1 Croissant isnt the end of the world… Moderation, right? So I am over my croissant binge, and I’m heading to heat up my bison, bean and pea chili.  But goddamn, that croissant was da bomb!  I do believe the gym is calling my name after work…. or is it yelling?

http://www.hungry-girl.com

We ordered an indian takeaway via Just-Eat tonight through an Indian restaurant we have ordered through repeatedly as we always had such nice curries from them.

Imagine my dismay upon unpacking the boxes to find that my curry consisted of rice and…… rice.  A simple mistake, fair enough.  I actually giggled at the time.  I called the restaurant and explained my dry mouth predicament which is where it gets really funny…

Me: Hi, I just had my order delivered and instead of my curry I have more rice.

Them: Oh… errr… very sorry.

Me: Err, are you going to send me a new one?

Them: Mmmm, new one yes.  No.  I send curry sauce.

Me: It takes 30 minutes for you to get here so everything else will be cold so I’d either like the full dish again please or a refund.

Them: I send curry sauce. (line goes dead)

I am sat at home following this exchange drooling over Rob’s plate when the phone rings….

Me: Hello?

Them: Yeah, hi mate, I just delivered your food?  You ordered 5 things and we sent you 5 things innit?

Me: You did yes, that was very kind thank you however only one out of those five things contained curry.  I have enough rice to feed a small village and no curry sauce.

Them: Oh, it’s just it’s a bit far for me to come back again.

Me: Errr… what? Not really my problem ‘mate’ as you advertise as delivering to my postcode on Just-Eat.  Are you going to issue me a refund then?

Them: No, I can’t do that.  Tell you what, how about next time I sort you out some nice freebies?

Me: Generous as that is I think we both know a next time is becoming highly unlikely.

Them: SO what you wan’ me to do?

Me: Well, you’re telling me it’s too far to deliver a curry and you can’t issue a refund so what are my options?

Them: I give you freebies next time.

Me: I think I’ll call Just-Eat.

So luckily I spoke to a lovely man at Just-Eat who came to my rescue.   He called the restaurant and gave them what for.  He called me back to say that they were sending their driver over with a cash refund.  Hilarious laughter ensued.

Turns out, regardless of the vast distance that prevented my curry and I from being united tonight, the delivery dude got here in under 15 minutes with my refund.

I gave him his rice.

Mange folk kunne ikke komme igennem betalingsprocessen pga. DIBS

befolkning med modetøj fra landets fedeste nichetøjbutikker. Vi har sammen med andre store sites som eks. just-eat.dk oplevet flere weekender hvor hele betalingsflowet var nede ved DIBS og derfor ikke har været muligt at købe noget fastfood ej heller tøj.
Vi arbejder derfor pt. på en løsning som lagrer oplysninger om købet, så vi ikke behøver at kører det realtime og derfor kan vente med at “afslutte” købet indtil DIBS er oppe og kører igen, istedet for at vores besøgende får en fejlmelding og forlader siden uden at have deres tøj på vej med posten…

Cool. Hoewel: ik vind wel tof om bij de Sinees aan Melle Leeuw te bestellen en ‘over een kwatieltje’ te gaan ophalen.