The landscape in one pass
The Netherlands runs three founder routes: the startup visa (one year, facilitator-guided, innovation-tested), the self-employment scheme (points-based, business-plan-driven), and the quiet favourite — recognised sponsorship through your own BV, employing yourself as knowledge migrant once the company qualifies. France bundles the French Tech ticket; Estonia pairs its startup visa with the e-residency stack; Spain modernised under its startup law; Portugal routes founders through the D2 tradition.
What actually separates the offers
Three questions cut through every brochure: who judges the business (facilitator, points, or your own payroll), what the family gets (Dutch routes carry partners and children cleanly), and what year two looks like — where the Dutch own-BV route shines: the company grows, the permit renews on the same logic, and the 30% ruling can ride along on the payroll.
The sequence that works
Company first — it carries the application — then the route matched to your profile, then the family calendar: the BV in weeks and the 90-day sequence, with the school layer mapped: the shortlist.