Failure Aversion Change in Europe (FACE)

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FACE (Failure Aversion Change in Europe) is an EU Horizon 2020-funded communications campaign aimed at reducing fear of failure among young ICT entrepreneurs across Europe to foster a culture of risk-taking and entrepreneurial resilience.
What are the main aims and objectives?

FACE Entrepreneurship seeks to transform Europe's entrepreneurial landscape by addressing fear of failure, identified as a major barrier preventing young people from starting businesses, particularly in information and communication technologies (ICT). Through research, storytelling, gamification, and interactive engagement, FACE aims to promote a mindset shift where failure is regarded as a learning opportunity rather than a setback, thereby encouraging risk-taking and increasing entrepreneurial activity among European youth. The program also strives to identify the specific fears entrepreneurs face and offers a roadmap for policy and ecosystem interventions to reduce those fears across the EU.

How does the program work?

FACE operates as an integrated multimedia campaign combining digital gamification with offline events and expert engagement to address entrepreneurial fear of failure.​

At the heart of FACE is a dedicated web platform featuring a gamified entrepreneurial journey with 63 game squares, each representing different stages or challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Users, dubbed “FACErs,” progress through the game by engaging with audiovisual content, expert interviews, and resources designed to demystify failure and foster resilience. The platform rewards active participation and creates a sense of community through interaction and shared learning experiences.​

The campaign deployed a Delphi study conducted by ESADE Business School to identify and categorize six key fear types that block entrepreneurial intent: financial fears, fear of losing everything, capability-related fears, fear of losing personal freedom, social fears, and self-perception fears. This research informed the content strategy and messaging throughout the initiative.​

Offline engagement was equally critical: FACE organized seven events across seven European countries (Spain, Germany, UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark), strategically timed to coincide with user progression through challenging game milestones. These events provided opportunities for FACErs to interact in person with entrepreneurship experts and peers, sharing experiences and normalizing failure in an open environment.​

Communication efforts extended through extensive networking across a wide ecosystem, contacting thousands of potential partners including universities, business schools, incubators, accelerators, and angel investors. The campaign was disseminated through social media, SEO/SEM strategies, and participation in major entrepreneurship forums like Start-Up Olé and ICT 2015.​

Mentoring formed part of the outreach, with 25 startup semifinalists receiving targeted support, further bridging project outreach to tangible business guidance.

What is the overall cost?

FACE was funded as a Horizon 2020 Coordination and Support Action project under the European Commission’s ICT call (H2020-ICT-2014-1). The exact allocated budget for FACE is not publicly disclosed, but Horizon 2020 had an €80 billion budget overall from 2014–2020, with numerous projects funded under this umbrella.

How was it implemented?

FACE was launched in January 2015 following identification by the European Commission of fear of failure as a critical psychological barrier to entrepreneurship across Europe, especially among youth with ICT interest. Grounded in research from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor which showed Europe had the highest fear of failure rates globally despite perceived opportunities, the project was designed as an integrated communication campaign to change cultural perceptions.​

Initial phases involved extensive research, including a Delphi study led by Professor Jan Brinckmann of ESADE Business School, which engaged entrepreneurs, investors, and academics to qualitatively identify entrepreneurs’ fears and barriers to startup formation. This informed development of the gamified web platform, multimedia content, and event design.​

The dedicated FACE platform launched in October 2015, offering an interactive, layered experience to empower users with knowledge and peer connection. The project held seven offline events across EU countries during its lifetime, coordinated to align with critical moments in the gamified entrepreneurial journey. These events were designed to improve engagement and normalize failure through real-world interaction.​

Partnership development was a major focus; the campaign reached out to over 5,000 potential collaborators spanning universities, incubators, accelerators, businesses, and angel investors, successfully integrating itself into Europe’s entrepreneurship ecosystem for amplification.​

The program ran for approximately 20 months until August 2016. Alongside engagement activities, the project prepared a Final Road Map synthesizing research findings and recommending policy actions to reduce fear across Europe.

What impact has been measured?

Formal impact evaluations measuring behavioral change or entrepreneurial outcomes from FACE are not publicly available.

What lessons can be learned?
  • Fear of failure remains a major entrepreneurial barrier in Europe, but targeted communication and gamification approaches can increase engagement and shift attitudes around risk and failure.​
  • Long-term cultural change requires sustained commitment, as impactful shifts in entrepreneurial mindset involve family, education, and societal influences beyond short-term campaigns.​
  • Lack of rigorous impact evaluation limits understanding of whether FACE directly changed entrepreneurial behavior or increased business formation.​
  • Offline events boost engagement but geographic and language scope may have limited broader reach beyond the seven EU countries targeted.​
  • Targeting ICT entrepreneurship is strategic but excludes other sectors, possibly narrowing overall program applicability.​
  • Multi-channel, integrated campaigns leveraging ecosystem partnerships show promise in amplifying message reach and credibility within entrepreneurial communities.​
  • Dependence on digital gamification platforms requires accessibility assurance, considering diverse demographics and technological familiarity among youth entrepreneurs.
Notes + Additional Context

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of 2014, fear of failure in Europe was highest in the world despite the fact that Europeans perceived opportunities (34,8%) and capabilities (42,3%). Furthermore, only a few had entrepreneurial intentions within the next three years (12,1%). 

CURATED BY

Cristina Fernandez

Director for Knowledge + Programming
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United States