Archive for February 2012
Mobile 2.0's Hackathon – A great place to scout developers?
Coming up in a week is Mobile2.0, the two-day Paris conference dedicated entirely to mobile. In addition to speakers, fireside chats, and the Appawards – a contest which has already closed and which will present 12 mobile applications with awards and prized – there is, indeed, a mobile hackathon. Throughout the 48 hours of the event, mobile […]
Krrb: Paris and Brooklyn-designed fleas for fashion (and more)
Online classifieds have been stuck in the past for years now (see Craigslist and Leboncoin), and even though plenty of companies are trying hard (see Oodle and OLX), innovation in the space really seems to be lagging. So the first thing you notice when you go to Krrb.com is that it looks like something new. […]
Rude VC: Unless you're publicly-listed, don’t throttle back
You may have read about how Lance Armstrong raced the half-Ironman triathlon in Panama two weeks ago. His runner-up finish at the inaugural event confirmed that Armstrong has set his sights on the triathlon world as his next competitive battleground. Rumors have swirled periodically since Armstrong’s retirement from the Tour de France that he would […]
France: would you rather work for Airbnb or a local competitor?
The international tech community has been obsessing over Silicon Valley darling Airbnb for so long that it’s easy to forget that the company founded in 2008 only began its international expansion in the fall of last year. Over the last few months, the company has been setting up local offices across Europe, where it rivals local […]
LesParrains takes its money-saving referral service to the US
Last month, LesParrains.fr launched an English version under the name RefAround. For those unfamiliar, the already existing service in France matches up users in order to maximize the referral field in online purchases. The site launched in the US with referral deals from DirectTV, Verizon Wireles, Alaska Airlines, and 80 other referrals. The site has […]
Pimp your digs: The Rude Baguette's French office contest
Let’s face it: France is a pretty enviable place to live and work. Working in Silicon Valley might be good for meeting VCs, but your office is probably in some anonymous office park located among mind-numbingly boring suburban sprawl. But here you might be in a regal Hausmann building along the Seine, or in a […]
Deezer is looking for €100 million. Any takers?
Deezer is a hot topic for the moment – and not just because President Sarkozy released his Deezer music playlist. Turns out music streaming platform is looking for a little love money. €100 million, to be exact. Spotify, is that you? The news broke on Les Echos earlier today that Orange – which acquired 11% of the […]
SHUT UP! President Sarkozy's not-so-brilliant social media strategy
Just last week, I published an article on digital side of the French presidential elections. At the time, French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn’t have an official Twitter account. After announcing his intention to run for reelection on February 12th, he and his social media team got their act together. Well, kinda. There’s only one Sarkozy […]
Did Free even pierce Orange's peel?
When Xavier Niel announced the launch of Free Mobile about six weeks ago, he invited not only comparisons to Steve Jobs but also the attention of the global tech world. Free’s approach to the French market — to build a mobile network on the back on its substantial consumer wifi network — is certainly unique, […]
Rapportive acquired by LinkedIn – Score one for Kima Ventures!
Rapportive, a gmail add-on which adds additional information in a side-bar format, was acquired today by LinkedIn. While AllThingsDigital lists Dave McClure and Shervin Pishevar as some of its business angel investors, they left off Xavier Niel’s Kima Ventures, which also played a not-so-insignificant role. According to Jeremy Berrebi, Kima Ventures was made the “biggest angel” […]