Archive for October 2012
Orange to kill Unlimited Internet in France
News began to circulate last Friday that Orange was taking the first steps towards changing it’s household internet pricing from a fixed cost to a ‘pay-as-you-go’ pricing. The news, originally picked up by La Lettre A[FR] & then reported on Rue89[FR], cites Orange as saying it is “actively preparing different offers based on usage.” The same announcement […]
Tariq Krim has 5 ideas to Disrupt France
There’s been much debate this week across the media about whether the government’s digital agenda as presented by Fleur Pellerin is truly proposing anything new and, with initiatives such as ParisTechCity, whether it might actually be going in the wrong direction. While it’s true that it’s undoubtedly positive that digital economy is playing such a […]
Twitter to hire up to ten in Paris by Spring 2013
The City of Paris confirmed[FR] yesterday that Twitter will be opening an office in Paris next Spring. The announcement comes after TechCrunch reported just days earlier that it was taking Twitter too long to hire in France, suggesting that hiring in France was particularly difficult. The Techcrunch article, despite lacking in any proof for or against […]
Nobel Prize awards Quantum Strides and Leaps in Physics
Breakthroughs in quantum computing were awarded this week to two scientists Serge Haroche, of Paris, France and David J. Wineland of Milwaukee, USA. The coveted Nobel Prize in Physics was earned “for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems.” The Nobel scientists achieved distinct methods to directly analyze fragile quantum […]
Amazon & Netflix will fight it out for the French Market in 2013
This week, during a meeting with the Competition Authority, Canal+ President Bertrand Meheu fought off claims that his company had exclusivity on the VoD and SvoD market by suggesting that Netflix would be launching early in 2013. The investigation into the monopoly comes from the fact that, in addition to Canal+ offering the only VoD & SVoD […]
Client E-relation leader iAdvize raises €1M from Alven Capital
iAdvize announced yesterday that it has closed a round of funding of €1 Million from Alven Capital in order to accelerate its international development. Previously funded by Xavier Niel’s Kima Ventures & business angels to the tune of €100K, iAdvize was founded by Julien Hervouet and Jonathan Gueron in 2010. The company currently helps 800+ […]
Zilok Auto snags €1.5M from Jaina & the new Ecomobilité Ventures
ZIlok Auto announced yesterday a new round of funding from Marc Simoncini’s Jaina Capital & Ecomobilité Ventures, a Joint Venture fund by SNCF, Total & Orange. Zilok Auto is a peer-to-peer car rental service which hopes to help you monetize the 90% of the time you don’t use your car in order to subsidize the €6,000/year […]
Paris Capitale Startup is a Huge Mistake by Pellerin
While a battle rages on between entrepreneurs & investors against the government’s proposed laws, dubbed The Pigeon Movement, Minister of the Digital Economy Fleur Pellerin has announced today her intention to build a tech hub for Paris. According to La Tribune, Fleur Pellerin has been inspired by London’s £10 Billion project “UK Tech City,” which […]
Emailvision raises $30 million from London's Izurium Capital
Coming on the heels of Deezer’s big fundraising announcement, Emailvision, a global leader in customer intelligence and marketing automation, announced yesterday that they raised $30 million from London-based Izurium Capital. The investment, coupled with Emailvision’s recent acquisition of UK-based PredictiveIntent, is expected to enable Emailvision to accelerate its plan of providing highly customized marketing content […]
Rude VC: Pigeons don't poop in private
Wow, it has been quite a week ! President François Hollande’s Socialist government unveiled its draft 2013 budget comprising some potentially devastating tax dis-incentives for entrepreneurs and VCs. A revolt ensued, with the birth of the Pigeon Movement, an explosion of emotion on social media sites, worldwide media attention, and the culmination of a dialogue […]