Archive for April 2014
RudeVC: France’s “Paypal-killer” Paylib forgets to secure its dot-com
In the past I’ve written about the importance of owning the dot-com domain extension. Even my grandmother grasped this notion.. Paylib, unfortunately for them, did not heed my grandmother’s advice. . . France’s attempt to create a Paypal-killer, the Paylib payment solution created by a consortium of three of France’s largest banks — BNP Paribas, […]
Criteo announces a mobile ad offer that spans the iOS, Android & the mobile web
Criteo has released a mobile offer that allows them to track advertisements across the mobile web (Safari, Chrome, etc.) as well as across iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, the company announced this week. Criteo says it already generations more than $1 Billion in revenue for clients (on an annual run-rate) via its mobile offer, […]
Deezer CEO Axel Dauchez to step down in September ahead of US launch
The music world and tech world has been left scratching their heads after Deezer issued an announcement that CEO Axel Dauchez would be stepping down from his position in September. While they wait for a permanent replacement, “o-founder Daniel Marhely, COO Christopher Coonen, board chairman Didier Bench and US CEO Tyler Goldman will lead the […]
StickyAds launches in Germany, their 4th European market
Programmatic video ad platform StickyAds has continued its rampant expansion across Europe with the opening this month of their office in Hamburg, Germany which will be led by business development and digital marketing veteran, Marco Dohmen. With offices in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, StickyAds is now well on their way to achieving their goal of taking […]
RudeVC: Asking one VC for a referral to another
For entrepreneurs attempting to raise funds for their venture, an over-the-transom solicitation directly or via a fundraising intermediary is rarely as effective as an endorsed introduction from a portfolio company or from another VC. . If a member of one of my portfolio companies recommends I meet someone, I will most likely accept a meeting […]
M2M Telecom startup SIGFOX names former Areva CEO as President
Toulouse-based Internet of Things startup SIGFOX has appointed the former CEO of Areva, France’s largest provider of nuclear energy, as President of the company. Anne Lauvergeon will lead SIGFOX’s 60-person team as they continue on their mission to become a multinational telecom company dedicated to the Internet of Things, an objective the company has already […]
Priceminister co-founders leave 4 years after acquisition by Rakuten
France’s #1 eCommerce player, Priceminister (acquired by Rakuten in June 2010) said farewell to cofounders Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet (PKM) & Pierre Krings,who said au revoir to the company they co-founded in 2001 in a blog post published on the company’s blog yesterday. Speaking for his experience with the company, PKM stated that he was happy with the work he […]
Could the Internet of Everything Save the French Economy?
The following Guest Post was co-written by Nicolas Colin(@Nicolas_Colin), founding partner at TheFamily & Laetitia Vitaud (@VitoLae), teacher (prépa HEC & Sciences Po) and blogger. Low-cost sensors, increased computer power, wireless connectivity and intelligent software have created new uses and possibilities in energy conservation, public transportation, health care, domotics and food distribution. New “smart” devices equip homes […]
Netflix is coming to France a little too late – in more ways than one
After months of back and forth with the French government, and delays internally, it seems all but sure that Netflix will arrive in September 2014 – then again, that’s what we heard over a year ago. Nonetheless, Netflix has said it will come to France, via its Luxembourgeoise subsidiary – which is not great news […]
Argus Labs raises $1.5 Million to bring Emotional Context to Mobile AdTech
Antwerp-based Argus Labs has raised $1.5 Million for their emotion- and context-aware precision technology, the company announced this week on their blog. The startup, which previously received a $380K grant from the University of Brussels, says it’s been hard at work building a “synthetic neocortex,” as CEO & co-founder Filip Maertens puts it, which they […]