Archive for May 2014
MobyPark raises €600k to make parking in big cities painless around the globe
Parking in big cities is always a major headache for motorists. And regardless of which city or geography you’re in, this pain doesn’t seem to differ; finding parking is almost always time-consuming and overly expensive. Enter MobyPark. Founded just under two years ago, MobyPark initially set as its objective to be a peer-to-peer platform in […]
As Bitcoin startups surge, Paris opens its first Bitcoin center
La Maison du Bitcoin opened its doors yesterday, right in the middle of the Sentier district of Paris – 35 rue du Caire. The space was created and will be run by Thomas France and Eric Larchevêque, two seasoned entrepreneurs and bitcoin advocates. They founded the price comparison and shopping app Prixing together in 2011. […]
Wheretoget.it raises €1.4 Million to build the Jelly for Fashion
Fashion startup Wheretoget.it has raised €1.4 Million from Alven Capital, Fabrice Grinda & Emmanuel Brunet in order to build out its website, which allows individuals to post photos of things they see and receive answers concerning where to purchase them. Founded by CEO Romain Moyne, the website originally launched after Moyne sold Hypeed alongside co-founder and Rude […]
Orée launches KickStarter Campaign for their all wood, wireless charger & bluetooth speaker
Oree Design, a startup which has made a name for itself by creating wood-based technology products, is launching a KickStarter campaign for its latest product, the Orée Pebble 2 – a wooden wireless charger. In addition to their wireless keyboard & wireless wooden touchpad, Orée previously released a Marble wireless charger, the Orée Pebble, and the […]
Orange working on their own HDMI key to rival Google’s Chromecast
The success of Google’s Chromecast HDMI has sparked the interest of Orange. So much so that, according to l’Opinion, they’re currently working on a ‘similar but different’ model of heir own. No word yet as to what the key differences will be. Chromecast was launched in France in mid-March. While Google hasn’t announced sales figures […]
“Powerpoint Killer” Bunkr.me raises €1 Million from Xavier Niel, Daniel Marhely & IDInvest
Rouen-based startup Bunkr has raised €1 Million from IDInvest (led by Matthieu Baret), Daniel Mahrely & Xavier Niel for their collaborative online presentation tool. The company, whose launch we first covered in May 2013, has seen amazing traction in the last 12 months, growing in the first few months to over 35,000 users, thanks largely to their launch […]
Leveraging your VC’s network
Two weeks ago I wrote about a good way for entrepreneurs to ask one VC for a referral to another. This time let’s talk about one of the most effective ways to ask your VC for business referrals once you’re venture-backed. This also applies to entrepreneurs who are looking to derive the most from any […]
Why France is losing the fight for the future of the Energy Sector
France’s neo-colbertist tradition and the government’s hands-on approach to economic subjects have long favoured powerful national corporate champions. And Economics Minister Arnaud Montebourg’s decisions and policies have really fit that tradition. The French just seem more eager than other European countries, for example, to prevent their corporate champions from being taken over by foreign firms. France […]
On June 3rd, check out the most promising startups ‘Made in ESCP Europe’
It’s time again for ‘Made in ESCP Europe’, ESCP’s annual uber pitch competition which has produced several up-and-coming French tech stars in recent years, including Carnet de Mode, Appetise (better known as La Belle Assiette), and Weezevent to name a few. All startups that participate in the competition must have at least one ESCP student […]
For the Cannes Festival, Uber offers on-demand jet flights from Paris to Cannes
The annual Cannes Film Festival is going on from May 14th to May 25th, bringing together many of the world’s most well-known (and soon to be well-known) actors, directors, costume designers and other film industry players. Despite ongoing drama in Paris and in France as a whole, Uber announced last Friday that users in Paris & Cannes […]