Mark Bivens
The France Japan Year of Innovation is more than mere words
Government-sponsored initiatives involving startups and innovation often meet skepticism. I understand because I often tend to be one of the skeptics. It’s a familiar drill. A group of politicians announce with great fanfare some theme of cross-border collaboration, accompanied by numerous platitudes extolling the virtues of entrepreneurship, job creation, etc. The official framework here dates […]
No disrespect to VR, but I think HTML5 games will become trendy again
Almost exactly three years ago I attempted to expose my thinking on why I was enthusiastic about HTML5, at least from an investor’s perspective. Three years is of course an eternity in tech, and HTML5 has certainly progressed substantially in some ways I expected, while in other ways demonstrated my zeal in overestimating the immediacy […]
Words I never expected to hear from a founder
The Founder/CEO of a tech startup I’ve been following for a while caught me off guard the other day. This is not a company in which I’ve invested, mainly because its activity falls outside our fund’s investment sweet spot. Yet it’s a compelling venture for VC backing given its robust and defensible technology that offers […]
FrenchTech: One step forward, three steps back
For entrepreneurs and investors in the French tech ecosystem (and even potentially for outsiders looking in), it has been a discouraging couple of weeks for us. While I still believe that 2016 will be the year of the European entrepreneur, I sincerely hope that politicians do not thwart France’s momentum in innovation when we’re just […]
10 ridiculous humble brags recently spotted on Twitter
Many of these could pass for satire but I’m pretty certain their authors intended them in full seriousness. Great idea, very similar to what I advocated in my TED talk last year Flattered to be quoted alongside Peter Thiel in this TechCrunch article Could barely keep up with Chris McCormack in my first Ironman Still […]
5 smart European VC predictions for 2016
Last year’s Predictions on the State of VC in Europe 2015 proved so popular that I decided to do it again. Here are some insightful predictions for 2016 from five of my more prophetic peers. Dmitry Chikhachev, Runa Capital, Russia I would predict 2 trends for VC in Europe in 2016: 1) a growing number […]
2016 Will Be The Year Of The European Entrepreneur
Making predictions are hard, especially about the future. I may be underestimating the time horizon, but for me the trend is unmistakable. The European entrepreneurial ecosystem is poised to enter the major leagues, and I predict that this will happen in 2016. Our vieux continent already boasts a burgeoning collection of tech unicorns, with the […]
Europe's tech IPO market: Where's Santa?
Just when it felt like the market for European tech IPOs were opening, the events of the past few weeks have dashed those hopes. Days after Deezer announced the delay of its initial public offering, HelloFresh drew the same conclusion. In France, the only notable IPOs of late were Amundi and ShowroomPrivé. The asset management […]
VC Shenanigans, Chapter 1 (of Volume I, Book 1…)
“Never a dull moment,” one on my favorite co-investors would like to quip. After practicing the business of venture capital for almost a decade and a half now, I’ve witnessed my share of moments that were anything but dull. Someday I’ll write a book, I used to think to myself. Maybe someday. But until then, […]
How I'm Coping
These acts of terrorism in Paris have me shocked, sickened, and I admit it, scared at times. Never before have I felt such intense patriotism for my adopted country. The last thing I’m qualified to give is any kind of certainty on how to process these tragic events. I’m even skeptical of diagnoses and prescriptions […]