Mark Bivens
State of the (European) Union in VC
A couple years back I argued that the state of the union for VC in Europe was bleak. In particular, I was referring to the tax-advantaged retail fund sector — most prolific in France but not unheard of in some other European countries like in the form of the UK’s VCT vehicles. Today in contrast, […]
How to negotiate your compensation (with a French angle)
As a new year begins, the time is appropriate to prepare for an annual professional assessment. This should involve an introspective self-assessment, to reflect on one’s professional ambitions and career trajectory (a process I strongly endorse, at least one a year). For salaried workers in France at all levels, the yearly assessment usually also involves […]
Predictions are hard, especially about the future
The previous RudeVC column on predictions from smart European VCs generated a lot of feedback. Many readers apparently liked the diverse, pan-European nature of the perspectives. Some zoomed in on the granularity of them, agreeing with some and questioning others. One reader questioned the relevance of limiting the predictions to a one-year period. It’s a […]
Predictions on the State of VC in Europe 2015
Rather than merely spouting my own views on what’s in store for the VC sector in Europe this year, I decided to solicit the opinions of my more omniscient peers. Here are the thoughts from several top-tier European VCs: Marc Fournier, Serena Capital, France: 2015 should be another great year for technology and venture capital. […]
2014 Year-End To-Do List
As another year draws to a close, I prepare to clear my desk and tie up a few loose ends that I had been meaning to address since the start of the year but never got around to doing… In laughter or in pain, happy holidays to all !
Dear LaFrenchTech: Let’s never stop learning
Arguably at one point the hottest tech conference on the European continent and still undisputably one of the top tier events, LeWeb took place last week and brought leading international entrepreneurs and investors like Phil Libin, Hiroshi Mikitani, Kevin Rose, Yossi Vardi, Tony Conrad, David Hornik, Jeff Clavier, and Fred Wilson to Paris. The conference […]
My five takeaways from LeWeb Conference
My five takeaways from LeWeb Conference 2014: The sharing economy is already impressive, and we ain’t seen nothing yet. Bitcoin has fallen out of favor, for now, and hence is probably a good contrarian play. Japan tech is the ultimate contrarian play. Expect the unexpected when a French politician takes the stage. Meditation is the […]
European entrepreneurs: Beware the Silicon Valley travel trap
There seems be a growing trend in startup communities throughout continental Europe that I find a bit fatiguing. It has to do with the plethora of consultants offering to organize tailored travel packages for young tech companies to global tech hubs, usually Silicon Valley. Consultants are like ants: they usually show up when there’s a […]
Musings on VC internships in France
Last Friday at the office we held the pôt de départ (farewell party) of one of our interns. Although this young man was not working directly with me, I know that my colleague greatly appreciated this intern’s contribution for six months. This was my colleague’s first experience of recruiting a VC intern in France, and […]
The billion dollar startup club
The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones VentureSource recently started publishing a list of companies that are valued at $1 billion or more by venture-capital firms. Here it is in graphical format (credit to J.Peng). The qualification criteria for the club are: privately held companies that have at least VC firm in the capital and […]