Liam Boogar
How Epic Foundation is bringing Philanthropy into the digital age
About 6 months ago I found myself pacing back and forth during some startup event – I wasn’t avoiding pitches or waiting to use the bathroom, I was talking with NYC-based French entrepreneur Alexandre Mars about his Epic Foundation. I can’t say that I was surprised that an entrepreneur with a successful exit would go into […]
With 300,000+ reservations made, Dayuse raises €15 Million to book hotel rooms… during the day
Daytime hotel reservation service Dayuse has raised a €15 Million Series A investment led by Partech Ventures & IDInvest, with participation by Accor co-founder Paul Dubrule, AmEx Travel President Charles Petruccelli, Cedric Barbier, Christophe Chausson & others. The startup has helped professionals make over 300,000 reservations across 14 countries for hotel rooms during the daytime – for a […]
Doubling down on digital, Michelin acquires table reservation service Bookatable
Michelin has acquired London-based Bookatable, Europe’s leading online table-reservation service, working with 15,000 restaurants & managing more than 34 million covers worth of reservations. Bookatable had raised upwards of $70M from Balderton Capital (via Johan Brenner, currently GP at Swedish fund Creandum) & Wellington Partners (via Daniel Waterhouse, who is now a Partner at Balderton Capital). Bookatable was […]
Microsoft Ventures beefs up its Paris activities with two new hires
Kicking off 2016 strong, Microsoft has recruited two new entrepreneurs to lead their startup initiatives in France, which is coordinated through their Paris-based 300m² accelerator space. Pascal Fite joins Microsoft as their acceleration program’s Entrepreneur in Residence, having spent time as an investor at Sigma Gestion, leading investments in LeKiosk, Qobuz & others, after working in the […]
5 Reasons why 2016 is France’s year to take over IoT
With CES wrapped up for 2016, it is time to see if all the big promises will come to fruition – new transportation methods, new sensor-enabled devices, new cameras & a new way to make your home smart – the most important promise that has been made this year is that France will dominate the IoT […]
Can France overcome its self-bashing handicap to become a "Startup Factory"?
“Bienvenue en France, la Startup Republique!” For the past 18 months or so, since LaFrenchTech began to make noise abroad, I began hearing talk of the Startup Republique. A play off of Israel’s coined “Startup Nation” tagline, which has brought out voices in favor and in opposition on the topic. Contrary to the US, where waving […]
Kick off 2016 right – join #ParisFounders as we bring the Startup Nation to Paris!
After bringing together 2500 founders, investors, entrepreneurs, developers & journalists in 2015, #ParisFounders returns in 2016, bigger than ever. #ParisFounders has become the place for startups to launch on stage – our alumni have raised rounds, succeeded in crowdfunding campaigns, been accepted to YC, and even acquired – and we’ve continued to bring on stage founders who […]
Valued at €660 Million, can Parrot compete with DJI for the Drone throne?
Last month Parrot announced that they would seek to raise €300 Million, including €90 Million contributed from CEO & founder Henri Seydoux himself & another €30 Million from BPIFrance. Since October, Parrot’s stock (listed on the Paris-based Euronext) has dropped from a high of just over 45€ to a low point of 20€ – the market cap at […]
Devialet is Bose's biggest threat
When Devialet announced they had raised €25 Million this past Summer from some of France’s biggest names – Xavier Niel, Marc Simoncini, etc. – it was clear that founder Quentin Sannié and team had big ambitions for what remained a relatively unrecognized brand, even from inside France. At the beginning of this year, however, Devialet […]
Living (apart) with Triby
I don’t often do product reviews. In between the monotony of listing features & component and the terrible age of unboxing videos, I tend to let the user decide for themselves; however, when I saw Triby at the beginning of this year at CES, I was hooked. From a distance, Triby looks like a glorified connected refrigerator […]