Huawei to invest 1.5 billion euros in France
This should help France’s budget situation a (little) bit. Two weeks after announcing that it would scale up its activities in France with a new R&D center by 2016, Huawei’s president presented to Prime Minister Manuel Valls a 1.5 billion euro investment over 3-years in the French market, focusing on its smartphone business. Huawei’s strategy […]
Should I hire a fundraising agent for my startup?
Within the span of a week this August came two excellent opinion pieces from VCs about whether entrepreneurs should mandate an intermediary to help them raise their early stage financing. The first is from Hunter Walk of Homebrew (Don’t Send a Banker to Do a Founder’s Job). Then John Henderson of White Star Capital wrote […]
On Giving out Equity to Employees in French Startups
One major inconvenience in VC investing in French startups which consistently raises its ugly head is the complexity to incentivize key personnel with equity. I’m not referring to the employees who eschew the upside potential afforded by equity in favor of fixed pay with high job security. While certainly understandable at certain positions in a […]
E-thread® technology pioneer Primo 1D closes €3 million round
Created just a year ago, Primo 1D, one of the E-thread® technology, pioneers have just closed a €3 million round, led by Sofimac Partners and Rhone Alpes Creation (R2V) with a consortium of Angels and other institutional funds participating. Primo 1D, who grew out of Grenoble-based digital innovation lab and hub LETI and were also an exhibitor at our […]
Viadeo raises 5 million euros to accelerate its growth in China
Just ahead of their Paris IPO coming up on July 7th, Viadeo has announced the closing of a 5 million euro round with A Capital. The purpose of this new round is to support the increasing growth of Viadeo’s Chinese professional social network, Tianji which it purchased in 2007. Tianji has been posting strong growth, […]
European Ecommerce market grew 16% last year to €363 billion
Europe’s ecommerce market growth continues to show now signs of slowing. With many European economies starting to at least stablize last year, online sales in Europe went on to grow at a very healthy 16% in 2013, increasing Europe’s overall ecommerce market to €363 billion. This actually puts Europe ahead of the North America, whose ecommerce […]
Grenoble’s nanotechnology & M2M lab, 50 years in the making
In case you needed proof that the heart of IoT isn’t 100% located in Paris, take a look at CEA-Leti, an ecosystem of R&D infrastructures and startups dedicated to nano-tech based in Grenoble. Innovation supporting both industrial actors and startups A subsidiary of the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) – France’s Nuclear and […]
The VC world in France needs more transparency. I’ll start.
Having waxed extensively about the opacity of France’s venture capital industry, I’ve decided it’s time that I practice what I preach. The venture capital sector in France operates in a fog of complexity, with limited accountability, and in some cases deliberate secrecy. I believe this is wrong. I believe that a VC fund’s investors, portfolio […]
What packing can teach us about management in a startup
Ever notice how packing a suitcase always seems a lot more stressful and time-consuming when you’re planning what to bring on your trip at the same time? Conversely, drafting a packing list before actually opening the empty suitcase makes the packing exercise flow so much more smoothly. Behind this phenomenon lies a trait inherent in […]
After winning out on SFR, Numericable buys Virgin Mobile
After coming out on top in the negotiations for SFR, Numericable announced Friday that it is also entering into exclusive negotiations to purchase Virgin Mobile. According to Carphone Warehouse Group, 46% owners of Virgin Mobile’s France holding company Omer Telecom, the transaction would be valued at around 325 million euros. Carphone Warehouse Group, looks to […]