5 Futuristic Start-Ups conceived in the 1900s
The imaginations of one artist c. 1900 prophecy the millennial lifestyle. 1. mySpark Technologies From the small class size and male-only student body you can tell the illustrator is clearly from the 1900s. By use of mechanical energy to initiate the electrical signals, the machine feeds knowledge and information via electrical wires despite the clear […]
Google Cultural Institute – a project 100% Made in France
In October, Google launched Google Cultural Institute in order to help preserve and promote culture online. As reported on The Verge, the site is currently home to a collection of 42 web exhibitions, with everything from the Auschwitz concentration camp to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. What interesting is that this project is one of […]
Tech brands increasingly Dominate Life in France
Technology continues to rapidly transform the daily lives of people around the world and perhaps even more so in France. Each year Havas Media, in conjunction with CSA, does a study to assess what the top 20 most prominent brands in the lives of the French [FR]. Their study is extremely comprehensive, covering almost 4k consumers […]
Mixed Feelings about Pellerins SayOuiToFrance Speech
Yesterday at MIT’s EmTech, an annual conference focused on emerging technologies and their impact, Minister of the Digitale Economy Fleur Pellerin gave a speech entitled: France as an Incubator of Innovation. During the talk, Pellerin announced the launch of SayOuiToFrance-Innovation.com (yeah, I’m also shocked that domain was available), an English-language site which looks to encourage businesses to invest in […]
Silicon Europe: the growing micro and Nanoelectronics Sector
This week saw the announcement of the formation of a new ‘cluster of clusters’ called (not surprisingly) Silicon Europe, which has as its goal to make Europe the leading center for energy efficient micro- and nanoelectronics and information and communications technology (ICT). The country specific clusters that have come together on this new initiative are […]
Flirtatious Labs – Making a game out of Flirting
Note: Serge Versille, founder of Flirtatious Labs, is a regular (and amazing) contributor to our blog, writing about the Games Sector. When I was first contacted by Serge, I almost sent his email directly to spam. “It’s a flirting game” the email boasted and I thought “oh god, another creepy dating site.” I essentially told […]
Mixed messages In French Innovation Ad in NYTimes
New Yorkers and readers around the world woke up Tuesday morning to find a full-page ad in the New York Times advertising France’s legal propensity for innovation and entrepreneurship. The ad, original pointed out by ISAI GM & #geonpi spokesperson Jean-David Chamboredon, received a fair amount of attention, perhaps because it came out on the […]
Inspiring leaders crack the agency problem
Of the multiple traits that distinguish inspiring leaders, I submit that the fundamental undercurrent relates to their ability to crack the agency problem. The theory of the agency problem, or more accurately, agency costs, represents the inherent misalignment in the relationship between an agent and a principal. Agency costs arise when a company’s employees (the […]
BlaBlaCar Rolls Out in Benelux, Portugal & Poland
BlaBlaCar announced this morning that they are rolling out their P2P ride-sharing marketplace in five new countries: Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands & Luxembourg), Portugal & Poland. In addition, In the announcement, BlaBlaCar said it has joined forces with Poland’s Superdojazd, a local car sharing network that was just about to launch, and they will be setting up an […]
Tigerlily expands from Facebook to Mobile
Social. Local. Mobile. We’ve all heard it before – but have we really? With iOS6’s release, integration with Facebook and Passbook have made it easier than ever to provide an experience on each app that is SoLoMo. This past week, French startup Tigerlily, which specializes in custom Facebook integrations for brands, released a video detailing […]