Chris and Ethan had a chance to catch up with Alexandre Prot, Co-Founder and CEO of Qonto, on their amazing growth and what's ahead. ----- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Sign up for the newsletter: https://frenchtechjournal.com/signup/
Join us for a passionate discussion with Pascal Cagni, Founding Partner at C4 Ventures and Chairman at Business France, previously GM & VP, Apple EMEIA, and GM Europe, Packard Bell. Intro and background 0:28 Pascal's journey at Apple 4:50 C4 Ventures' focus and interests 7:12 C4's investment themes and thesis 12:35 France is back and French Tech's growth 15:02 From French Tech startups to European scaleups 22:36 Government's role in driving tech growth and addressing new verticals 28:49 ----- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Sign up for the newsletter: https://frenchtechjournal.com/signup/
The French Tech News visited Ynsect's mealworm farm in Dole, France, and spent some time with CEO Antoine Hubert learning more about Ynsect's journey, their mission, their science, and where they go from here. 1. Intro and acquisition of US mealworm factory, Jord Producers: 00:48 2. Vertical insect farm factory description: 1:57 3. Behind the Engineering, Data, and Biology of farming insects (mealworm beetles, Tenebrio molitor) 3:37 4. Inventing the intellectual property of insect farming 5:20 5. What's next and the the challenges ahead: regulation for US and EU animal and human consumption of insect protein, human and financial capital 7:33 Video version available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCxLH7t51lw ----- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Sign up for the newsletter: https://frenchtechjournal.com/signup/
Discussing reducing carbon emissions in your business and value chain with CEO and Co-Founder of Sweep, Rachel Delacour. Description and history of Sweep: 1:49 Climate change startup investment landscape 3:52 Doing good can also be good business 5:14 Sweep's $5m seed fundraising 6:47 Optimism and the COP26 Experience 7:14 Will technology save the planet? 11:47 Founding BIME Analytics and the Zendesk acquisition 16:04 Build your passion 20:55 On to angel investing 23:15 Heading to space? 24:47 ----- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Sign up for the newsletter: https://frenchtechjournal.com/signup/
Founder & Managing Director of eFounders, Quentin Nickmans, takes us back to the beginning of their startup studio to share the journey of building a portfolio of 29 companies and raising more than $400 million. 1:15 Intro to eFounders 4:25 Spinning out one SaaS startup after another 9:11 Solve the problems you have yourself. Build the solutions you need. 11:53 Discovering founders and matching them to ideas 16:38 $400M in fundraising and 2 unicorns 20:33 Being a studio founder and resisting building each project yourself. Watching your kids grow up. 25:11 Logic Founders fintech startup studio 28:44 Web3 and other vertical startup studios 31:15 Building a successful founding team Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO of Interstellar Lab, shares their mission to create sustainable plant cultivation both in space and here on Earth. Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Stephen Leguillon, CEO of Seyna, shares their journey on creating a regulatory-compliant, all-in-one platform enabling insurance brokers to build and operate digitally native insurance programs. 0:48 The journey from Appetise to La Belle Assiette to ezCater to Seyna 2:50 Becoming an Insurtech entrepreneur 5:31 Joining an existing team to build the next insurance scaleup 9:27 Innovating the technology and processes of insurance 15:12 The complexities of the insurtech business 21:10 Most insurance companies or insurtech startups can be partners or clients of Seyna 26:25 Raising a $33M Series A and structuring for hypergrowth Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Join Chris and Ethan for a fascinating discussion with CEO Jeronimo Folgueira on Deezer's continuing mission as an independent music streaming platform: 1:01 Intro to Deezer and Jeronimo's background 2:55 Deezer's place in the music industry 4:30 Deezer's unique value proposition as a music streaming service 10:24 The Home of Podcasting or Music? 12:13 and speaking of Spotify, let's talk about Joe Rogan 17:13 Music Exclusives... Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, Alicia Keys original sessions 18:25 European data/privacy sovereignty vs US platforms 21:25 Web3: Music NFTs, social tokens, and digital collectibles 24:39 The Future of Deezer Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Chris and Ethan had the pleasure to sit down and discuss Front's mission to build an authentic, relationship-based customer communication hub with Co-Founder and CEO, Mathilde Collin. 1:20 Intro to Front 2:50 eFounders and the origin story of Front 8:07 Onward to Y Combinator 11:03 Raising a $66M Series B in 2018 14:22 More fundraising and pandemic-powered growth 18:00 Building in San Francisco for French entrepreneurs 23:34 The Entrepreneur/Operator model of angel investing 26:36 Hyperscale growth coming in 2022 Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
A fascinating chat with Franck Lebouchard, CEO of Devialet, on their mission to elevate sound to its rightful place in our lives through an exacting attention to engineering and design: 1:28 A short history of Devialet 4:07 Being different about sound and design 8:50 People want better sound as streaming and video quality massively improve 11:46 3D and immersive audio are coming 13:53 Devialet's explosive growth and continuing demand 16:10 Phantom speaker for consumers and bringing great sound to cars, televisions, laptops, and more 19:43 B2C vs B2B revenue 20:30 ArianeGroup, materials science engineering, and rocket audio 23:43 2022 ambitions: what's next after amplifiers, connected speakers, and true wireless 27:26 Autonomous driving: your car will become an extension of your living room and the need for low energy consumption audio Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Today our guest is Denis Ladegaillerie, Founder and CEO of Believe, to discuss how they enable independent musicians to build and engage with their community and fans: 1:23 The mission of Believe 2:04 Believe's history and the evolution of the music industry 6:25 Tunecore, helping independent artists build their career through premium and automated solutions. 8:57 Scaling your music's visibility and reach through platforms vs. doing it on your own 12:26 Do you still need a label and its team? 14:37 The impact of social media on music promotion 19:36 Believe's Euronext Paris IPO: Going public in Europe for French Tech companies 24:14 Music NFTs: Crowdfunding/Financing your music vs monetizing community and fanbase Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Our interview with Benoist Grossmann, Co-President of France Digitale and CEO of Eurazeo (formerly Idinvest), at France Digitale Day. – Idinvest becomes Eurazeo – A little history of Idinvest – About yesterday's announcement of $1.5B invested into Sorare, Mirakl, and Vestiaire Collective – 'Values' and Sustainability at France Digitale Day – Sustainability, greentech, and impact venture capital as good business – The market is demanding Tech4Good – We now have the capital, so talent is the next problem facing the ecosystem. Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Our interview with Yann Lechelle, CEO of Scaleway, at France Digitale Day. – Scaleway's view on datacenter environmental impact and sustainability – Energy and water-efficient datacenters – Datacenter optimization vs legacy infrastructure – Sustainability as a business decision – Greentech and sustainability as a competitive advantage Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Our interview with Audrey Soussan, Partner at Ventech Capital, at France Digitale Day. The mission and thesis of Ventech Capital Early-stage valuation trends and VC competition What might IPO/acquisition exits look like for these higher valuation early-stage investments? Does the IPO location matter? Does private equity growth investment create liquidity or do you wait for an exit? Any specific trends, markets, or opportunities to watch? Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Our interview with former Digital Economy Minister of France and Korelya Capital CEO, Fleur Pellerin, at France Digitale Day. Intro to Korelya Capital Asian opportunities for European entrepreneurs Cultural and business considerations on entering Asian markets Growth capital (finally) comes to Europe Is private equity a rival or partner to venture capital $1.5B of investments in Mirakl, Sorare, and Vestiaire Collective announced in just one day Fleur Pellerin speaking on Values ESG, Social Impact, Governance at France Digitale Day Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Ynsect CEO, Antoine Hubert, explains their mission to develop sustainable nutrition for both animals and humans using insect protein: 1:41 10 years of progress 4:29 Building an industrial agricultural company 9:20 Technical challenges, commercial challenges, then the regulatory challenge 13:09 Why do we want to feed the world with insects? 19:55 Feeding animals, great...but feeding people? Creating ingredients for sports nutrition, meat alternatives, and more... 26:10 Robert Downey Jr's fund, FootPrint Coalition, comes onboard 30:03 Scaling up insect-based feed in the US 32:26 Building a sustainable and impactful company 35:41 Largest vertical farm and insect production site in the world under construction in France Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Our interview with Thomas Courtois, President of Nickel, at Vivatechnology in Paris. – Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Today our guest is Jeremy Prince, CEO of Sigfox, to discuss their mission to build the largest IoT ecosystem in the world. 3:20 Transitioning to a new CEO 5:22 What drew you to Sigfox in 2018? 12:26 2020, a difficult year 20:33 IoT Mass Adoption – 3 drivers: transforming customers' businesses, regulatory compliance, and new, disruptive business models leveraging IoT 26:25 The growth of IoT's different segments and markets 28:30 The impact of 5G on IoT 31:16 Is it finally time for IoT to scale? 38:00 Chocolatine or pain au chocolat? Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
On today’s live podcast on Clubhouse, we'll cover great stories about: 1:02 Ledger, the leading manufacturer of cryptocurrency cold storage hardware wallets, raises a $380M Series C at a $1.5B unicorn valuation, making them France's 15th unicorn and 5th so far in 2021, 11:45 Pasqal quantum computing raises €25M Series A from France's Defense Innovation Fund for their programmable atomic arrays, 18:50 C12 Quantum Electronics raises $10M from Bpifrance, Airbus Ventures, BNP Paribas, and OVH's Octave Klaba, 22:30 Digital music management agency Believe, parent company of Tunecore, IPO'd on Euronext Paris, 31:38 Vivatechnology Paris physical and digital hybrid innovation conference is June 16-19, 2021. We'll be recording French Tech News interviews in the podcast studio and moderating a few panels. Come say hi! Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.
Today our guest is Nicolas Brusson, Co-Founder and CEO at BlaBlaCar, the world’s leading intercity ridesharing service. We’ll be discussing carpooling in the pandemic / post-pandemic world, lessons in international growth especially of BlaBlaCar’s bus service in markets like Mexico, India, Russia, and Brazil, the road to becoming the intercity transportation super app, and building a culture of entrepreneurship and legacy through the BlaBlaCar mafia. 1:08 Effect of the pandemic on transport and travel. The economic power of collective intelligence. 6:57 Trust broker building community and maximizing connections between passengers and drivers. 10:05 Intercity transport. Connecting bus carriers to the platform. Scaling across Russia, Eastern Europe, Mexico, India, and Brazil. 15:11 Ridesharing competitors in bus and carpooling. Becoming the Expedia or Booking.com of buses. 20:06 Going international: the transformation of BlaBlaCar as it expands to 22 countries. 80% of usage is now outside of France…60% is outside of Europe. On the road to profitability and an IPO? 25:12 Lessons in growth. Offline-to-online transformation of transportation infrastructure. 30:37 Intercity transportation super-app. 33:50 BlaBlaCar in the US? 37:50 The BlaBlaCar mafia and building a culture of entrepreneurship. When you leave, do something great, build a legacy… Be sure to subscribe to and share the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, and check out the video version on our YouTube channel. --- The French Tech News is a newsletter, podcast, and video media highlighting important stories, in English, in the world of France’s startups, its entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Chris O'Brien and Ethan Pierse. Be sure to sign up for the French Tech Journal newsletter for more stories and announcements.