Archive for March 2013

Currently raising a round of funding, Fleex’s video Language-learning startup rolls out a premium service

After wrapping up LeCamping, EduTech startup Fleex has launched a premium version of its video language-learning service. Taking advantage of the international tendency for TV viewers to watch US TV Shows in VO (Original Language), Fleex hopes to help users learn English by providing dual subtitles – 1st language and English. Fleex launched its free beta […]

Rude VC: Silicon Valley’s secret sauce

Rude VC: Silicon Valley’s secret sauce

Over the past few weeks in this space, inspired by Fleur Pellerin’s current government initiative to replicate Silicon Valley, I’ve recapped some of the history of the region and reconsidered the wisdom of attempts to reproduce the Silicon Valley model elsewhere. I submit that trying to imitate Silicon Valley is futile. However, France’s government and […]

Startup Career Launchpad conference set to take-off on April 18-19th in London

Startup Career Launchpad conference set to take-off on April 18-19th in London

The second edition of the Startup Career Launchpad is set to take-off on April 18-19th in London. Organized by NACUE, the UK’s principal association for college and university entrepreneurs, and supported by the BVCA, the conference aims to bring together the European startup community in an effort to “connect the biggest names in entrepreneurship, investment and […]

Previously cancelled TheNextWeb France awards quietly rescheduled to tonight.

TheNextWeb startup awards are going on tonight in Paris; you may not have heard about it because, well, they haven’t really communicated about it. The original event was cancelled, and then became a strictly online event, and then… Well, frankly we didn’t really know what was going on. However, it seems that last Friday, attendees […]

Oliver Samwers new €150M Global Venture Fund: “We invest in all rounds!”

Look out ladies, there’s a new fund in town: late last night, an announcement spread through bloggers’ emails announcing a new fund – Global Founders Capital – started by Oliver Samwers (of Rocket Internet, among other things) and Fabian Siegel.(Delivery Hero). The fund’s announcement is fairly general: Global Founders Capital will invest into all stages […]

The Race to become a real Platform for Music is on between Deezer & Spotify, but neither are there yet.

You may consider Deezer or Spotify to be an online music streaming “platform,” but a quick look at the wikipedia definition of a ‘platform’ – “a technology that enables the creation of products and processes that support present or future development” – would let you know that it’s still early days for the two in […]

Pebble competitor VEA Buddy’s Bluetooth Watch may be Indiegogo’s first breakout campaign in France

Just last December, Indiegogo announced its international launch, adding euros and pound sterling to the currencies that it would accept, and while it didn’t seems like a big change, it only took a few months for the first breakout French hardware project to pop up. The Marseille-based VEA Buddy bluetooth watch has already garnered $78K […]

Here are the 15 French & International Mobile Apps competing at LeMobile

Today is the first day of LeMobile, and the 15 finalists of the startup competition were finally announced at the end of last week. LeMobile is easily the biggest conference dedicated to mobile in France, and, unlike Mobile World Congress, mobile operators & platforms take the backseat to mobile apps at this conference. Despite the […]

Startup Academy Day showcases France’s rising startups on April 2nd

On April 2nd, 360 webmarketing firm Poweron will host its 6th edition of Startup Academy Day at which 40 of France’s rising startups will have the opportunity to pitch in front of a jury of 20+ key players in France’s tech ecosystem (members of jury noted here). Poweron’s Startup Academy actually started in 2008 by Jean-François […]

As the European Digital Landscape heats up, ComScore says France will remain a major market to consider

Comscore just released their France Digital Future in Focus report, in which they outline (in French) the state of the digital landscape, what’s rising, what’s falling, and where you should be. The report, which currently has a corresponding UK and US edition, shares some pretty interesting facts about the European digital & mobile landscape, ass […]