Archive for December 2013
5 French tech companies shaking up the Mobile AdTech space
The writing is written on the wall: the next frontier for advertising is mobile. The difference between advertising budgets devoted to mobile and usage on mobile vs. desktop is staggering, and analysts predict that it’s only a matter of time until the budget percentage and usages converge. Startups in France don’t seem to think it’s […]
Midemlab announces finalists to top music industry competition
Midemlab which takes place each year during top music ecosystem event Midem has an impressive track record as a launch pad for the industry’s most promising startups. With names like The Echo Nest, Songkick, Mobile Backstage and, most impressively, SoundCloud having participated in the competition, Midemlab has proven itself as great platform for startups to […]
Inside Deezer’s Offices – Music, Street Art & Conviviality
The following photos were taken by Dan Taylor (cofounder, Heisenberg Media) in December 2013, as part of “The Paris Startup Scene: A photo essay.” the full Deezer Album is available on Facebook & Google+. In just two years since their international expansion announcement, the company has come a long way. After raising €100 Million, Deezer has solidified its position […]
Dassault Systemes tops nearly $1bn in acquisitions, snatches another German firm
In a bold move, the French company Dassault Systemes is acquiring the German RTT to broaden its scope of activities. Dassault Systems is specialized in high-end 3D conceptualization for the production of complex structures such as airplanes or boats. The French company has been quite busy growing its business through acquisitions. In 2013 alone, this […]
How the French Government’s “French Tech” label affects French startups
Last month, Fleur Pellerin announced a government initiative to create a “French Tech” label in order to help French startups get more international recognition. The applause and criticisms came out from people for & against the initiative, and I’ve been sitting, digesting the announcement, trying to figure out what exactly irked me about this announcement […]
RudeVC: 2013 landing on a good note
Various topics have been tumbling around my brain about which to write in this last post of 2013 on France’s startup ecosystem. There’s the alarming passage of a wide-reaching French surveillance law, or yet another French fiscal flap like the Eckert proposal, and of course the depressing pronouncements by Arnaud Montebourg at LeWeb last week. […]
Lift14, once again making innovation happen on Feb 5-7th
A conference quite unlike any other Each February, one of the top conferences on innovation takes-off in Geneva – Lift. Amongst the many things that Lift does well is approach the topic of innovation from a holistic perspective. So instead of focusing exclusively on the science, research or financing of innovation, they ask how these […]
Smok.io’s connected electronic cigarette tracks your dirty habit puff by puff
The electronic cigarette is mostly used by people who want to quit, so it makes sense to add tracking capabilities to monitor how you are doing in your 2014 resolution. You can connect Smokio’s cigarette to your phone to see your history of consumption. There is also a nice feature that lets you see the […]
What do women entrepreneurs have to do with your Christmas shopping list?
What are you buying the little girl in your life for Christmas? Paul Papadimitriou moderated a panel at LeWeb 2013 consisting of three very successful entrepreneurs who happen to be women. Papadimitriou was oozing with European class as he brilliantly lead the ladies past the awkward Women in Tech discussion into a constructive conversation, pulling […]
French GPS service Coyote to take Waze to court over “unfair competition”
French startup Coyote thinks that Waze (acquired by Google, 2013) has gone a bit too far with the precision of highway radar guns, according to LesEchos. Coyote, which offers a GPS navigation hardware device for your car similar to Garmin or Tom Tom, says that French law prohibits exact precision as to where speed traps […]