Spotlight Interview: Fly Ventures' Marie Brayer
"What's really exciting is seeing the emergence of academic entrepreneurship in France."
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Spotlight Interview: ChangeNOW CEO Santiago Lefebvre Wants You To Believe Again
ChangeNOW 2025, the "world expo of solutions for the planet," is in full swing this week. Ahead of the Paris opening, I spoke with Lefebvre about how a bold idea born at COP21 became a global gathering, and why, in a divided world, hope and action still matter.
Spotlight Interview: Keles' Laurent Van Lerberghe On Digital Health Investing
"The region between the UK, France, and Benelux is becoming something like a new Palo Alto. Everything is reachable within two and a half hours, creating a concentrated ecosystem of talent, capital, and market opportunities."
A Fight for Fairness: Maud Sarda on building a more ethical economy with Label Emmaüs
Sarda: "This isn’t just about the survival of a business; it’s about justice and survival as a whole. We’re fighting for a fairer world where second-hand goods are valued and everyone has access to high-quality, sustainable options."
Spotlight Interview: ValueCo CEO Mariem Mhadhbi On Making ESG Count in Capital Markets
"The name reflects what we aim to do: create real financial and market value while leveraging the collective intelligence of investors to inspire meaningful change."
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🇫🇷 French Tech Wire: Dero’s Mission to Transform France’s Circular Economy
Devialet faces severe financial losses, while Alice & Bob plans a $50M quantum lab. Younited acquires eco-friendly neobank Helios, and BlaBlaCar expands into train ticket sales.
Secondhand Shopping Made Easy: Dero’s Mission to Transform France’s Circular Economy
Dero is reshaping secondhand shopping in France by aggregating 65+ trusted marketplaces into one interface. With 150,000 users and a new mobile app, Dero wants to make buying used simple, secure, better for your wallet -- and the planet.
🤖 La Machine #30: Is France Losing Its AI Funding Mojo? 🤖
Also: Meet Gigi, an AI matchmaker that scrapes your digital footprint to recommend connections for business, networking, and dating -- whether you asked it to or not. The Black Mirror-esque platform, already backed by Sequoia, OpenAI, and Monashees.
Is France Losing Its AI Funding Mojo?
Despite government initiatives and the Paris Summit, France's AI startup ecosystem is struggling to secure funding in 2025, raising just $372 million so far compared to $2.8 billion in 2024. With fewer big rounds and declining deal volume, France lags behind the UK and Germany in AI investment.