The French Tech Journal Is Expanding

Chris O'Brien -

We’re excited to announce that Helen O’Reilly-Durand, Franco-British Communications & PR expert, is joining the French Tech Journal as Co-Founder and Deputy Editor to help scale up coverage of France’s dynamic startup ecosystem.

O’Reilly-Durand brings a wealth of experience with founders and investors that includes advising startups at a prominent European VC and working with SMEs at France’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance. She’ll be overseeing several new features we’re introducing as part of our expanded publishing. 

The French Tech Journal will now publish 2 newsletters:

  • French Tech News: A general newsletter that includes a deeply reported feature or investigative story, a Q&A that sheds light on an important aspect of France’s innovation economy, and a roundup of top news stories and deals.
  • Seed Scout: This edition will focus on early-stage news, including an in-depth feature on a company that has raised a Seed Round, an investor profile, a Sector Deep Dive report, and a curated list of early-stage fundings.

While the newsletters remain free, full access to all of the main articles on the website (Deep Dive, Spotlight Interview, Seed Of The Week, Investor Profile) as well as the archives will be reserved for paid subscribers. To support our work and get an insider's look into France's tech evolution that includes unique insights and exclusive interviews, subscribe now for €15/mo or €150/yr for full access.

Veteran tech reporter Chris O’Brien founded The French Tech Journal in 2021 to provide English-language coverage of France’s thriving tech scene as it drew increasing global attention from founders and investors. The newsletter has since become a vital bridge that shares French startup news to a wider audience while also serving as a guide to outsiders seeking to understand the ins and outs of the French tech ecosystem.

Before relocating to France in 2014, O’Brien spent 15 years covering Silicon Valley for the Los Angeles Times and The San Jose Mercury. His arrival in France coincided with the rise of an entrepreneurial movement that has catapulted the nation into the top ranks of European startup hubs. 

While covering Europe for such publications as VentureBeat, it became clear that the ambition of French entrepreneurs was expanding and so was their desire to have their stories reach a more global audience. France’s tech ecosystem has witnessed remarkable growth in the past few years, fueled by unprecedented investor funding and propelled by government-backed French Tech programs, 

At the same time, outsiders expressing interest in the French ecosystem found it hard to penetrate and understand such distinct elements as the vast array of government programs, the impact of state bank Bpifrance, and the tight networks of founders and VCs. 

Over the past two years as monthly readership has grown to 4,000 people, FTJ has produced such exclusives as Sigfox’s implosion, Agricool’s demise, the unraveling of Meero, and the characters behind The Family’s legal fight. FTJ also took readers inside the global success of BlaBlaCar, the rise of Brut, and the triumph of Aircall. 

What became increasingly clear over the past year was that readers, founders, and investors were hungry for more information about the early-stage scene in France where there was increased competition for deals thanks to a surge in Business Angels.

“Helen and I have worked over the past few months to develop Seed Scout to offer a unique resource for readers who want to get a view into this complex market,” O’Brien said. “We think it will be a resource that decrypts the players and cultural dynamics that are driving the next wave of startups.”