'francois hollande' Tag
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State of the [French VC] Union: Bleak
February 5, 2013Last summer I wrote a piece about how France’s Retail VC funds were facing bleak prospects (Retail VCs: Pivot or Perish). With the jury now in from 2012’s fundraising cycle for these vehicles, it unfortunately appears that my August piece proved ominously prescient. By way of refresher, Retail VCs are the venture capital firms whose […]
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What Gallois’ report means for tech startups
November 13, 2012Last week the French government’s Commissaire général à l’investissement, Louis Gallois, released his eagerly anticipated diagnosis on France’s competitiveness to the Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault. Encompassing six major themes and 22 specific proposals, the Pacte pour la Compétitivité de L’industrie Française is both sweeping in its analysis and prescriptive in recommending solutions. Gallois begins by […]
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Pigeons don’t poop in private
October 9, 2012Wow, it has been quite a week ! President François Hollande’s Socialist government unveiled its draft 2013 budget comprising some potentially devastating tax dis-incentives for entrepreneurs and VCs. A revolt ensued, with the birth of the Pigeon Movement, an explosion of emotion on social media sites, worldwide media attention, and the culmination of a dialogue […]
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The small-firm-resources / large-firm-agility trap
October 2, 2012These are times of tremendous uncertainty for France’s startup ecosystem. Uncertainty of how the new administration of President Hollande will treat startups. Uncertainty over upcoming revisions in the tax code that will affect entrepreneurs and investors alike. Uncertainty in the French jobs market. Uncertainty hanging over the euro. Uncertainty over how exothermic macroeconomic events, such […]
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Pour une France Compétitive
September 25, 2012Over the weekend I had the pleasure of reading France Digitale’s whitepaper “Pour une France compétitive et créatrice d’emplois.” I say pleasure, because I really did enjoy reading the organization’s pragmatic proposal of four concrete measures to include in the upcoming Loi des Finances 2013. For those who are not familiar, France Digitale is a […]
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Okay President Hollande, you’ve got our attention !
September 11, 2012{The following is merely a tongue-in-cheek attempt at an imaginary letter I could write to President François Hollande. Its opinions are purely personal and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or my industry.} Dear Mr. President, First off, thank you for opening my mail. If you’re reading this letter, you would be the […]