Laurent Herbillon

Very interesting data points about the startup ecosystem in this article. France has has made serious efforts to push its startups over the recent year, when the previous UK government and the current one make serious effort to undermine the whole small business ecosystem, including startups. So is France's effort vanity or does it pay back? Well, the article points out at a record of 129 startups that have failed in the last 18 months. So at first glimpse that does not sound glorious. The reasons for the high rate of failures are the difficult environment/ lack of funding but also bad spending strategy/ recruitment. So all good material here for the advocates of let's not bother with startups they are a waste of time and money, right? Not quite so for 3 key reasons: 1) If anything this shows startups need more support, not only in financial terms but also to help them to spend their cash on what matters for their development, reinforce their vision and recruit accordingly. That is precisely what we do at Value Squared with our partners, especially on the recruitment/ talent strategy side with Sarah Shields from Thrive. So one way to look at it is that startups need more funds to get more professional support, if of course founders are open to it...but investors have a word to say there! 2) Even more revealing the article tells us that despite this record level of failures, of which not all the fault is to be imputed to founders, there has also been a strong growth of accumulated revenues from startups in France, with an increase of 18.3% in 2023. So one can only imagine what this growth would have been if startups had received the right support... 3) One should also stressed out that the money spent on the 129 startups that shut down is not "lost" for the French economy, for most it has been spent in France and during the time those companies worked people who were employed by them were paid, learned and were not unemployed... We can only hope that the current UK government will also have the curiosity to access these data points from France and make the right conclusions https://lnkd.in/eUNqFJuT Sarah Shields, Oliver Rothschild, Alex J. Seleska, Ed Harding, Twiggy Harding,Rashesh Joshi FCA CDir, Karen Melonie Gould Juliette Otterburn Hall, Amy Lewin, Rachel Boswell, Eleftherios Jerry Floros, Viney Jean-Francois Dhiri

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💥New investment – Industry 4.0💥 🎉 The Bpifrance French Tech Accélération team is delighted to announce its participation in the €8.5M fundraising of OSS Ventures, an #Industry40 #startupstudio, alongside Tikehau Capital and Etablissements Peugeot Frères. 🚀 OSS Ventures is the leading studio specializing in software for operations. Its mission is to help factories digitalize, become more efficient, and reduce their environmental impact. ⭐Since its establishment in 2019, the studio has demonstrated a strong track record: - Created more than 15 #startups. - OSS Ventures, one of Europe's most successful digital studios, generates over €25M in annual recurring revenue (ARR) from its startups. - The solutions are deployed at nearly 2 000 industrial sites. - OSS has also created a community: a network of industrial partners, industry operations managers and sector experts. 🔍OSS Ventures aims to identify the operational problems encountered by blue-collar workers and operators, and to map out the areas where digital technology can help. The company’s strength lies in co-constructing startups with manufacturers. 💡 They have created various companies, such as fabriq, a software for digital problem-solving in factories, and MyC, a solution for health management in complex environments (ships, oil rigs, mining, etc.). 🚀 With this latest round of financing, OSS Ventures has raised a total of €11M. This funding will enable the studio to scale up its model and create 5 startups per year. 🏆 The startup studio is an operational company, which relies on its 20-member team, with expertise in IT development, design, marketing and sales, operations, and communications. 👉 Find out more: press release link in comments Renan Devillieres Pierre Lavaux Aurore Lanchart Jean-Philippe Lorinquer Quentin Dubois Maroussia Houimli Pierre GILLET Océane Fleury Bpifrance #France2030 #Manufacturing #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

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You wanna know how startup funding is going on right now in Belgium 🇧🇪 ? 🔮 I shared with Maxime SAMAIN (L'Echo) my point of view on that matter. 🦄 < >🐌 Article here: https://lnkd.in/e9qbCKKX Discover my take on the situation in 4 points: 1️⃣ More experienced 🐼 Belgium's startup scene boomed around 2015. These early-stage investors, the Business Angels, have gained experience through their investments made between 2015 and 2020. This newfound expertise makes them more rigorous in their analysis and more demanding of startups, ultimately limiting funding for a select few. 2️⃣ Investment shift ↩ The 2022 inflation surge reshaped investor mindsets and expectations. This trend solidified in 2023, becoming the "new normal." Consequently, 2024 witnessed a significant decline in funding for startups lacking a clear path to profitability. 3️⃣ Cycle ♻ The pre-pandemic boom in startups (around 2020) is now experiencing its first wave of bankruptcies. This has understandably shaken some Business Angels' confidence. While this cycle is natural, fear currently dominates investment decisions for many. 4️⃣ Post trauma 🤕 We are in a “post trauma” period. The above elements are making Business Angels much more risk averse. To restore confidence, we need to see successful Belgian 🇧🇪 startups emerge. Thankfully, time can be a healer, and some inspiring success stories 💪 are likely unfolding even as you browse this tremendous LinkedIn post 😜. Let's scale it up! 👏 #startups #scaleups #buildingbridges

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📊​ Last month, Bpifrance released an encouraging report highlighting the significant growth of green #technologies in France in 2023. New entrepreneurs are actively contributing to the country's reindustrialization by establishing modern, less carbon-intensive companies and promoting scientific research to address the challenges of global warming. ​ 🌿​ This wave of #green entrepreneurship is accompanied by a substantial increase in #deeptech investment, paving the way for cleaner #energy solutions and sustainable industrial breakthroughs. Additionally, it is driving the creation of numerous new jobs and fostering a more eco-friendly European economy. 🌱​ The Greentech sector, at the forefront of this transformation, is tackling major challenges such as the preservation of water and biodiversity and the development of new environmentally friendly materials. 💪​ With an ambitious vision, we can revolutionize the #IT sector through disruptive innovation—an approach we have already adopted at Exaion. We've initiated this transformation with projects such as waste heat recovery and the reuse of end-of-life materials. 🇨🇦 We are leveraging research breakthroughs, particularly in Canada, in core areas such as #quantum technology, #AI integration, #blockchain, and #cybersecurity. These advancements enable us to directly support industrial projects, catalyzing innovation and sustainability across Europe and North America. 👀​ I invite you to consult the #Bpifrance report for more insights (article in French) 👉​ https://lnkd.in/eR5Wjmn4 Cc Simon Napierala - Julien Villeret - Louise Vilain - Catherine Jouny - Mathieu Bertrane - Tiphaine David (Croville) - Anthony M. - Jeanne Colombet - Laurent BERNOU-MAZARS - Christophe Rodrigues - Simon Thomas - Sébastien Pussiau - Adrien Fournillon - Emerson BAGUET - Gilles Deleuze - Joachim Simon-  Alice CHAVIGNY

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‘Le Chat’ ‘la platform’ Mistral AI artificial intelligence, France’s Startup Darling, Takes Aim at the US Market : Mistral's edge could come from customers that want to avoid being locked into particular cloud companies “Customers are even saying ‘Le Chat’ and ‘la platform’ It seems that the French touch is having an effect.” opportunity is huge — Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that the software and cloud market in generative AI market could reach $350 billion by 2032 : Mistral is going after OpenAI’s home turf “They do not want to be forced into an AI stack” “They want choices” Mistral released a series of AI models, which power generative AI services, and a ChatGPT-like feature called Le Chat : US manager says businesses are looking for alternatives to Big Tech : will find customers through these partners as well as via direct deals with companies using its open-source models. Open source is one of Mistral’s main selling points : the approach — where the underlying computer code is openly shared and tweakable — as a safer, more versatile method than closed systems offered by OpenAI and others : Mistral’s open-source models on-premises, with data stored in local servers instead of with public cloud providers ---- generative artificial intelligence ---

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📣TIME recognizes Eurazeo as one of the #world's most #sustainable companies in #2024. ▶81st to be precise. Let's do even better next year! 👏. Eurazeo #team_effort #climat_impact #climate_urgency

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#fundingalert 💼Company: vorteX-io 💰Funding: €2.9Million ⚡Round: New Round 👥Investors: Banque des Territoires and MAIF Impact alongside AFI Ventures – Ventech – and SpaceFounders France vorteX-io is revolutionizing continental hydrology by offering turnkey solutions for river monitoring, improving flood and drought risk management. The financing will enable the company to accelerate the roll-out of its network of connected micro-stations and its Maelstrom platform. vorteX-io aims to become Europe’s leading provider of real-time hydrological field data. Jean-Christophe Poisson, François Wohrer, Hélène Hannoir, Anaïs van Wynsberghe, Guillaume Valladeau Read more - https://lnkd.in/gifKJj9T To share your startup story write us on - [email protected] #EICAccelerator #fundraising #partners #investment #growth #vortexio #news #funding #fundingnews #startup #startupnews #startuprise

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Deon and I are thrilled to announce that Cognyx just closed a 1.7m€ Pre-Seed to help manufacturers design hardware at software speed! The round is led by Bpifrance's VC team Digital Ventures, and features some of the most prominent business angels of the French & German startup scenes. “Hardware is hard”? Let's make it easier and faster to engineer. Our journey started only 8 months ago, when we decided to join forces with OSS Ventures. Using the studio’s robust co-design methodology, we uncovered a massive opportunity in the manufacturing space: engineering R&D cycles are often very slow, mostly because technical and product data lies disseminated across siloed IT systems. Engineers and stakeholders spend weeks identifying dependencies and solving conflicts between design, manufacturing or supply constraints. In particular, the industry’s most central R&D deliverable, the BOM (Bill of Materials) and its many variants, takes forever to align over several departments and scattered data sets. What first sounds like a technical problem actually has a direct impact to a manufacturing company’s core competitiveness: it slows down innovation cycles, extends Time to Market, makes it really hard to optimize products for a set of conflicting constraints, and eventually leads to serious quality issues on the production line. The problem sizes in dozens of millions for most large manufacturers. Cognyx intends to fix this, leveraging the latest available technologies. Using knowledge graphs, the data layer we built already bridges the gap between historical manufacturing softwares (ERP, PLM, MES…). All engineers and stakeholders can now contribute in real time on a unique "super-BOM", solving technical conflicts in real-time. The resulting acceleration of engineering workflows is already massive and… we’re only getting started with #AI! (stay tuned :) We’re incredibly excited by what lies ahead of us, and very grateful to a whole crowd of people for believing in our vision from the very early days! First and foremost our OSS team : Renan, Léopold, Quentin, Jean-Philippe, Guillaume, Elise, Ashok, Pierre, Aurore, Alexandre, Maroussia... many of whom are also angels. My friends, your support was been nothing short of outstanding to get this company off the ground. Then, a very special thanks to our early Design Partners and early-adopter clients (more on this soon ;). And last but not least, to our investors Quentin Mayolle & Ugo Varrasso and to our incredible team of Tech B.A.'s, just to name a few: Roxanne Varza, Christophe Raynaud, Thibault Renouf, Simon Dawlat, Ning Li... Manufacturing experts such as Arno Zinke, Laurent Fiard... not forgetting Laurent, Tom, Jaume and many other members of the Bonial France mafia. Now let’s get to work and build the future of hardware engineering! 📝 Merci à Adrien Lelièvre, Les Echos https://lnkd.in/epxPfmv7

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More prizes for the #1 Impact Startup Awards… Discover them now! 👇 What if we could offer square meters? I recently met the right partner for all startups out there: “We create steady square meters for entrepreneurs to shake things up” - Quoting Alexandre Ponchon and Axel Kuborn - co-founders Silversquare. In a fast-changing world, companies and individuals alike are rethinking their use of space and time, seeking more efficiency and flexibility, while preserving a sense of community and togetherness. Silversquare was born from this state of mind. Aware that the workspaces of tomorrow will be the cornerstone of new lifestyles, we provide state-of-the-art coworking venues to meet every need and every dream. I’m happy to announce the Silversquare prizes of the future #1 Belgium Impact Startup Awards winners. All Prizes are valid for 12 months in the 12 Silversquare spaces across Belgium 🇧🇪 and Luxembourg 🇱🇺: 🥇 1 FREE event in collaboration & hosted at Silversquare + 10 day passes. 🥈 10 day passes.  🥉 5 day passes. + 🏅 Special B2B Prize: 2 FREE FLEX memberships. 🏅 Special B2C Prize: 2 FREE FLEX memberships. Are you an impact #startup or #scaleup? Apply now! https://lnkd.in/gDxeth_C Apply with a 10-slide pitch to make a lasting impact! Let's scale up! 👏 #startups #scaleups #buildingbridges

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Boom 💥🚀, here is the 3rd edition of the #Fintech100, available for all free and open source, 🙏 thanks to Finance Innovation, Groupe BPCE and Sopra Steria, at the initiative of Truffle Capital, with the support of Marina Ferrari SECRETARIAT D'ETAT CHARGE DU NUMERIQUE. Despite harsh fundraising conditions #Fintechs grow 📈35% year on year, gain market share, internationalize (68%, primarily 🇪🇺), consolidate, focus on B2B (72%), and invest massively in AI 🧠. Watch them out: 10 years from now #fintechs will account for 20% of the financial sector (incl. banks, insurance, asset management). 👍🙏Thank you so much so much to the great team 👏👊behind the #Fintech100, Maximilien Nayaradou, Stéphane Hannache, Bruno CAMBOUNET, Qianwen ZHAO, Paul Bouscaud, Pierre-Yves Platini and Fabien MONSALLIER. for your commitment and dedication over the past 3 months and the great work you’ve produced, for the benefit of the community. 🍾 Congratulations to the top 100 fintechs in 🇫🇷, 39 of which are new, and also to all the others (getting close!) 🏆

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 🚀 OSS Ventures Secures €8.5 Million to Propel the Future of Operations 💡 We are thrilled to announce that OSS Ventures has successfully secured €8.5 million in our latest funding round! This milestone was made possible by our esteemed investors, including Tikehau Capital, Bpifrance on behalf of French Tech Accélération 2, Etablissements Peugeot Frères, and visionary business angels like Max Pog. 🌿 At OSS Ventures, we are driven by a mission to make industrial operations not just more efficient, but also adaptive and future-ready. We envision factories where technology and human ingenuity combine to create sustainable solutions that meet the challenges of tomorrow. 🌎 Our vision extends beyond technological advancement. We're committed to transforming the very foundation of how goods are produced, addressing critical challenges like climate change and working conditions in the process.  Since our inception in 2019, we've launched 15 startups, invested in four external projects, and our innovative solutions are now empowering over 40,000 operators across nearly 2,200 industrial sites worldwide. 🔧 "Operations account for 25% of the world GDP, yet only a fraction of startup funding goes to this sector. This funding round is pivotal as we aim to scale our impact globally thanks to our esteemed investors for their confidence, » says Renan Devillieres, our CEO. 🙌 A huge thank for the trust and support of our investors and to every team member, partner, and supporter who is part of this transformative journey. #OSSVentures #Innovation #Fundraising #FutureOfManufacturing Francois Lavaste Romain FRIEDMAN Pierre GILLET Frédéric Villain Ulysse Laroche Pierre GILLET Océane Fleury Renan Devillieres

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📢 BREAKING, FRANCE! Au revoir Y-model. Bienvenue 5-corner model! 👋 After years of asking "Why Y-model" it seems that DGFIP asked themselves the same question and decided "not". Jokes aside, this is a true bombshell. The latest communication from DGFIP clarifies that PPF (the central platform) will only serve for data collection, meaning that invoices will not be possible to exchange via the central system. All invoices and invoice statuses will have to be exchanged over the network of PDPs (no OD method or direct connection into PPF). This practically paves the way for 5-corner / DCTCE model in France. More to be clarified in months ahead of us. #france #pdp #ppf #od #dgfip #einvoicing #ereporting #digital #controls #compliance #transformation #automation #accountsreceivables #accountspayables #payments #5corner #peppol https://lnkd.in/dqdh79-2

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Do you agree to be FORCED on a specific map route? Paris' transport network launches an app to help visitors navigate and pay for transit during the Olympics. But one aspect that I find particularly interesting about it is that it's NOT just designed for you, it's designed for systemic efficiency. That is, while the app is designed to make it easy for individuals to choose routings and pay for mobility across subway, tram, bus, and walking, IT ALSO will be used to spread people out on different lines and stops, to avoid overcrowding that can slow down the system. While this is one benefit of modern technology, and can deliver net social rewards (overall better mobility for all), it's possible that an individual user will get advice that is WORSE for them, but BETTER for "the whole". That could be controversial especially in the USA, but it fits the European social contract fairly well. Also, an argument can be made that, when the system flows better, EVERYONE will benefit, including those who have been given a slightly longer route. Mr. Spock would love it: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." "Can't I just use Google Maps?" you may be asking. Well, yes, but Paris has also asked map and GPS nav providers to comply with the city's routing wishes, and not simply deliver the usual Google route algorithm's "fastest route". https://lnkd.in/ghrFxWCS. Ultimately, a systemic approach to moving people efficiently DOES provide shorter overall average trip times. And there is precedent: Taking two parallel streets and making each one-way-only is something seen in hundreds of cities (ex: Oak and Fell in SFO). Is that not the same thing? In fact, most traffic laws use the same principle: Restricting choice in order to produce safer and systemically improved flows. I suppose the main difference is that this applies to people on foot, outside of licensed vehicles. Are you for or against? Let me know in the comments. https://lnkd.in/gseyTpiD

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Let's go. Following up on the #ridiculous cost to start as self-employed in Belgium (🥉 in the cost to register, woop woop), we got to discuss what should happen to enable more citizens to #start as self-employed with Robin Gille at La Libre 🎙️. The article here (in French) ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eVvZjcsp #Keytakeaways - The cost to register is indeed only the 1st barrier: next up are social contributions (min. nearly 900€ in 2024, before you earned your first €) - Private companies and local communities can help but, in the end, it's up to policymakers to set the frame & lower those costs. - It's up to us to push those regulators to up their game. This question isn’t just a business issue, it’s a societal one: by imposing high set-up costs, we discourage our brightest minds from pursuing their passion & entrepreneurial dreams 💭. We all lose out on potential advancements, job creation, and economic dynamism. Being self-employed already comes with many hurdles, and extra financial stress simply makes it harder. Let’s continue this conversation and build a future where everyone has the opportunity to succeed without unnecessary financial barriers ✨. Thank you Robin Gille for the nice conversation 💜

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🚀 Europe must strengthen its competitiveness by empowering its European tech and digital companies. That's why OVHcloud has united with 19 trade associations and 26 leading companies to advocate for 9️⃣ concrete actions to drive change:   1️⃣ Empower European tech with genuine competitiveness, 2️⃣ Create smart regulations, 3️⃣ Ensure effective enforcement. Together, these steps will solidify Europe’s position as a global tech leader, driving innovation, growth, and success. Let’s make this vision a reality! 🌍💡 https://lnkd.in/eqZ3Ef5b

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Excited to dive into the fascinating topic of Digital Twins in Healthcare with a panel of experts and Sébastien Giraudier, PhD. As the saying goes: "Put three economists in a room, and you'll get four opinions." I hope we can bring clarity and converge on a singular understanding of what a Digital Twin truly is—not just through its various use cases, but by focusing on its core digital essence. Looking forward to the discussion and the insights to come and to possibly meet you there. Book your agenda :)

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An inspiring day yesterday at La French Tech Aix-Marseille Région Sud as we welcomed Clara Chappaz, the new Secretary of State for #AI and Digital Affairs (and former head of La French Tech). Alongside the board of La FrenchTech Aix Marseille, we had the opportunity to discuss the future of AI, innovation, and the vital role our ecosystem plays in driving technological progresses. Many topics were discussed! Of course #LaFrenchTech which is representing, over the past 10 years: 25,000+ startups and over a million jobs. Its maturity is coming with resilience. The era of hypergrowth without concern for profitability is probably behind us, but innovation in artificial intelligence is not incompatible with profitable business (we are by the way reminded of this by Photoroom, demonstrating that #GenAI and profitability are possible together)! Finally, the connection of this new Secretary of State for AI and Digital to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research is a huge opportunity. While strong ties remain with the Ministry of the Economy, it underscores the crucial role of education and research in AI and entrepreneurship! It might also be a chance for th #deeptech startups, for whom the scientific dimension is an essential foundation for their future development. Exciting times ahead for La French Tech Aix-Marseille Région Sudand its members as we continue to foster collaboration and innovation at the heart of #LaFrenchTech. Looking forward to seeing how this synergy will shape the future! Julie Sébastien Théophile Volta Medical Diane Christophe Charlie Elodie Pierre-Emmanuel Alex Béatrice Frédéric Sophie Emilie Diana Nicolas Gabriel Ines Romain Alexandre Emmanuel Anne Yann Tanguy Selim Mathieu Jules Joséphine Roxana Amina Arnaud MERCIER Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence Christophe Hugon Emmanuel Roux Julie Huguet #ArtificialIntelligence #tech #education #research #startup

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