Mona Manaï

🚀 How to Find the Right Investors for Your Startup ? Finding the right investors is more than just securing capital—it's about aligning with those who can support your long-term vision. Before you enter fundraising mode, ask yourself: Is it the right time ? ⏰ In this carousel, I walk through the strategic steps to ensure you're not just raising money, but partnering with the right investors. From networking to full-on fundraising, building a comprehensive investor list, and filtering it down to the best fits, here's what you need to know: ✔ Determine if now is the right time to seek investment. ✔ Build relationships without getting distracted from your business. ✔ Fully commit when it's time, and balance your focus. ✔ Use all available resources to identify potential investors. ✔ Prioritize those who align with your stage, industry, and needs. ✔ Stay organized and efficient in your approach. Swipe through the carousel to dive deeper into each step and start your fundraising journey with confidence! 🚀 At Hustle Ventures, we support entrepreneurs operating in French speaking west African countries, on Seed operations, from deal structuring to final negotiations. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us out ! 💌 #Startup #Fundraising #Investors #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Africaninvestor #Africanentrepreneur #Angelinvesting #Seedfunding

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Whether you're a French startup founder or investing in the French tech ecosystem, this is a must-have resource: The Serena 2024 Edition of the Ultimate VC List is live! Fundraising can be incredibly time-consuming. That’s why, back in 2016, Serena created the Ultimate VC List to streamline the process for entrepreneurs in France. Now an interactive platform, it has supported over 100,000 entrepreneurs and VCs in the ecosystem. Some key trends Sébastien Le Roy and Maxime Furet spotted when putting this edition together: 🚀 The French VC ecosystem is thriving with new funds like Resonance, OVNI Capital, Yellow, and Varsity, signaling a vibrant and expanding market. 🌍 There’s increased interest from US and European funds for French startups, particularly in AI and climate tech, and a rise in non-traditional investors such as Business Angel Clubs and Family Offices (which are now covered by a new section). 🔧 Infrastructure investors are playing a critical role in funding innovative hybrid models amid global warming challenges. ♻️ The growing presence of impact VCs highlights the focus on socially and environmentally impactful investments.

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A must read for every founder (and investor) in B2B marketplaces. ⤵️ All credits to Fabrice Grinda + FJ Labs 👏🏽 https://lnkd.in/eB7uGzyH #firstdegree #founders #investors #whyrelationshipsmatter
#alwaysbelearning #sharingknowledge

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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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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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👨🏻‍🎓 Startup Life x Paris 2024 EDITION 👨🏻‍🎓 First-timer mistake 🚨 warning Do not #EVER write in your pitch deck you have NO competition. Here are some of the reasons why ⬇️ ⚠️ Lacks Market Validation: Claiming no competitors suggests that there might be no market demand for the product or service. Investors might think the idea is not viable or that there's no proven need for it. ⚠️ Shows Naivety: It indicates a lack of research and understanding of the market. Every business has competitors, whether direct or indirect, and failing to recognize them shows a lack of awareness. ⚠️ Discourages Investor Confidence: Investors expect founders to have a deep understanding of their competitive landscape. If a founder claims there are no competitors, it can reduce confidence in the founder's ability to navigate the market. ⚠️ Overlooks Indirect Competition: There are always alternatives or substitutes that customers might choose. Ignoring these shows a narrow perspective and an inability to foresee potential threats. ⚠️ Misses Learning Opportunities: Competitors provide valuable insights into market strategies, customer preferences, and potential pitfalls. Recognizing and analyzing competitors can help improve one's own business strategy and avoid mistakes.

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🇫🇷 Where is the money going for French FoodTech startups? We have just released our yearly report on the state of the French FoodTech ecosystem (add a comment if you'd like the link to the full report), and one of the most striking graphs is about the distribution of the money int terms of regions: As for the British FoodTech ecosystem (the most comparable in Europe), investments in French startups are heavily concentrated in the capital. It should be noted that investments are attributed to the headquarters. Now, leaders, even if their HQ is in Paris, are developing industrial capabilities in other regions (as HappyVore in the région Centre, or SWAP Food in the East), helping to spread the value created by these startups. 👉 Reply with a comment if you'd like the full report! #agtech #foodtech #france

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Watching the Roland-Garros French Open over the weekend and saw this motto: Victory belongs to the most tenacious. The failure rate of startups is high. According to recent statistics, approximately 90% of startups fail, with around 10% to 20% achieving long-term success. Various sources attribute this high failure rate to multiple factors, including under capitalization, poor product-market fit, inadequate marketing strategies, and team issues. Different industries exhibit varying failure rates. The failure rate for technology startups is around 63% within the first five years , while the failure rate for e-commerce startups is about 80%. HealthTech startups also face a high failure rate of around 80%, largely due to challenges in determining value propositions and strategy. Despite the high risk, some startups do succeed, sometimes making up for the losses of the many failures, which is why investors continue to support them. As the early stage investment market stands currently, a founder should not expect an investment based on the relative merits of a company. In other words, you may be building a great company but there’s no guarantee of an investment. This predicament requires both defensive and offensive strategies to navigate. One that we are seeing increasingly is the move toward cash flow neutral/ cash flow positive operations.

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𝗚𝗼𝘁 99 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀? After speaking to many founders over the last few years, we've learned that the journey is full of unique challenges and opportunities. From scaling too quickly to navigating cash flow, we've compiled the ultimate list of 99 problems that every founder faces and how to tackle them. Whether you're dealing with growth and revenue issues, people and operations challenges, or cash and capital concerns, we've got some insights to share. 🚀🌟 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 1. Scaling too quickly - Growing at a manageable pace is key. 📈 2. Achieving product-market fit - Ensuring your product meets the market's needs. 🎯 3. Competing effectively - Standing out in a crowded market. 🏆 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 1. Hiring the right talent - Building a strong team. 👥 2. Motivating the team - Keeping your team engaged and productive. 💪 3. Managing remote work dynamics - Navigating the challenges of remote work. 🌍 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 1. Securing adequate funding - Ensuring your business has the resources it needs. 💰 2. Managing cash flow efficiently - Keeping your finances in check. 💸 3. Creating accurate financial projections - Planning for the future. 📅 🔗 The key to overcoming these challenges is to understand the problem and find the right people for the solution. With access to the right experts and mentors, you're just one degree away from success. #StartupChallenges #FounderGuide #BusinessGrowth #FirstDegree 👉 What's your biggest challenge right now? Share with us in the comments! ⤵️ Extra: like or share the post and we will send you the full list of 99! 🫶🏽 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝘆 𝗭 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🎧

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🌍 On November 6, at 6H30, Xavier Lorphelin, Managing Partner and Co-founder at Serena will join Les Catch'up du Hub event, organized by Bpifrance & France Digitale, to share how VCs can help startups set and achieve measurable climate goals. 🌿 In a world where sustainable growth is no longer optional, building a business with strong environmental foundations is essential. Yet, many startups struggle to implement effective climate initiatives due to limited resources, frameworks, or expertise. At Serena, as a mission-driven firm, one of our core objectives is to support the positive social and environmental impact growth of the companies in our portfolio. 💡 During the Catch'up du Hub event, Xavier will share Serena’s approach to building climate-resilient companies—starting with practical steps like measuring carbon footprints and setting data-driven, actionable sustainability targets that support long-term growth. Our goal is to help founders navigate the challenges of climate action in ways that are both realistic and aligned with business objectives. 📅 On the agenda: A keynote session featuring Anaïs Blarel, Sustainability Manager at Revaia, and Adrien Destrez, co-founder of Carbon Cutter, who will present their climate guide tailored for VCs. They’ll cover key questions: What does an effective decarbonization strategy look like for early-stage startups? And which frameworks can drive the most impactful change? Following the keynote, Xavier will join a roundtable discussion with seasoned investors who have firsthand experience in advancing ESG within venture capital.. Panelists include Sophie Flak, Managing Partner of ESG & Digital at Eurazeo, Gaëtan Bonhomme, PhD, Partner at Breakthrough Energy , and Caroline Lebel, Investment Director at Bpifrance Large Venture. 🔗 Secure your spot now to join us on November 6 and explore how the investment ecosystem can become a true ally in climate action!👇 📍Bpifrance - Le Hub - 4ème étage, 6-8 boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris

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Top fundraising tip? Nicolas Benady, Co-Founder & CEO of Swan, had a candid answer 👉 Fundraising shouldn't be the number one thing you have in mind. Swan, founded in 2019 with eFounders, now processes around €300 million in transactions monthly for over 100 companies across ten European countries. Backed by top VCs like Lakestar, Accel, Creandum, and Bpifrance, they're on a stellar growth trajectory. 🚀 This is an absolute must-listen for young and aspiring founders. Links to the full EU-Startups Podcast episode in the comments. Feel free to like, share and follow for more great content. 🙌 #startup #founders #fundraising

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Is TAM worth being stressed about ? Founders, investors, everyone obsesses over it but is it such a big deal ? I read a great interview of Danny Rimer, Partner at Index Ventures, who gave Etsy and Figma as examples for this: 🎨 With Etsy, people were asking “How big could arts and crafts actually be?” and research showed there were about 100,000 artisans producing goods (not much in the grand scheme of things). They expanded their view to say “what if everyone made their passion a vocation?” and their view changed drastically. 💻 With Figma, they had an idea that product design was important. They discovered that companies like IBM had also adjusted their ratio of designers to engineers from one to 100 to one to 20. They thought big and theorised that every website and every mobile app would need some way for engineers, product managers, and designers to collaborate. Etsy was worth $2 billion in 2020. Figma is worth between $8.3 billion and $9 billion. If they had focused on the size of each of these markets alone and used them as reasons not to invest, neither of these opportunities would be in the Index Ventures portfolio. With our investments, we don’t need them to be building within the largest possible market and they don’t have to become the biggest company in the world to make money. We love the companies who know their niche inside out and are successful within this space, rather than trying to capture an entire market. And, we know that great founders will end up diversifying and expanding their market over time. For us they just have to do well, they don’t have to blow everyone else out of the water. Think enablement rather than disruption. #investment #investor #dealqualification

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[🎬 Replay of the keynote of Stanislas Niox-Chateau, CEO and Cofounder of Doctolib, at the Adopt AI #Summit by Artefact] on Building the healthcare we all dream of, thanks to AI. 👉 Watch and get inspired by Stanislas Niox-Chateau on the Vision stage: https://lnkd.in/eWRQdsJZ 📖 Read the REPORT of Adopt AI with the replays & synthesis of all CEOs keynotes & key discussion panels: https://lnkd.in/e8yj2CeN 💼 After a severe back injury ended his tennis aspirations, Stanislas pivoted to academics, graduating from HEC School of Management. He co-founded Doctolib in 2013, which quickly became a leader in #ehealth across Europe, dramatically improving how patients connect with #healthcare providers. The platform serves 380,000 healthcare professionals and attracts 80 million patient visits each month. Key insights from the keynote of the CEO of Doctolib: ✔ Niox-Chateau envisions a future where healthcare professionals have access to patient #data in the right context, enhanced #medicalknowledge, and more time for #patientcare. He emphasizes the importance of simple, smart tools to enable preventive care. ✔ He believes that technology can transform how practitioners innovate in their daily work, allowing general practitioners and specialists to treat more patients and handle broader #clinicalcases efficiently. ✔ AI and technology can transform passive, traditional consultations into more dynamic, engaging experiences, benefiting both professionals and patients. Digital #healthstartups play a crucial role in this evolution. ✔ Niox-Chateau emphasizes that technology should be easy to use and have a significant impact on the daily lives of healthcare professionals. #AI can amplify these changes, opening up new possibilities. ✔ At the outset, AI will support practitioners with administrative tasks, ensuring transparency and reducing the possibility of mistakes, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of #healthcareservices. ✔ Niox-Chateau concludes by reinforcing the potential of technology and AI to change the lives of patients and professionals, encouraging the audience to embrace these innovations for a better healthcare future. 🗣 “I believe technology, amplified by AI, can have a systemic impact on health and the lives of professionals. We dream of healthcare professionals with patient data in the right context, enhanced medical knowledge, and more time for patient care, enabled by smart and simple tools for preventive care,” says Stanislas Niox-Chateau. 👉 Watch all the replays of the Adopt AI Summit: https://lnkd.in/eDxHcR47 📅 Save the date - on November 21st, join us at the AI for Health Summit at STATION F in Paris, where Doctolib will be present to explore the future of healthcare technology! ⚕ You can already book your pass: https://lnkd.in/ej3pUNa7 

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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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We’re so excited to reveal the newest startup within our portfolio: meet Tandem 🚲 Cofounded by Christophe Barre (CEO) and Manuel Darcemont (CTO), Tandem is designed to help your users get the most out of your product, effortlessly. An AI-powered personal assistant that lives within apps, it guides users to effortlessly discover, set up, and utilize the features they need, on screen - just like a human would. High churn and drop-off rates plague SaaS tools because teams lack the time and resources to deeply understand and cater to all their users' needs. The result is a great product, but it's underused because its full value remains hidden. Enter Tandem. This innovative AI copilot: 🤓 Understands and guides users within your app 💡 Suggests the best features at the best times 🧑‍🏫 Explains functionalities, assists users, and even performs tasks to get them started Tandem is there for users, showing up in the exact way they need, whether its their first or one-thousandth day using your product. Only 2-10% of a product's user base are power users. Tandem's goal is to bring that number to 100%. To find out more and get a demo, visit their website (link in comments). Florent Quinti Pierre Lemaire Médéric Manière

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What do you need to be top quartile as a SaaS company in Europe? Sébastien Le Roy started to share the results of the Serena European SaaS benchmark during #Saastr Europa this week. Great way to quickly check whether you’re on track for a next VC round or simply what you have to improve. More results coming soon with the whole report.

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To understand VC secondaries, start by understanding PE ones. Private equity secondaries stemmed from the 2008 financial crisis. Here's how Alexandre Covello from 109 Capital - Venture Secondaries coins it: "Underperforming PE general partners (GP) found themselves in a pickle. Their portfolio was underperforming and their limited partners (LP) were nervous about their return on investment. This made it difficult for GPs to raise money. Some came up with an idea: carve out their portfolio’s best performers into a new fund, a “continuation” fund, while selling the rest of the portfolio. Those sales returned some money to LPs. They could then either buy into the new continuation fund or call it a day. The GP, armed with a sexier fund and a sexier pitch, could also hunt for new LPs. Soon enough, less subpar GPs figured this was a good idea and started doing it as well. This particular type of PE secondaries is known as “GP-led”. Other flavors exist. One of them is referred to as “LP stakes”. In this scenario, one LP approaches another LP to buy out their stake in a particular fund. The GP doesn’t necessarily need to be involved. Another one is “net asset value (NAV)” financing. This is a lending play where the GP borrows money using their portfolio’s value as collateral. In exchange, the lender gets preferential payout terms on the fund’s upside. NAV financing is interesting because GPs retain equity, at the current price, while simultaneously boosting their portfolio. On the contrary, directly selling portfolio assets often implies a discount." Read the full Realistic Optimist piece on VC secondaries here: https://lnkd.in/gNrmyTDr  

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Big companies tend to over invest. Start-ups have the benefit of starvation. In order to succeed 0 to 1 at a big company, you need to create scarcity. I'm paraphrasing Tanguy Crusson here on Lenny's Newsletter Podcast (link in the comments) but the spirit of this comment is so true. Tanguy developed Jira Product Discovery internally at Atlassian and highlights so many of the challenges of innovating at big companies: - Big companies tend to want to use a playbook that worked in their first market into a new opportunity, but that often fails. There are new nuances to learn in new markets and humility is required to acknowledge this. - Chances are new products are going to fail. Big companies need to acknowledge this to avoid overinvesting until there is sufficient signal from the marketplace. - New products/businesses at big companies need to be judged differently in the early stages than the cash cows that got the company big in the first place. Zero to one needs room to stumble and learn and iterate to find a path to become cash cows themselves. - "Why now" is often the most important question to ask (and one I hear from my friends at Madrona Venture Labs as well). Why do we need to do this now? It's hard to get resources at a big company outside of the core. A new product/business needs an urgency in order to get the necessary attention to succeed. #startups #0to1 #entrepreneurship #productmanagement

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If you want to invest in exciting startups worldwide as an angel investor. Here are some tips & tricks on how to leverage your network from Cyril Chemla. 1. Build bridges, not silos. Cultivate relationships with angels and VCs in different regions. This opens doors to unique deals you might not find on your own. Ex: My network led me to invest in FinTech startups in Africa, even though I've never been there! 2. Start by giving. Support other investors and VCs. Offer your expertise and connections. This builds trust and reciprocity, leading to future deal flow. Investing is a community. 💙 By providing value first, you unlock a world of opportunities beyond your borders. If you want to learn more about Cyril's story and get more insights, watch the latest episode of the #SuperAngel podcast with Tom Wilson from Seedcamp and Anthony Danon from Cocoa 🍫 on EUVC . Link in comments. 🔽 #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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