My father Jean Teten was native Parisian, so I remain a Francophile. My Partner Jason Freedman just spent a week in Paris, hosted by Fundora. He talked to 100+ French founders and 100+ French investors. In his words, here’s what he learned:
“#1 French entrepreneurs are dialed in. Especially in AI.
I offered for any French founder to drop-in for feedback on their startup, get help with their YC application, or just to introduce themselves. 100+ took me up on their offer. They were VERY impressive.
French founders are already very successful at getting into Y Combinator and have already built big companies (think Alex Bouaziz of Deel and Nichol of Algolia as just a few examples).
The founders I met want to build huge companies. They’re already AI native. And they have massive confidence.
#2 French entrepreneurs love their favorite French VCs
This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but several mentioned Kima Ventures (Xavier is beloved), Alven, Elaia, and Partech
The often-repeated complaint that European VCs move slowly may still be a reality in some cases, but the best French entrepreneurs clearly have figured out who adds the most value and are going to them first.
#3 French LPs and retail investors are hungry to invest in US companies
French investors are quite savvy about US investment options. They’ve joined multiple clubs, invested into SPVs, and invest into venture funds. They want equity in US startups, especially the big name brands like SpaceX and OpenAI and Anthropic.
#4 French investors really want into Y Combinator
Fundora put on an event with 10 days notice and hundreds of investors showed up in person and thousands more joining online. At the event, Philip of Starcloud, one of the top Y Combinator/Orange Collective portfolio companies shared his plans for putting data centers in space. French YC founders shared their experience applying for YC, getting in, and then coming back to Paris to build their startup.
I shared my own experience running a YC alumni fund that invests in Y Combinator. That the best founders often pick YC alumni-led funds to meet with first because we do the 3 things they appreciate the most. We’re really kind. We make fast decisions. And we are super helpful after we invest.
Thank you Fundora and thank you to the larger French founder and investor community! We’ll plan another event soon!”
See the 90 minute podcast Jason did with Le Revenu about Y Combinator, Orange Collective and France.
