France
First they worked in tandem, now they’re in an e-bike patent suit
Grenoble-based eBikeLabs, a French startup that has been working on embedded software for electric bikes, is suing Cowboy for patent infringement and, more generally, copying eBikeLabs’ technology i
Sam Altman’s big European tour
Fresh from telling US lawmakers he’s a fan of regulation and laws are needed to mitigate the risks around artificial intelligence — and, indeed, calling for an international regulatory bod
France’s privacy watchdog eyes protection against data scraping in AI action plan
France’s privacy watchdog, the CNIL, has published an action plan for artificial intelligence which gives a snapshot of where it will be focusing its attention, including on generative AI techno
Clearview fined again in France for failing to comply with privacy orders
Clearview AI, the U.S. startup that’s attracted notoriety in recent years for a massive privacy violation after it scraped selfies off the internet and used people’s data to build a facial
Meta’s ad business slapped with interim measures in France over suspected antitrust abuse
More regulatory woes for Meta: France’s competition watchdog has announced interim measures on the adtech giant — saying it suspects it of abusing a dominant position in the French market
Green-Got is a neobank for climate-conscious customers
French startup Green-Got is building an alternative to your traditional bank account with a focus on climate change. Essentially, Green-Got guarantees that your savings and the money that is sitting i
Bastion is an all-in-one cybersecurity solution for small businesses
Meet Bastion, a French startup that was created in October 2022 to help small companies tackle cybersecurity risks without too many complexities. Created by former Palantir employees, the company has
Woodoo is creating decarbonized wood-based materials
Woodoo, a startup working on alternative materials for various industries, has raised $31 million. The company is manufacturing composite materials based on wood so that they can replace common materi
Kate raises $7.6 million for its electric micro-cars
French startup Kate has raised a $7.6 million (€7 million) funding round from a bunch of business angels. As I wrote in my previous article on Kate, the company has ambitious goals when it comes to
Primo is the IT tool for companies that are too small for an IT manager
Meet Primo, a French startup that recently raised a $3.4 million funding round to build a software-as-a-service product that handles the IT needs of small and medium companies. Primo keeps track of yo
Device-as-a-service startup Fleet expands beyond laptop leasing
French startup Fleet has been growing nicely over the past four years as the company has deployed nearly 10,000 devices with long-term leasing contracts. The company hasn’t raised any outside fundin
Apple partners with Canal+ to bring Apple TV+ content to all subscribers
Apple has signed a multiyear deal with Canal+, a leading French premium television channel and streaming service. Starting on April 20, all existing and future Canal+ subscribers in France and some ot
Thynk wants to upgrade hotel stays with a vertical software platform
Meet Thynk, a new company that wants to build the definitive enterprise software solution for the hospitality industry. The startup just raised a $13 million Series A round. This round was led by Sing
Graneet raises $8.7 million for its vertical SaaS for construction companies
French startup Graneet is building an all-in-one software-as-a-service product focused on small construction companies. And it has grown quite a lot since I first covered the company, as the company h
Forest Admin launches cloud version of its low-code internal tool builder
French startup Forest Admin is launching a cloud-based version of its product. The company helps you create flexible back-end admin panels for operations teams. Essentially, Forest Admin helps develop
Zealy is an achievement system for web3 communities
Zealy helps web3 companies engage with their communities by giving them tasks that they can achieve in exchange for various rewards.
Paris votes overwhelmingly to ban shared e-scooters
Nearly 90% of Paris voters voted to ban shared e-scooters, but turnout was low, and companies say many young people didn't vote.
The lowdown for European startups looking to raise money in 2023
We’re looking at Europe's Q1 2023 venture capital tallies and considering the three largest venture markets in the region: the U.K., Germany and France.
France moves forward with influencer bill cracking down on risky products and more
The lower chamber of the French parliament, the National Assembly, passed a cross-party bill that aims to introduce some new requirements for social media influencers. This is a preliminary vote as th
Crypto wallet company Ledger raises another $108 million
French startup Ledger has added more money to its Series C funding round. The company designs and manufactures so-called hardware wallets to secure crypto assets. In 2021, the company raised €356 mi