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Kudos to the team who made it happen. I'm French and happy this comes to life. I still have the feeling this is more of a stunt to bring attention on Station F

by pi-err 10y ago

Kudos to the team who made it happen. I'm French and happy this comes to life. I still have the feeling this is more of a stunt to bring attention on Station F than on the startups themselves. Beyond the buzz, there is very little vision. It's a giant intensive farm in a denser, currently-under-redevelopment neighborhood. In this super dense setting, they're piling up various talent for sort-of-low-cost rents, hoping to raise unicorns thanks to nearby campuses, increased VC flow in Paris and general attention towards startups. This strikes me as a formula thought out by people who have never actually been in a successful startup (Roxanne Varza has been successful at _talking about_ startups, never at actually building things). One outcome is that all those points successfully connect together. Another, more probable outcome is that it will turn out impossible to keep focus, talent and purpose in a giant, open space (also probably soon to be under-maintained judging by French standards).

nkg 10y ago
(Also French) I have been an intern at a startup that was hosted at a similar incubator in Paris in the late 00's. The legislation around work was more of a problem than neither the rent (which was indeed cheap) or the proximity to other companies -Paris is not that big. In 2016, hiring is still an issue, and investing is always seen as a risk instead of an opportunity.
karambahh 10y ago
If I may add a bit of context: while Station F is indeed a project of Xavier Niel (Free/Illiad/Kima/42...), it is also a project with considerable public support. Several french regions have their (semi-)publicly funded equivalent of Station F (Lille with Plaine Images & Euratechnologies, Nantes with La Cantine, ...) and while there is a considerable quantity of startups in Paris, there is no local de facto hub. I'd argue that Le Sentier area plays that role, but it's a neighborhood where lots of startup happen to be located. In the early 00s it was dubbed "Silicon Sentier". Plaine Images & Euratechnologies have been built in former industrial complexes with the aim of redynamizing local ecosystem as a whole. Anne Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, hopes to do the same to the XIII arrondissement.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  This neighborhood had many good bits but no center. La pitié, BNF, Bercy, lots of new business buildings. Maybe this will end up as some sort of cultural core.
- VeejayRampay 10y ago
  Thanks for that context man. People like to b*tch about taxes all the time, but the thing is, taxes sent me to school and university, it paid for my stays in the hospital, my mail delivery, our internet infrastructure and awesome projects like Station F.
  - aantix 10y ago
    But... Why try to get rich if you don't get to keep any of it?
    - ckarmann 10y ago
      Any of it? Even in France, the tax rate is less than 100%. Hyperbole does not serve discussion.
    - welanes 10y ago
      Most of the time wealth is the by-product of pursuing a talent or passion. I'm not sure high taxes would disincentivize somebody from reaching the height of their ambition. Presented with the option "improve performance and you'll receive an extra 100k a year although you'll only see 50k of that" would you: A. plod along with current work-ethic and current salary B. move to where you'd see 80k of that C. Continue to perform and be 50k wealthier France loses the talent of those that choose option B (See: London) but option A seems illogical.
      - user5994461 10y ago
        Wealth is the product of talent * resources (ie. time and capital). France policy are very hostile toward capital. That is a problem when startups rely on raising xx M EUR in cash.
rvarza 10y ago
Hey, thanks so much for your comments - always love feedback. We've only announced the very beginning, there is a lot more that we have not commented on yet. We're surrounded by lots of brilliant people (not to mention Xavier Niel and I think we can all agree he knows how to build things) - it's not just me (Roxanne), don't worry :) Thanks again for your comments.

by pi-err 10y ago

nkg 10y ago

(Also French) I have been an intern at a startup that was hosted at a similar incubator in Paris in the late 00's. The legislation around work was more of a problem than neither the rent (which was indeed cheap) or the proximity to other companies -Paris is not that big. In 2016, hiring is still an issue, and investing is always seen as a risk instead of an opportunity.

karambahh 10y ago

If I may add a bit of context: while Station F is indeed a project of Xavier Niel (Free/Illiad/Kima/42...), it is also a project with considerable public support. Several french regions have their (semi-)publicly funded equivalent of Station F (Lille with Plaine Images & Euratechnologies, Nantes with La Cantine, ...) and while there is a considerable quantity of startups in Paris, there is no local de facto hub. I'd argue that Le Sentier area plays that role, but it's a neighborhood where lots of startup happen to be located. In the early 00s it was dubbed "Silicon Sentier". Plaine Images & Euratechnologies have been built in former industrial complexes with the aim of redynamizing local ecosystem as a whole. Anne Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, hopes to do the same to the XIII arrondissement.

agumonkey 10y ago
This neighborhood had many good bits but no center. La pitié, BNF, Bercy, lots of new business buildings. Maybe this will end up as some sort of cultural core.
VeejayRampay 10y ago
Thanks for that context man. People like to b*tch about taxes all the time, but the thing is, taxes sent me to school and university, it paid for my stays in the hospital, my mail delivery, our internet infrastructure and awesome projects like Station F.
- aantix 10y ago
  But... Why try to get rich if you don't get to keep any of it?
  - ckarmann 10y ago
    Any of it? Even in France, the tax rate is less than 100%. Hyperbole does not serve discussion.
  - welanes 10y ago
    Most of the time wealth is the by-product of pursuing a talent or passion. I'm not sure high taxes would disincentivize somebody from reaching the height of their ambition. Presented with the option "improve performance and you'll receive an extra 100k a year although you'll only see 50k of that" would you: A. plod along with current work-ethic and current salary B. move to where you'd see 80k of that C. Continue to perform and be 50k wealthier France loses the talent of those that choose option B (See: London) but option A seems illogical.
    - user5994461 10y ago
      Wealth is the product of talent * resources (ie. time and capital). France policy are very hostile toward capital. That is a problem when startups rely on raising xx M EUR in cash.

rvarza 10y ago

Hey, thanks so much for your comments - always love feedback. We've only announced the very beginning, there is a lot more that we have not commented on yet. We're surrounded by lots of brilliant people (not to mention Xavier Niel and I think we can all agree he knows how to build things) - it's not just me (Roxanne), don't worry :) Thanks again for your comments.