At What Stage Should You Invest in European Startups?

European Straits #127

Dear all,

We normally would be holding the last banquet of the season at The Family’s main office on Thursday. Alas there’s a heatwave in Paris, with the temperature expected to rise up to 39°C that day. And so we decided to postpone to a later date in July.

39°C doesn’t necessarily sound unbearable. But you have to remember that Paris is in Northern Europe, which means that temperatures are usually moderate, both in winter and in summer, and air conditioning is scarce. That makes us Northern French (and British) people ill-prepared for facing such extremes. And in a city like Paris, the car-generated pollution only adds to the inevitable headache.

Meanwhile, London is fortunately cooler and it has finally stopped raining, which means that my wife, kids and I can now enjoy our garden in Hackney. I’ve been reading there, notably Scott Kupor’s Secrets of Sand Hill Road, which (as I expected) is a compelling and straightforward introduction to today’s venture capital industry. You can check…