Patrick Lord

Why I Don't Sign NDAs for Early-Stage Founders — And Why Founders Shouldn't Ask Your idea is your baby. I get it. But for VC, asking for an NDA before sharing that idea isn't protecting your future - it's limiting it. In my latest article, I break down why NDAs create more problems than they solve for founders seeking early-stage funding. I explain why VCs structurally cannot sign them (reviewing 1,500+ decks annually makes this impossible), why they signal inexperience rather than caution, and most importantly - why your execution matters infinitely more than your idea. If you're a founder worried about idea theft, this perspective might change how you approach investor conversations forever. I explain why trust is the real compounding currency in venture capital - not legal protection.

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In the latest episode of High Stakes, I had the opportunity to sit down with Myrto Lalacos, Principal at VC Lab, to talk about what it really takes to break into venture capital — and spoiler: it’s not just about sourcing deals. We covered three critical (and often overlooked) skills that anyone looking to land a role or launch a fund should focus on: ✅ Community building and ecosystem involvement ✅ Fundraising capabilities ✅ Understanding fund operations and the back office Myrto shared valuable insights from her own journey — from running accelerator programs to launching Venture Institute, which trains and connects the next generation of diverse VC talent. Whether you're just starting out or looking to level up in VC, this one’s for you.  Listen to the full episode here → https://lnkd.in/dWWhn3v2

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📊 Alexandre Dewez of 20VC just published the 2025 edition of his annual State of the 🇫🇷 French Tech Ecosystem. 📝 Bottom line: • France’s tech ecosystem continues to showcase its strength and adaptability in 2024, with 518 funding rounds and €7.1 bn raised. • AI remains dominant, but climate tech, fintech/insurance, and vertical SaaS are gaining traction. • France is proving its place as Europe’s 3rd largest tech ecosystem, with Paris overtaking Berlin as the 2nd largest tech hub. As the landscape evolves, AI innovation, competitive funding, and a robust talent pipeline will continue to define its future. 🇫🇷 Paris: A Global AI Hub • Home to top-tier engineering schools (Polytechnique, ENS, Centrale) and a vibrant research ecosystem (Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR). • 5 French unicorns at the heart of the AI revolution: Dataiku, Hugging Face, Mistral, Owkin, Poolside. • AI startups are gaining traction, with Mistral achieving €30M ARR and Photoroom targeting $100M ARR. • AI is reshaping the trajectory of established unicorns like Alan and Doctolib. 🦄 45 Unicorns and Counting • 3 new unicorns in 2024: Pennylane, Pigment, Poolside. • 71% of French unicorns remain valued at $1bn+, demonstrating resilience. • 5 unicorns IPO-ready: Backmarket, Dataiku, Qonto, Doctolib, Contentsquare (€300M+ ARR, 20-30% YoY growth, close to profitability). • French startups are now reaching unicorn status faster (7.1 years on average; Mistral achieved it in just 8 months). 🌍 France Is A Competitive Investment Landscape • Attracting UK multi-stage funds (Accel, Index, Balderton), US players (Iconiq, Lightspeed), and pan-European investors (Speedinvest, Seedcamp). • Micro-funds like Kima, FSJ, and Yellow are key players at the pre-seed/seed stage. 🔄 The Flywheel Effect • 1.9k alumni from French unicorns are creating a new generation of entrepreneurs, fueling the ecosystem. 📈 Exits and IPO Challenges • 3 notable M&A deals above €200M: Preligens (Safran), BeReal (Voodoo), Lumapps (Bridgepoint). • Unconventional IPOs highlight the need for better public market dynamics in Europe, as seen with Believe’s return to private ownership. Link for the full report in the comment section.

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I had the opportunity to chat with Antoine Tardif of Unite.AI on my journey as an entrepreneur and why I joined AI Squared. In the interview, we discussed one of the biggest challenges in AI today, moving from proof-of-concept stage to production where the business can extract value from AI insights. While most enterprises are still experimenting in the lab, AI Squared is focused on operationalizing AI by embedding insights directly into the systems teams already use like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Slack, ServiceNow, Qlik, and 50+ more. Building on our foundations from the United States Department of Defense we focus on delivering real outcomes at scale, with security, compliance, and trust built in. Backed by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Ansa Capital, Ridgeline, Latimer Ventures and others and trusted by the DoD, intelligence community, and Fortune 500 enterprises, we’re accelerating adoption by making AI seamless, contextual, and actionable. Read the entire interview here: https://lnkd.in/ghywWUAk #EnterpriseAI #AIDeployment #AIEnablement #AIandGov #TechLeadership #AISquared #NationalSecurity #LastMileAI

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