Cultural Barriers

The challenges went beyond infrastructure or investment. French culture itself seemed antithetical to startup values. The word "entrepreneur" carried negative connotations, associated more with construction contractors than tech visionaries. Business failure was stigmatized, both socially and legally—bankruptcy laws were punitive, making it difficult to start again after a setback.

The education system, while producing excellent engineers, didn't encourage entrepreneurial thinking. The grandes écoles focused on preparing students for careers in large corporations or government, not on building companies. Risk-taking was discouraged; stability was prized.

Labor laws designed to protect workers made it expensive and complicated to hire—and even more difficult to fire if things didn't work out. The famous CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée) provided job security that many envied, but it also made the fluid team-building essential to startups nearly impossible.