Stéphane Paillard
Covering European fundraising, first-time fund managers, and the founders behind the rounds. Previously built event and community products across the French tech ecosystem; now runs Sesamers and hosts the Sesame Summit.
Latest from Stéphane
313 articles
Startup events in Paris: the scene, the seasons and the rooms that matter
How the Paris event year really works: VivaTech in June, the rentrée season, Station F and the smaller rooms where the ecosystem actually meets.
What exhibiting at a tradeshow really costs
Nobody publishes real tradeshow costs - here is the 2.5x rule, the full cost stack and a transparent worked budget for pricing a booth…
The post-event follow-up playbook: the 72 hours that decide your ROI
The badge bought you conversations; the 72 hours afterwards decide whether they become pipeline - a practical playbook for notes, emails and measurement.
How to get speaking slots at tech conferences
Speaking slots go to founders who pitch programmers a talk that serves their audience - here is how conference programming works and how to…
Startup pitch competitions in Europe: which are worth entering
Which pitch competitions deserve a founder-week: what they actually deliver, how to vet judges and alumni, and when to skip the stage.
The side-event economy: the conference that happens outside the venue
The most valuable room at any tech conference is usually outside the venue - how side-event ecosystems form, how to get invited, and when…
4YFN and MWC for startups: working a 105,000-person tradeshow
4YFN puts startups inside MWC Barcelona's ~105,000-person tradeshow: who should go, how to work corporate delegations, and whether to take a booth or walk.
How to work VivaTech: the founder’s playbook
VivaTech is Europe's corporate innovation marketplace, not an investor conference - here is how founders should work its 180,000-visitor scale for enterprise pipeline.
How to work Web Summit: the founder’s playbook
Web Summit 2026 runs 9-12 November in Lisbon: here is how founders should work its 71,386-person scale, from the mega-event rule to Night Summit…
What VCs actually look for at seed
The fund maths behind every seed decision - why a reliable 3x gets rejected, what quality of demand really means, and the questions to…