Instead of Berlin or London, Israeli Startups Should Look to France, Says Business France's Chairman

Instead of looking to Berlin and London, Israeli startups should set their sights on France, said on Tuesday Pascal Cagni, chairman of the board of French government agency Business France.

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"The time has come that you all realize that it's all good to do an exit, and yes, you may have one Mobileye or Waze for every few hundred companies, but the depth of the ecosystem is about bringing the technology to the benefit of the people. And that's what France should be for you," Cagni told an audience including a large Israeli delegation. He was speaking on a panel at an innovation event held jointly by Calcalist and events firm Connecting Leaders Club at the Mondial de l'Automobile auto show in Paris.

"Why now? France is transforming. Entrepreneurship is at the heart of what we're doing," Cagni said, explaining that France plays host to leading manufacturers of electric cars, and also offers incentives such as tax benefits for investments and research and development.

Also speaking at the panel were Philippe Guez, founder and CEO of cross-border mergers and acquisitions firm Guez Partners; Sigalit Klimovsky, partner at Israel-based venture capital firm Grove Ventures Capital (GP) Ltd.; Ziva Eger, chief executive of Foreign Investments and Industrial Cooperation, Ministry of Economy and Industry; and François Robinet, managing partner at AXA Venture Partners.