Paris
Founders Network · Paris

Paris Startup Community

Founders Network is a peer mentorship community of 600+ vetted tech founders in cities around the world. Founders in Paris join the full program from their first week: weekly peer roundtables, live sessions with experienced operators, the member forums, and introductions to founders and investors in any city.

Members in Paris start in our Virtual chapter. A local chapter opens once enough founders here join.

Paris chapter

Start the Paris chapter

Every Founders Network chapter began with a few members who wanted to meet in person. When enough Paris members join, we start local dinners and roundtables led by volunteer members. Members who want to lead it can apply here.

A Founders Network member speaking at an event

The Paris startup scene

Paris is one of the strongest startup scenes in Europe: Startup Genome ranks it #13 among global startup ecosystems and #2 in Europe.

The same profile lists 37 active unicorns and $47 billion in total venture funding from 2021 to 2025. It describes Paris as Europe's fintech champion and points to AI and deep tech as other strengths, with 48% of French startup funding deals in 2025 going to AI.

VivaTech 2025 drew 14,000 startups and 180,000 participants from 171 nationalities.

Founders Network in Paris

Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011. Members are founders of tech startups, from a first company to serial founders who have exited, and each one is nominated and approved.

Most of the program runs online, so it works the same from Paris as from San Francisco. Members bring a hiring, fundraising or product problem to a facilitated roundtable of peers, ask the forums, and get introduced one-on-one to members who have solved it. Each year they meet in person at fnIRL in San Francisco and at fnSummit. The Virtual chapter has its own leadership team and online events, so Paris members have a peer group from day one.

Founders listening at a Founders Network sessionFounders talking at a Founders Network eventA Founders Network roundtable
600+
Vetted tech founders
$50B+
In exits by members
55%
Serial founders
100+
Events a year
Next step

Join from Paris

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to the Nominee Preview Q&A, a 30-minute Zoom where current members walk through how Founders Network works and take questions. The next one is Thursday, November 19 at 9:30 AM PT.

Request an invitation

Already nominated? RSVP to the Nominee Preview.

Frequently asked questions

What startup events can I attend in Paris before joining?

The Paris chapter doesn't have a regular local meeting yet. Members here join the weekly online program and the annual conferences, and local events start once there are enough members to host them. Request an invitation if you'd like to help get one going. Chapter events in other cities are open to guests by invitation, and your first one is on us with a one-time guest pass. Dates are on the events page.

How do I get a feel for the members before I apply?

Listen to our podcast. It features the network's most successful members telling the story of how they built and sold their companies. Most members are somewhere along that journey, from first-time founder to serial founder, and the episodes show the kind of founder they are learning from.

Is Founders Network a Paris group or a global one?

Global. Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011 and now has city chapters and sector groups around the world, with the largest concentration of members in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Most of the program is online and runs every week: facilitated peer roundtables, live expert sessions, moderated founder forums, and 1-1 introductions to members in any city. Members meet in person at the annual conferences, fnIRL and fnSummit. Everything above is open to Paris members from day one, and local meetings come as the chapter grows. The full program is on the mentoring tracks page.

Who are the members?

Founders of tech startups at every point on the journey, from a first company getting to market to serial founders who have exited. Each is nominated and approved, and what we select for is alignment with the network's values and vision rather than stage or sector. Members join to find customers, raise their first rounds, hire co-founders and early teams, and work through the hard parts of running a company with peers who have done it.

Can Founders Network help me raise money?

Founders Network can make you a more competent and better-connected fundraiser. It can't guarantee funding. The Scale plan is built for founders getting to market and raising seed: 1-on-1 pitch mentoring from VCs, a curated investor directory with warm opt-in introductions, and a pass to fnIRL, the annual San Francisco conference. On every plan you can ask the forums and get introduced to members who have raised at your stage. Plan details are on the membership page. Pricing is shared on approval.

How do I join Founders Network in Paris?

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to an info call with current members. All memberships are annual, and we never take equity.

Not a member yet?

Get an invitation to the community.

Founders Network is an invite-only peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Drop your email — we'll take it from there.

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