Interview with Chris O’Brien, Editor & founder, and Helen O’Reilly-Durand, Deputy Editor & late co-founder of The French Tech Journal, a JFD media partner.
What ambition did you have when launching The French Tech Journal?
Chris: I launched The French Tech Journal in 2020 as a side project alongside my work as a journalist. At the time, most coverage during the funding boom focused on how much startups were raising — not on what they were actually building.
I wanted to shift that lens. We started with a “Seed of the Week” format to highlight early-stage innovation that wasn’t getting the attention it deserved.
Helen joined in 2023, and since then we’ve been building FTJ into the leading English-language media covering the French tech ecosystem.
What was missing in the international coverage of French tech?
Helen: When I was working in VC, I saw strong interest from international investors in the French ecosystem, but also a clear information gap.
Many investors didn’t speak French and couldn’t access local media, which meant they lacked the depth of insight needed to understand startups early and confidently co-invest.
That’s where we saw an opportunity: to provide clear, high-quality, English-language coverage that makes French innovation accessible globally.
How do your respective backgrounds shape the editorial line?
Chris: I started my career in Silicon Valley in the late 90s, covering the rise of startups that went on to become global tech leaders. That experience shaped how I look at early-stage companies — not just as they are today, but for what they can become.
At FTJ, I focus on identifying signals early, explaining why they matter, and analysing how French scaleups evolve — the strategic choices they make, and how market shifts impact their growth trajectories.
Helen: I came to tech later, after 10 years working on SME financing at Bercy, where I saw how difficult it is to build and sustain a company. Then in VC, I became fascinated by innovation and the people behind it.
What drives me is telling those stories – the origin, the challenges, the pivots, the resilience behind each company – beyond the headlines.
How do you choose the topics you cover?
Chris: Tech is a vast space. We try to focus on what matters but isn’t always obvious – early signals, strategic shifts, or situations that deserve deeper analysis.
Helen: We go beyond the surface. Whether it’s funding, AI or broader tech trends, we look for angles that help our readers truly understand what’s happening, not just follow the news cycle.
What values do you share with JFD in the way you cover innovation?
Helen: Independence is fundamental to us. We don’t produce paid or promotional content, our credibility depends on it.
We also share with JFD a commitment to highlighting diverse and underrepresented founders. Tech ecosystems remain largely homogeneous, and we actively look to surface stories that don’t always get the spotlight.
Why structure the media around three newsletters?
Chris: News now moves too fast for traditional formats, especially in tech. Newsletters allow us to stay close to our audience and deliver information in a more direct, digestible way.
We’ve evolved toward three distinct formats:
- Funding Wire (Monday): a clear view of the week’s funding activity
- La Machine (Wednesday): focused on AI and major technological advances
- French Tech Wire: deeper analysis, trends and long-form insights
Like any startup, we continuously refine our format to match what our readers need most.
What does your AI Company Radar bring?
Chris: AI is evolving at an extraordinary pace, with new startups emerging every week. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for investors to track early-stage opportunities.
Our AI Company Radar is designed to solve that by mapping and centralizing emerging AI companies in one place.
We’re currently testing the platform with investors and partners, with the ambition of building a structured, reliable layer of intelligence on the AI ecosystem, not just another database.
What are the strongest signals in the French Tech ecosystem today?
Helen: France is clearly establishing itself as a major hub for AI, both in terms of talent and company creation, but also in its ability to attract international players.
At the same time, the ecosystem is maturing. Capital is still flowing, but with greater discipline, and there’s a stronger focus on fundamentals and long-term value creation.
We’re seeing a shift from hype to substance with more focus on execution, real-world applications and sustainable growth. That’s a very healthy evolution for the ecosystem.
👉 Catch those French Tech signals every week by signing up to The French Tech Journal : https://www.frenchtechjournal.com
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Chris O’Brien is Editor and founder of the French Tech Journal. A well-known and respected technology journalist, Chris has written for leading international publications, including VentureBeat, Sifted, the Mercury News, and the Los Angeles Times. Based in Paris, he hosts curated public and corporate events on leading tech subjects. An expert in his field, he maintains an influential LinkedIn presence.
Helen O’Reilly-Durand is Deputy Editor & late co-founder of the French Tech Journal. A Franco-British branding and media expert working with leading French VCs and startups. Bridging the worlds of finance, policy, and innovation, she has also collaborated with international regulators and institutions, including IFAC, the SEC and the Federal Reserve Board, and worked supporting SMEs at France’s Ministry of Finance.
