"Fall down seven times, stand up eight": Successful French Entrepreneur, Patrick Robin is today V.C. and has been created and run 28 firms. Key values: taste for adventure, specific mindset and a man of true values... a real source for inspiration.

2. Patrick Robin, successful French Entrepreneur
• Avolta Parners: Banker, Venture Capitalist
• 40 years entrepreneur, 28 firms
• VP of France Digital, helping young entrepreneurs and start-ups
raising funds.

3. Back first to the story…
The 80’: launch of a publishing house, Love Me Tender, specialized in art and photo
books
• For 7 years, it was a great success, with innovative approach and books distributed in over 1 000 art
bookstores worldwide
• After a few years, joined Hachette Group, one of 2 main publishing groups in France
• A strategic mistake: within a large group, the quality of the works decreased , after a few years the firm went
into bankrupcy
The 90’: internet and first « pivot »
• Launch of monthly magazine called Internet Reporter
• A total flop: at the beginning of internet, access was very expensive, there was no internet user…in a
nutshell: no market!
• Realized he was in the wrong way. To save his magazine, he decided to democratize the access to internet
• He launched one a the first internet access provider (Imaginet), cut prices with unlimited access for 20 €/
month…and thus save his newspaper!
Since then, launch of 28 firms… sometimes with success and sometimes less!

5. Inspirational Entrepreneur
Because of his definition of Entrepreneurship
« The desire to make an opportunity a reality, regardless of the resources
available at the beginning »
Being an entrepreneur means having a taste for adventure and
not just risk!
« Entrepreneurship is an adventure. The greatest adventurers are those who
know enough to anticipate and prepare for not taking to many risks »
Entrepreneurship and adventure are so near…
« The will to make a dream come true, regardless of the resources we have at
the beginning »

7. “Fall down seven times, stand up eight”
A very positive mindset
« The difference between a winner and a looser is that the winner also
failed…but will try again, again, and again ! »
« Imaginet » successful story very well illustrates this mindset

9. A man of values
Convinced that personal values are key to successful entreprises
« We have to listen to our personal values and align them with our company »
That’s a way of explaining why the publishing house’s buy-out was a
mistake
« Hachette was focused on large distribution. The group distorted what made
our success. Looking back, I realize that we have lost our soul »
With France Digital, he is committed to supporting young start-ups
and defending the digital ecosystem in France

11. Sources:
Master Class
 MBAMCI, Institut Léonard de Vinci, Mars 2017
Articles and Videos:
 Frenchweb.fr (26 mars 2015)
 FrenchwebDay Start-Up (2015)
 Journal du Net (16 avril 2014)