1. The chief problem with government sponsored startups is - the government is terrible at allocating funds. A scrappy startup with a disruptive plan will not get any funding. A startup with a well presented plan (but entering into a crowded space) will get more funding. If you want to hire engineers, you'll be competing with the government, who can pay more than a small startup, but puts them on useless projects.
2. France ranks 29 on doing business, and 25 on starting a business. Not ideal, but not bad. It takes about a week, in total, if you know your stuff. I don't know much about it, because it's all in French. C'est la vie. http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings.
3. Total tax rate is high. Labor tax is outstandingly high. But salaries are kind of low (because high taxes = low wages).
4. No idea. All countries have talent. You might struggle for people with lots of web startup experience.
5. France's labor law looks a little scary.
6. Yeah.
Overall, the problems are that the government sucks all the good people into its inefficient investments, and that French labor law is more suited to large companies. Its health system is an advantage over the US, for SMEs though - everyone pays about the same amount (through somewhat high income taxes - which is really the employee's problem).
I'm a fan of safety nets, but not of officious labor law.
Comments
1. The chief problem with government sponsored startups is - the government is terrible at allocating funds. A scrappy startup with a disruptive plan will not get any funding. A startup with a well presented plan (but entering into a crowded space) will get more funding. If you want to hire engineers, you'll be competing with the government, who can pay more than a small startup, but puts them on useless projects.
2. France ranks 29 on doing business, and 25 on starting a business. Not ideal, but not bad. It takes about a week, in total, if you know your stuff. I don't know much about it, because it's all in French. C'est la vie. http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings.
3. Total tax rate is high. Labor tax is outstandingly high. But salaries are kind of low (because high taxes = low wages).
4. No idea. All countries have talent. You might struggle for people with lots of web startup experience.
5. France's labor law looks a little scary.
6. Yeah.
Overall, the problems are that the government sucks all the good people into its inefficient investments, and that French labor law is more suited to large companies. Its health system is an advantage over the US, for SMEs though - everyone pays about the same amount (through somewhat high income taxes - which is really the employee's problem).
I'm a fan of safety nets, but not of officious labor law.