Telecom firm Orange looking to invest in Silicon Valley Bitcoin startups

Posted On 13 Apr 2015

Tag: Bitcoin startups, Blockchain technology, Georges Naho, Orange, Silicon Valley

Bitcoin logo

The French multinational telecommunications firm Orange SA is looking to invest in Bitcoin startups in the months ahead, making it one of the first big global phone carriers to become interested in blockchain technology, reported Bloomberg.

“There’s something intriguing in this technology, so we want to be there as early as possible,” said Georges Nahon, CEO of Orange Silicon Valley, a division of Orange SA. “This could be a digital platform in the futute.”

Nahon told Bloomberg that his division has been holding Bitcoin events at its office in San Francisco and is talking to two Bitcoin firms. The group can invest $20,000 per startup and is part of an international team that can spend up to $3.2 million per company.

Orange SA recently expanded its venture capital effort with the launch of Orange Digital Ventures. The company said last month that the goal is to have supported 500 startups worldwide by 2020.

“Even though we have a larger internal R&D organization, given the pace of innovation we need to complement our own initiatives and projects with what the outside world is doing,” said Nahon to Bloomberg.

Bitcoin logo credit: Sirius

About the Author

Katherine Fletcher is a writer and editor based in London, Ontario, Canada. With a graduate degree in journalism, Katherine spent more than five years curating news on Canadian higher education for a marketing consultancy. Her interest in reporting on Bitcoin stems from her belief that digital currency is, and will continue to be, a disruptor in how we conceive modern currency.

Coinsetter acquires CAVIRTEX

2 Comments

Harold Remod April 13, 2015 at 11:33 am Reply

Tout le monde en France sait que Orange et en particulier Stéphane Richard sont les plus grands voleurs dans toute la France. Startups ne devraient jamais faire des affaires avec eux, à moins qu’ils veulent avoir leur technologie volé. Richard est un des plus grands voleurs en France, maintenant il veut voler Bitcoin!
Harold Remod April 13, 2015 at 11:43 am Reply

Really we all know what this is about…Orange wants to steal bitcoin technology from startups and use it in their own Orange money product. Africa and Asia are great places to implement Bitcoin payments, and Orange Money needs Bitcoin! The perfect way to do that is to go “shopping” in Silicon Valley, but to steal as much technology as possible. Orange only knows how to Steal. Stephane Richard is an amazing criminal mind and is very good at taking what he needs and giving it to his friends.