The Ties That Bind: Lessons From The U.S.-French Relationship
By Alice Albizzati
This past summer, I was honored to be selected by the French-American Foundation for its latest Young Leaders cohort, which included 10 people each from France and the U.S. Founded almost four decades ago, its goal is to foster closer ties between the two countries by creating a forum where leaders can meet and learn from each other to find solutions to global challenges.
In mid-October, we all gathered for the 2023 Young Leaders seminar, a five-day event that was held in Strasbourg. In many ways, it was the perfect setting for an international event given the city’s unique history that straddles France and Germany while serving today as home to the European Parliament.
Though I had previously enjoyed some interactions with the cohort, this was our first chance for the whole group – including the 20 members of the 2022 cohort – to meet in person for what turned out to be an intense and educational stretch of presentations, debates, and networking. The diversity of the group was extremely stimulating because beyond bi-national profiles, the program takes a broad definition of leadership by including people who are from the business world, politics, entertainment, security, non-profit, and health care, etc.
I believe that it’s critical to get outside of our bubbles and seek a wide range of voices on matters of importance. Having your thinking constantly challenged leads to asking the difficult questions, finding better answers, and refining your vision. That diversity of perspectives only makes us stronger.
In that respect, the Young Leaders seminar offered a setting where one's leadership and communication skills were challenged throughout each day as we shared our ideas and viewpoints and debated them with other attendees. On both personal and professional levels, the gathering created a "safe space" that offered support rather than judgement, enabling us to express ourselves and be vulnerable about the difficulties that come with being in position of leadership.
The event was also interesting in the context of the two nations. France and the United States share a long, entangled history. It’s fair to say the US would not be an independent nation had France not intervened in its revolution. Likewise, France might not be a free nation had the US not come to our aid in World War II. We have given each other much, and we owe each other much. There is a depth of mutual gratitude that binds us together and transcends the tide of current events.
Despite this eternal bond, there are aspects of each other’s culture and politics that can be difficult for the other side to fully comprehend. There are certainly many commonalities, like the embrace of democracy and founding documents that talk about liberty and freedom. And yet there remain subtle, but important, differences in areas such as how we define freedom that can lead to misunderstanding and confusion.
Bridging those divides is crucial because we must find ways to work together to address the major issues facing the planet. As we confront topics like climate change, the rise of AI, and threats to democracy, the stakes are becoming enormous.
At the same time, such conversations also serve a practical purpose for Revaia. The US tech and VC industry is far bigger and more mature than the European market. So, we spend a lot of time looking at what US VCs and tech companies are doing. This is critical as we refine our long-term vision and investment strategy, but also practically important today because more than two thirds of our portfolio companies have established a presence in the US. Revaia is focused on finding ways for these companies to succeed in this vital market, as we did with GoHenry by helping them find a key US board member and eventually advising on their acquisition by US-based Acorn.
To gain understanding, dialogue is key. The program in Strasbourg was emblematic of how French leaders and US leaders can work together to develop complementary and collaborative proposals. I experienced a week of rich exchanges, sharing the US and French perspectives. We consider ourselves to be open-minded, but it's quite rare and unique to hear so many different viewpoints and so many concerns in a setting where the goal is not competition but advancing understanding and knowledge.
The discussions were wide-ranging and led by experts across topics such as war, history, business, politics, and the environment. It was an inspiring and energizing week and so I wanted to share a few of my key takeaways:
No. 1: The challenges that we're facing as human beings are very complex and getting more complex. Despite the different perspectives, there was a clear willingness to work together to find solutions. Identifying those solutions will require a diversity of perspectives and humility to understand that no one person or group may have all the answers. I came away feeling more positive about our ability to collaborate on tough subjects like climate change, education, and healthcare.
No. 2: Despite my comment about the size of the US market compared to Europe, this is not a one-sided relationship. It's not only Europeans looking at the US market. There are a lot of things that the US admires about the French and European markets. There is a recognition that there are things they can learn from us even if we are smaller.
For example, Europe has deep expertise in sustainable innovation, an area that we have pioneered and something that is core to Revaia’s mission. We’ve built a European Growth Equity firm around this idea, and that seems to resonate with what is happening in the US market.
No. 3: One area that is a bit more challenging to reconcile is our respective definitions of “liberty.” Our US counterparts are focused on individual liberty and individual freedom. The French see liberty as something that is enhanced and advanced by more collective action and sharing of resources. As a result, the US can see the French social model as being much more socialist than it is in reality.
These perspectives can guide very different approaches to dealing with issues such as climate change. While France might focus on regulation and the promotion of the need for sobriety out of collective responsibility to each other, the US might approach the Green economy through incentives and the opportunity for returns on investments.
No. 4: One of the liveliest discussions took place on a big topic: The nature of capitalism. This touched on the purpose of running a business and making money. The notion that companies should curtail profits or pay more taxes to support social or economic goals was clearly a surprising one to the US delegation.
From the French side, we advocated the idea that one can renew the purpose of capitalism by adding a mission to what corporations do. Measuring a company’s performance can go beyond financials to analyze things like how its business is aligned with its impact on the planet and society.
No. 5: One final thing that became clear over the week was the scope of changes that humanity faces. We need to reinvent ourselves in a lot of ways. That reinvention is not just investing in innovative companies and technologies that will solve some of our challenges. It must go beyond that to more profound changes that reflect the sweeping transformation of society that is taking place. In some cases, we’re transforming for the better, but in some cases, we are transforming for the worse. Solutions must be holistic and broad.
As this transformation accelerates, it will require greater collaboration to identify and implement solutions that require a high degree of complexity. Spending time with the other Young Leaders made clear the responsibility that this group has as leaders who hold the potential to make a positive impact.
Being part of such a high-caliber group is thrilling and rewarding but it also comes with responsibilities. We came away from our conference deeply connected and clear-eyed about the obstacles ahead but determined to meet these challenges. The energy of this group reinforced my belief that this can happen.