This is a guest post by Lucile Reynard of Girlz In Web, The NextWomen media partner in France. You can also read the original article in French here.
Aurelia Ammour is rocking big consulting firms boat with her France-USA firm, thanks to her deep understanding of start-ups and technology... In Silicon Valley she is able to assess the future of the tech startup space. She is co-Founder of iVentures Consulting.

Q: What is your profession?
The short version: Strategy Consultant

The long version: Partner (co-founder) of a management consulting firm dedicated:

• To companies in the development and organization of their Internet businesses
• Capital investors in the audit and evaluation of innovative companies.

Q: Can you tell us how you came to start your own business?
During my three years in venture capital, we had to rely on strategy consulting firms to audit companies in which to invest, and to advise our portfolio companies in their development.

It was a disappointment every time we made use of the Big 5 consulting firms.

They had no significant operational or web experience  and  immediately brought out the heavy artillery, more suited to large corporate than actual startups.

I often ended up doing the audit work myself, because I could not find the right consultants. From that my partner and I, having built both operational and strategic skills in web, decided to set up our firm to meet the shortfall. We'd barely set up the company and we were already facing two of the Big 5 consulting firms for a consulting job. We won (proof that one should not be afraid: David can beat Goliath) and had work for 9 months: the ideal conditions when starting a company.

Q: How did you decide to go to Silicon Valley? What are the benefits of working in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Two of my clients came to settle here and wanted me to accompany them. Working in the web for 15 years and having fallen in love with the city on my very first visit, I did not hesitate. Advantages: There are plenty!

- It bathes daily in innovation

- The Web and Tech community is generally speaking small and accessible, and very open, with people equally talented as each other. The network and exchanges within it are very rewarding.

- Being based in San Francisco brings additional value to my clients based in Europe because the U.S. has always between 6 months and one year in advance on the web (by sector) compared to France and Europe in general.

- The business pace (process, project, etc ...) is faster here.

- Failure is not seen negatively here, so people feel free and supported to move on to new challenges if necessary.

- The sky is blue all year

- Life is less stressful than in Paris

Q: A recent study talks about the lack of women in Silicon Valley. What are your thoughts?
Yes - it's a catastrophe. Women are few and the majority are very masculine, it's almost scary. Do women need to resemble men to be credible? but I do not think it's very worrying from my point of view. After I got used to this environment, I learned that these women were acting that way to erase the differences between men and women, being a man is to be his equal... Here it is rather frowned upon to dress sexy or even just be feminine at business meeting. The paraphernalia of seduction must remain in the closet for the spirit to get full attention...

Visit Girlz In Web for more news on women in technology in France.