Last week I attended Vivatech Paris. It was the second edition of this meeting about innovation and disruption with startups, corporations, investors, technological leaders…. In those two days I understood a bit more the startups ecosystem of Paris and of France in general. This event is in line with many others around the world in a similar format (conferences, exhibitions, meetings, meetups, technology tests, etc.). They are events in which the startups are always the essential actors. Examples are:
- Slush in Helsinki (slush.org)
- 4YFN in Barcelona (https://www.4yfn.com)
- StartupFest Europe ‘17 in Amsterdam (startupfesteurope.com)
- The Next Web Conference also in Amsterdam (https://thenextweb.com)
- TAU Innovation Conference, in TelAviv (http://tau-innovation.com)
- Websummit 2017, this year in Lisbon (https://websummit.com)
- Startup Camp in Berlin (https://scb17.de/)
- South Summit in Madrid (https://es.southsummit.co)
- Several events organized by Techstarts (Disrupt London, Disrupt Berlin, Disrupt San Francisco…), etc.
What have I learned from the ecosystem of Paris and France? Things like the following:
1) I have learned that Paris is developing a huge project of concentration of knowledge in Saclay, south of the city. You can consult the Wikipedia https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris-Saclay
2) IncubaAlliance (http://www.incuballiance.fr) is already located in the area, an incubator that will act for all that Campus.
3) I already knew (but these days I have been informed in more detail) that the French Ministry of Education approved in 2013 measures to stimulate entrepreneurship. They are the following:
- Modules of training in entrepreneurship and innovation in all teaching plans and disciplines, from the age of 8.
- The National Statute of the Entrepreneurial Student was created, which resembles the status of high level athletes, as it allows a combination of teaching and entrepreneurial activity. Three years later, 1,500 students had accepted that challenge.
- The National PEPITE Prize was created
- Twenty-nine Student Poles for Innovation, Transference and Entrepreneurship (PEPITE) were launched in the higher education campuses
The same days of Vivetech, French President Macron announced a new tech visa that seeks to attract international talent to the country. A tech visa to make France a ‘country of unicorns’.
4) These days a huge building is being launched, STATION F of 34.000m2.
According to its own definition ((https://stationf.co/)) it will contain an entire entrepreneurial ecosystem. For example, it aims to attract 1,000 startups under its roof, in addition to other actors of the ecosystem.
Some of the programs and entities that are already or will be there soon are:
- STATION F Founders Program
- ZENDESK Accelerator
- Startup Garage from Facebook
- HEC Paris Incubator
- Vente-privee Accelerator, dedicated to fashion and retail.
- FOCUS by Usine IO Program, with industrial objectives. For example, self-driving cars or green technology.
- NUMA Scale Hub Program, for international startps who want to grow their business in France.
- Arts et Métiers Hardware Accelerator.
- Impulse Labs Accelerator, for the construction sector.
Station F has been promoted by Xavier Niel, French entrepreneur who also created 42 (www.42.fr) the programming school that is revolutionizing educational methods. I recommend you to take a look to that school. It is the present of what education will be in the future.
5) Schoolab Innovation Studio (www.theschoolab.com). It is a space of coworking and innovation. Schoolab creates an early-stage Accelerator (PEPITE Starter) and also locates it in the Station F building. It is a 6-month program to accelerate startups for students and young graduates, within the framework of the Ministry’s program.
6) The Universities were also in the VIVATECH event with their incubators and accelerators.
- I have spoken with the people of ParisTech Entrepreneurs Incubateur (http://paristech-entrepreneurs.fr) created in 1999 and related to Telecom ParisTech (https://www.telecom-paristech.fr) also called École nationale supérieure des télécommunications
- There was also there the accelerator & startups incubator of l’École Polytechnique – Université Paris Saclay (https://www.polytechnique.edu). They have a space of 2,500 m2 dedicated to startups and innovation. It includes incubator, accelerator and a prototyping space (with a fab lab, an e-lab and laboratory areas). Also co-working spaces and for events and conferences.
- They also had booths at Vivatech l’École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris. HEC Paris (hec.edu) is very active in the field of startups. Its incubator is also integrated in Studio F, as I mentioned before.
7) I have learned that HUB Institute (www.hubinstitute.com), an official partner of Vivatech, has launched Hub Lab, for digital transformation and open innovation of large corporations, in a renovated building of 650 m2.
8) I have seen that the large French corporations or located in France are realizing a great (very great) bet by the startups. I give some examples:
- Airbus makes a strong commitment to the startups. It has its BIZLAB (https://www.airbus-bizlab.com), an accelerator incubator located in Hamburg, Tolouse and Bangalore.
- Those of Carrefour have told me that they have been present in the two editions of Vivatech with their Food and Retail Lab. In their spaces in the exhibition they had 50 startups of those sectors.
- SNCF is also heavily involved in generating disruption through startups.
- As well as other major corporations such as Orange, Google, Cisco, Sanofi, Lenovo, AT & T, Valeo, Airfrance (open innovation accelerator), Accord hotels, SAP, IBM, HP, Engie … all in Vivatech, each presenting “their” 30 or 40 startups in their spaces. A real quantitative leap in the number of corporations involved with this new model of collaboration with startups. We know that France works the startups by bringing them closer to the big corporations. But … they are many and their activity is very massive. Even LVMH, the world leader in luxury products, also present at Vivatech, works with startups. Similarly, banks such as BNP Parribas or BPIFrance were there with their programs for entrepreneurs.
9) I have spoken with Accenture and I have seen that it works with the startups as I indicated for the case of the Catalan company Quantion a few days ago (see the post here). They were also in Vivatech KPMG, EY, Cap Gemini …
It was a worthy conference! Congratulations.