Osons la France, France’s got talent!
France has had a wonderful Christmas window last week, as its 200 most promising startups exhibited at Le Grand Palais for “Osons la France” — let’s “dare” to believe in France. Why should we, exactly?
The woman behind
Aude de Thuin’s first struggle has been for women to broaden their ambitions. In her book “Femmes, si vous osiez” (Women, if you just dared), she analyses the obstacles preventing them from breaking the glass ceiling, and incites to take action. To achieve this objective, she founded Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, that has been gathering influential women from all over the world since 2005.
But changing women’s role in society is not Aude’s sole commitment. From December 4th to 7th was held “Osons la France”, a forum that she launched in 2011. During four days, the selected “200 bâtisseurs pour demain” (200 builders for tomorrow) displayed their technologies, products or services. One simple aim: highlight French talents in all sectors. An initiatve that is all the more needed since the French economy has been having some bad press.
France’s got talent!
Not to say everything couldn’t be better. But still: France does have some talents, and creativity is boiling in all fields! This needs to be shown. As I was walking through the alleys of the Grand Palais, I found myself discovering companies and projects I had not even heard of. From robotics company Generation Robots, to file sharing platform Bubblz, or 3D printing company Sculpteo, French startups are present in all major trends.
Beyond pure technology and innovation, what amazed me was the huge representation of French startups in projects benefitting society. One of my colleagues was challenged to play minigolf standing on one leg by the guys representing Handiamo!, a company that organizes events sensitizing people to handicap. We also met the team behind Babyloan, a micro-credit crowdfunding platform that has already collected more than 9 million euros so far. Feeling hungry, we spotted tasty fruits on the stand of mypotager.com, a connected garden enabling citizens to eat fresh and sane vegetables. I’ve been very moved to witness all the efforts put in projects that involve innovation, creativity, and an altruistic vision of the world. During four days, I really saw a France that I’m proud of.
Young at heart
Ok, French is an old country. With its breath-taking monuments and views, Paris is the most touristic city in the world — and many people only consider it as such. But we are able to combine tradition and innovation. I think the fact that “Osons la France” was held at the Grand Palais, a magnificent edifice built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, embodies this double dimension quite well. I couldn’t have imagined a better frame.
Stunningly red, made out of bistrot chairs, the Eiffel Tower was also attending… Right next to our stand!
