Discover the letter from our Director to French Tech Tremplin’s first cohort
Our first cohort of 146 aspiring founders entrepreneurs starts this week! They come from tough backgrounds from all across France, including low-income neighbourhoods, refugee communities and rural towns. As a welcome, they received an official courrier of admission from the State Secretary of Digital Affairs, Cédric O. They also received a letter from Kat Borlongan, our Director. Here it is. (Lire la version originale en français)
(Read this if you don’t know French Tech Tremplin: The program seeks out budding entrepreneurs from communities chronically underrepresented in tech and welcomes them into ecosystem. It levels the playing field a little by mimicking advantages they might have had, had they come from more privileged backgrounds. The 1st phase “Prep” grants them 17K in love money, access to a pre-accelerator bootcamp and a successful “godparent” for 6 months. The program is backed by the French Prime Minister’s Office with 15 million EUR.)
“Congratulations! You are one of a select few that have been chosen to participate in the very first edition of the French Tech Tremplin Prepa program. In other words, life has suddenly become just a little more interesting.
It’s my honor to be the person that gets to welcome you at the beginning of your journey. There are three things that I feel are important to share, so please humor me. I’ll do my best to keep this short and sweet.
1 — You will have bad days; don’t quit.
We designed French Tech Tremplin to take down some barriers for you: initial funding, training, access to a successful mentor. But there are many many more challenges around the corner.
The very best founders I’ve met have one thing in common, and that is grit. So calibrate your expectations, know that hard times are inevitable, and just keep swimming.
2 — The biggest perk of this program — by far — is the opportunity to build a valuable network. Use it.
While we are hard at work shaking things up, the startup ecosystem as it is today is far from perfect. Women, minorities, and people from tougher backgrounds statistically have a difficult time getting the resources that they need.
The system needs to change, but in the interim it is the network you build that will help you to open the right doors. We will surround you with good and well-connected people. Don’t be afraid to build relationships and to ask for help.
3 — Remember who you are.
When you attend a lot of tech conferences and see a lot of pitches, you might find yourself tempted to squeeze yourself into the mold of the “classic startup founder”. It’s not hard to see why: there probably aren’t many role models in France who share a similar story to you. Not yet, anyway. But don’t fall into that trap.
Your roots, your experiences, and your worldview are strengths and they give you a special edge. Aim as high — or even higher — than the founders you meet. But do so under your own terms. One day, you might just be someone else’s role model.
Welcome, again, to the first edition of French Tech Tremplin Prepa. You have a lot to learn and a lot to go through, but don’t forget that you also have a lot of people who are rooting for you along the way. Count me as one of them.
I wish I could have been there to be with you in person, but since I can’t, here’s a Deezer playlist I made for you to help you get pumped on your first few days.
Kat Borlongan
Director, La French Tech”
