The Entrepreneurship Outreach Trip 2024: Paris
The International Entrepreneurship Outreach Trip 2024 of Prince Daniel’s Fellowship went to Paris to explore advancements in innovation and entrepreneurship. Over two intensive days, we had the opportunity to visit some of France's most prominent organisations and companies, which play a key role in driving the country's innovative capacity forward.
France has positioned itself as a leading player in the tech sector, with around 20,000 start-ups each year and over 1.5 million employees in innovation-driven industries. Experiencing this on the ground gave a deeper understanding of the factors behind the country's success.
The first day began with an inspiring talk by Pascal Cagni, a leading expert in French tech development and Chairman of the Board of Business France. He shared his insight into how France has become a key player in the tech sector, and how government support combined with private sector engagement has created a dynamic environment for innovation.
Prince Daniel and Christopher Lindhe, mentee in Prince Daniel's Fellowship's mentoring program, at Station F. Photo: Majken Sellerholm
We then continued with a visit to Station F, the world's largest startup campus, where over 1,000 startups are gathered under one roof. Here we got a review of their work to promote entrepreneurship through an ecosystem that includes accelerator programs, incubators and access to venture capital. We were also given a presentation from HEC’s incubator programme, Creative Destruction Lab, which aims to commercialise innovations emerging from academic environments.
Lena Patriksson Keller, Jessica Schultz and Hélène Barnekow at Station F. Photo: Majken Sellerholm
The next stop was at LVMH Open Innovation. There, we got to understand how the world's largest luxury conglomerate, with over 70 brands and a turnover of more than €79 billion, integrates innovation into every aspect of its business. Through its program "La Maison des Startups", LVMH works actively to connect with and support startups that develop cutting-edge technology and products that can be used within the luxury industry. This visit gave us a clear picture of how innovation and tradition can work together to drive progress in a sector often perceived as conservative.
The day continued with a visit to CorWave, a French medtech company specializing in developing revolutionary heart pumps. Founded in 2011, CorWave is an example of France's commitment to take global leadership in medical technology innovations.
At the Petit Palais we had the opportunity to see the ongoing Bruno Liljefors exhibition and engage in an in-depth discussion about AI, an area where France is investing heavily with over 1.5 billion euros set aside for AI research and development until 2025. Joel Hellermark, Sana, Patrick Perez, Kyutai and Nicolas Coudiere, AWS, participated. We also visited Exotrail, a company specializing in space technology and small satellites working to enable more sustainable and cost-effective space transportation.
The trip concluded at Bpifrance, France's national investment bank, which plays a central role in financing innovation and entrepreneurship. Bpifrance manages over €42 billion and invests in companies at all stages, from the start-up phase to established companies expanding internationally.
Harald Mix, Susanna Campbell and Nicolas Duforcq, CEO of Bpifrance participated in a discussion on financing and European competitiveness in the global market. Photo: Majken Sellerholm
