DEMO DAY “Pitch on the boat”: startups on deck !

2 July 2019 By

​The NEOMA BS Incubators & Accelerators DEMO DAY “Pitch on the boat” was held on Friday, 7 June 2019. The startups took advantage of the Armada de Rouen’s unique setting by pitching their concepts to an audience of potential investors on board a cruise ship.​

12 startups powered by NEOMA BS Incubators, 2 startups from NEOMA EdTech Accelerator and 2 from NEOMA Mobility Accelerator, sailed away in search of investors, business angels, partners… Step one: a sixty-second pitch! Next, all the participants gathered on deck for a networking breakfast to plan potential future business meetings together. ​

 

 

Among the deckhands present, Benoît Leroy (Global BBA 2012), founder of Nachos, a startup powered by NEOMA BS Incubators, who took a back at his own experience as an entrepreneur. Fundraising is a subject he knows well having raised his first million euros in 2018 and he is not planning on stopping there. The creator of the successful Mexican food franchise reminded all the startups of the importance of perseverance​.

 

Lamia Hanafi (MSc in Global Management 2015) and Safir Hanafi (MSc in International Project Development 2015), co-founders of the startup Lok-iz, also highlighted a decisive factor in the success of a project: motivation. “We were fortunate to have the assistance of a number of entrepreneurship experts who advised us throughout our journey. We feel immense pride today seeing our efforts gaining recognition. If there is one message we can pass on to the investors present today, it is simply this: the next success story can be hidden away anywhere, as long as the team is motivated and that they are encouraged along the way.”

See you in 2020 for the next wave of talented newcomers!