Powered by NEOMA BS Rouen: at the heart of the dialogue between start-ups and partners for innovation!

11 April 2019 By

The latest edition of the Powered by Rouen organised by NEOMA BS Incubators was held in the heart of the Village by CA located in Hangar 107 on the Rouen quayside. During this event dedicated to entrepreneurship, 100 or so people turned up to meet the start-ups incubated at the School.

“Powered by NEOMA BS – Rouen” has become a not-to-be-missed event in the entrepreneurship calendar, and the 9th edition was held on the banks of the Seine on Thursday 14 March. An event that continues to inspire anyone who attends. After an introduction from Denis GALLOT, head of the NEOMA BS Start-up Lab, the Déclic Entreprendre student society followed by giving a presentation of their activities and holding a pitch tournament for the incubated students.
“Today’s Powered by NEOMA BS festival with the Incubators represents the very heart of our student society,” explain Morgane, Théo and Romain, three Déclic Entreprendre members. “We are all really motivated by Entrepreneurship and our goal is to pass this passion on to as many people as possible. Here, the incubated start-ups are in the spotlight and it is a real opportunity for those present to talk to them freely about their experience. This type of event, like the Déclic Day, the Open Innovation Games or the hackathons, also allow us to strengthen our links with local players and enhance the impact of our events in the region…”

“This really helps showcase our activities”
The day started with a display of the diversity of start-ups that NEOMA BS supports. Eight of the School’s incubated students from the School took part in a battle of smoothly delivered pitches. The audience played the role of jury to decide which was best. At the end of this oral jousting competition, Hubert Sait Faire emerged as the winner and went home with a 1000 euros prize that will go towards the development of the project.

“It’s always very exciting to win an award,” explains Anthony ADOIR, founder of Hubert Sait Faire. “This kind of event really helps to showcase our activities. The prize aside, this really is an important event for myself and all the start-ups present. I am still on my own in the company and if I want to develop further in 2019, I need support and financial assistance. To meet potential partners as important as the CCI, members of the Entrepreneurship network, Business Angels all at the same event,… These are people we all want to have around us when we develop our businesses. This event is both a time-saver and an important showcase!”

A unique opportunity to become known

This event also gave the opportunity to many incubated start-ups to present their more or less advanced concept. Among the start-ups presented today: Fuse. A dating application based on musical tastes. For Charles-Ambroise GONONON, young creator of this start-up, the event is a real first. “I’ve had the idea for this application for almost 6 months, but I have only been officially incubated for less than two months, so of course this event has given me the chance to gain a certain amount of visibility, to talk about the concept and to obtain a lot of advice. I’ve also been able to communicate my recruitment needs. I’ve come to the end of the skills I have as a business school student. I believe in my concept, but I need to test the market and remove any doubts concerning technology. That’s why I now need the technical skills of a trainee developer.” To get more information : fuse-app.fr

Many inspirational experiences shared

The remainder of the day was reserved for talks from a variety of speakers. The idea here was to strengthen discussions and broaden the scope of possibilities. Déclic Entreprendre spoke about its annual Start-up Safari. After Berlin and Dublin, this year the student society opted for Stockholm. An opportunity to take a close-up view of this inspiring city, a real hotbed of Unicorns. The Viva Technology exhibition teams then presented their upcoming Paris event. This event that has become a must for those in the European innovation market is scheduled for 12 to 14 May.

“The key is to know how to surround yourself with the right people, to open up to all kinds of networks, in short, to all those who want to help… With this kind of advice, you will have the cards in hand to be able to make the right decisions. Sometimes, luck really can make things happen. For me, it was a simple article in the local press that caught the attention of Safran, who is now one of our major partners.”
Cécile TAUVEL (a MIM 2012graduate), Co-founder of Minut’rit, a company concierge service powered by NEOMA BS Incubators, reviewed her experience by passing on some advice to the young entrepreneurs

To close the day, François Jolly, the Incubator Start-up & Programme Manager , gave a review of today’s incubated start-ups that are doing well: Nachos, Ulysse, Sauce Moutard, Quitoque, Ecoframe, Weweb, NomenK, Frello, Lok-IZ… so many different success stories that make so many others dream! What if you were next?