After posting last week that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales was coming, we thought we’d get a break in the news from Viva Technology Paris.
Instead, we just got an email that Eric Schmidt will be speaking at what’s shaping up to be Europe’s digital Woodstock.
Yes, that Eric Schmidt, chairman of Alphabet, which is the new Google holding company. Oh, and the most valuable company in the world ranked by market capitalization!
ERIC SCHMIDT
From our friends at Viva Technology Paris, scheduled for 30 June through 2 July:
Eric Schmidt, the top player behind Google’s success and executive chairman of Alphabet, is the next speaker to be announced at Viva Technology Paris.
Can you say you’ve contributed to creating the company that rules the world today? Well, Eric can. Under his leadership, Google went from being a Silicon Valley start-up to the global leader it is today, while maintaining a strong innovation culture – Google’s key to success. Currently, Eric is executive chairman of Alphabet, responsible for the external matters of all of the holding company’s businesses, including Google Inc., and advises their CEOs and leadership on business and policy issues.
Schmidt started his career as an intern at Bell Labs, where he rewrote an entire program for the UNIX operating system from which Linux is derived. He worked his way through the high-tech companies of the day starting with Sun Microsystems, then Novell and finally Google, brought in by VC John Doerr. In the process, Schmidt has built a $10 billion net worth. He’s also close personal friends with the President of the United States. Not bad.
If you’re a techpat or digital expat working in Europe, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear one of the executives who rules the world of technology.
*****
For those looking for their big break, there’s another interesting development from VTP. Posted on the Viva Technology Paris website are dozens of challenges to help large companies solve problems. For us, this trend began in Europe when we got a news release that BNP Paribas would select eight fintech startups that would be integrated into the Paris-based banks’s operations.
Now, some of the biggest companies in Europe are seeking startups for collaborative labs – called “challenges” – to be held during VTP.
What do they get out of it? Expertise they don’t have in-house.
What do you get out of it? Experience working with large companies, career-making breakthroughs, the potential to go to New York to pitch and maybe some serious loot.
This is a big deal, and ubiquitous luxury goods giant LVMH just sent out a news release about theirs:
LVMH is hosting a special “Lab” dedicated to the luxury industry, designed as a “village of excellence”. Within this 500-square-meter space, the Group will welcome 50 startups whose initiatives address the future challenges of luxury houses in Fashion & Leather Goods, Wines & Spirits, Perfumes & Cosmetics, Watches & Jewelry and Selective Retailing. Participating startups will be chosen for their capacity to drive quality and excellence in customer relationships and to create unique, powerful experiences for consumers who engage with these exceptional Houses.
There are way too many labs to list including seven challenges with Ernst & Young alone.
Other companies include:
• Valeo, the Paris-based auto tech pioneer.
• Paris-based VC firm Iris Capital
• The EY FRANCE subsidiary of Ernst & Young.
• PMU, the French gaming company
• Bank BNP Paribas, the Paris-based international bank and finance giant.
• Orange, the French telecommunications network
• LVMH, the Paris-based luxury goods conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton.
• AccorHotels, the international chain based in Paris
This is just a partial list!
Here are some sample challenges we think are cool:
• CHALLENGE #14 (PMU)
REINVENT THE GAME EXPERIENCE IN SPORTS ARENA
Reinvent the game experience in sports arenas
What can you win?
– 3 days of co-working with PMU’s key people directly involved in your line of work
– Opportunity to implement in France or abroad (Germany, Belgium, Brasil) the solution that will be proposed by the winning startup
• CHALLENGE #19 (BNP Paribas)
INNOVATIVE TECH FOR RETAIL M-WALLET
Your tech innovation may change the banking world.
What can you win?
• The unique opportunity for 2 winning startups from the lab to have a Wild Card each in order to integrate BNP Paribas 2016 International Hackathon after the 17-19 June weekend, and benefit from:
– An access to the Digital Bootcamp & several international sponsors
– A pre-Demo Day coaching
– A meeting with a BNP Paribas entity Comex member
– A letter of intent to integrate a solution by the end of 2017 with a reward of 25000€ at the December 2nd 2016 Demo Day•
CUSTOMER INTIMACY AND PERSONALIZATION THROUGH STRONGER CUSTOMER UNDERSTANDING
How your innovation can exploit and leverage customer data in order to enrich LVMH customer intimacy & personalization?
What can you win?
– the opportunity to be featured in the Luxury Lab sponsored by LVMH at Viva Technology Startup Connect Paris 2016;
– introductions to relevant LVMH brands,
– introduction to the LVMH venture fund, Groupe Arnault.
What can you win?
– Direct collaboration with EY teams (experts)
– Direct access to EY entrepreneurial coaching services https://youtu.be/Zbpi0i8CKR4
