- 5 months ago
Female Founder Challenge
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00:00What a day, huh?
00:00:02Now I hope the conversation with Mr. Musk met your expectations.
00:00:08And now I hope you are prepared for our last session of the day.
00:00:14As diverse as we try to make this program and these discussions,
00:00:19you of course may have noticed that women are still few when it comes to founding startups.
00:00:26And to put this into perspective, in 2022, only 2% of global VC funding went to all female founding
00:00:37teams.
00:00:392%.
00:00:40And only about 12% of decision makers at VC firms are women.
00:00:49So it's clear to say there's an unbalance in here.
00:00:52And this is what we are trying to change.
00:00:58Viva Tech is organizing something called the Female Founders Challenge.
00:01:03This is the fifth time that we're organizing this.
00:01:07And this is with 50 in Tech.
00:01:11And it's in partnership with AXA Mazars, Societe Generale,
00:01:16and of course, the support of our media partner, Madinus.
00:01:20The award has two main objectives.
00:01:25The first one, to facilitate VC startup meetings that accelerate the financing of women-led startups.
00:01:34The second is to urge VC funds to commit to gender equality.
00:01:42The number of women entrepreneurs is growing.
00:01:46So it is up to the venture capital industry to act and to do so fast
00:01:54to promote underrepresented female founders.
00:01:57Now, to begin the ceremony, I have the pleasure to welcome
00:02:03Bastien Carve, head of startups and ecosystems at Viva Technology,
00:02:08and Caroline Hamad, the founder and CEO of 50 in Tech.
00:02:29Hi, everyone. It's a big pleasure to be here.
00:02:31I'm part of the Viva Tech team, and I'd like to say that with Viva Tech,
00:02:35we are super happy, super proud to have launched this initiative,
00:02:39the Female Founders Challenge, with 50 in Techs.
00:02:41It's the first edition. They are with us.
00:02:45It's a big pleasure also to have with us our sponsors,
00:02:49AXA, Mazars, and Societe Generale.
00:02:51I'd like to thank them.
00:02:52And our equity funds as well, the VCs, part of these initiatives,
00:02:57Sista Fund, Iris, and Equity Ventures.
00:03:00We have many different success stories since the first edition.
00:03:04I'd like to highlight some of them.
00:03:06We have Clarissa Dege.
00:03:07She's the co-founder and CEO of DFNS,
00:03:11and she raised 12 million euros last year.
00:03:13She was the winner two years ago.
00:03:16And we also have Vanessa Kuner.
00:03:17She's the founder of Resortex in the fashion industry,
00:03:20and she's going to be on stage in a minute
00:03:23to tell you more about what she's doing
00:03:25and how she raised, thanks to the Female Founders Challenge,
00:03:28a 2 million investment fund last year,
00:03:32thanks to Viva Tech as well.
00:03:34And I'd like to say as well that I think Viva Tech
00:03:36is playing the right role with this Female Founders Challenge
00:03:41as an ecosystem player,
00:03:43as a catalyzer of all the different people
00:03:47who are gathering at this event.
00:03:49We connect the best finalist Female Founders
00:03:53with the best investors.
00:03:55Here at Viva Tech, we have 2,000 investors coming here.
00:03:58We create content,
00:04:00and we also gather all this person in the room tonight
00:04:04to make them pitch.
00:04:06So you're going to hear the six finalists.
00:04:09We received 400 applications.
00:04:12We selected 30 finalists,
00:04:14and we have today six finalists pitching on stage,
00:04:18the best ones.
00:04:19And they have one thing in common,
00:04:22their ambition to disrupt their industry.
00:04:24So I'll let you say a few words on Viva Tech
00:04:29and why you're doing that with Viva Tech.
00:04:32Thank you very much, Dr. Tom.
00:04:33Hi, everyone.
00:04:34Very important to be here.
00:04:35I'm a founder of Viva Tech.
00:04:37We are a social startup with a great mission.
00:04:39We want to achieve 50% of women in tech by 2050,
00:04:43and we have developed an inclusive sourcing platform
00:04:46dedicated to women in tech,
00:04:48so we help companies to hire them faster.
00:04:51Why we are doing that?
00:04:52I'm a founder.
00:04:53I'm a female founder,
00:04:55and I can see that we are 10% only,
00:04:58and 2% of the funds are coming to us.
00:05:02That's not possible to continue like that.
00:05:04The only reason why we have this situation now is bias.
00:05:09Before the COVID, that was 2.4.
00:05:11So the situation with the investment crisis
00:05:13is becoming like worse and worse.
00:05:16So we need to act and to showcase the amazing talents,
00:05:20and that's why we are organizing that,
00:05:22to showcase that there is no pipeline,
00:05:26like a lack of pipeline or like no startup.
00:05:29We have bias, and we need to fight against.
00:05:33And the good news with this investment crisis
00:05:35is that you all, VCs, LPs,
00:05:37you want to back profitable startup.
00:05:41And the good news is that gender balance team
00:05:43are outperforming since, like,
00:05:45according first round,
00:05:47it's 63% of really better performance.
00:05:52So that's great.
00:05:53I think it's time to back women entrepreneurs
00:05:56to see them with the great ambition that they have.
00:05:59And these six finalists are amazing,
00:06:02really, truly coming from everywhere.
00:06:04So we want, like, all the VCs here,
00:06:07raise their hand and say,
00:06:08yes, I want to invest.
00:06:10So it's time.
00:06:12And I let the floor to the VCs sponsors
00:06:15that will help us a lot
00:06:17in order to organize this great female funnel challenge.
00:06:21Thank you very much.
00:06:25Thank you so much, Caroline and Bastien.
00:06:32Now, let's start with some of the juries
00:06:36that are going to be playing a part,
00:06:39a big role in this challenge, of course.
00:06:42And they are our partners.
00:06:45Let's start with Delphine Icarre,
00:06:50Florence Sardaz,
00:06:52and Didier L'Aulmond.
00:06:53Please give them a warm welcome.
00:07:05Now, welcome.
00:07:07Okay, let's have here a little bit of a chat
00:07:09before we begin the challenge.
00:07:11And let's start with Delphine.
00:07:13Tell us what you've done lately
00:07:16to promote the female initiative
00:07:20in these startups.
00:07:22So my name is Delphine Icarre.
00:07:24I'm the CEO of Elsania.
00:07:26Elsania is the result of a partnership
00:07:29between AXA and Microsoft
00:07:30to create an open ecosystem in healthcare.
00:07:34And we see in healthcare,
00:07:34the voice of women matters.
00:07:36Today, we see a lot of investment in healthcare.
00:07:39And sadly, as we see the numbers,
00:07:41not enough women funders,
00:07:43and we need diversity.
00:07:45It's mandatory.
00:07:46So at AXA, we're super proud
00:07:48to support the female funder challenge
00:07:52because we really do think
00:07:53this is really a key element
00:07:56to support the women's voices.
00:07:58And sadly, not enough women voices
00:08:00are heard today.
00:08:02Indeed.
00:08:03Now you, Florence, moving on with you,
00:08:05what have you done lately?
00:08:07Actually, helping entrepreneurs
00:08:09is like the story of Mazars.
00:08:11Mazars was born from a story
00:08:14of an entrepreneur
00:08:14that wanted to build a company
00:08:17like no other audit and consulting firm.
00:08:19And then that transmitted
00:08:21this company to his teams.
00:08:22So we know what it's like
00:08:24to be in a growth journey
00:08:26all along the years
00:08:27and the decades
00:08:28to the group that we are now today
00:08:30at an international level.
00:08:31and we want to be action-oriented.
00:08:33So every day,
00:08:34we help entrepreneurs
00:08:35and we help those
00:08:37that lead it most,
00:08:38female entrepreneurs
00:08:39by coaching, mentoring,
00:08:41whatever the area,
00:08:43financing, fundraising, marketing, IT.
00:08:46We are by their side
00:08:48to help them.
00:08:50Nice.
00:08:50Now, Didier,
00:08:52what have you done
00:08:53for women lately
00:08:54in this field?
00:08:56Well, it's not only lately
00:08:57because Société Générale Ventures,
00:08:59we've been partner
00:09:00of this event
00:09:01for four years now.
00:09:03So we're really committed.
00:09:04And to be honest,
00:09:05I've seen it grow.
00:09:06It's amazing.
00:09:08From, you know,
00:09:09the candidates,
00:09:10the number of candidates,
00:09:11the diversity,
00:09:12from geography,
00:09:13from the nature
00:09:14of the startup,
00:09:14the business,
00:09:15it's really showing
00:09:16that, as Caroline was saying,
00:09:18there's no problem
00:09:19in the pipe.
00:09:20We have a lot,
00:09:21a lot of startups
00:09:22that are founded
00:09:23by women
00:09:24that are there.
00:09:25It's just for us,
00:09:26VCs,
00:09:27to just, you know,
00:09:28pick the right ones
00:09:29according to our
00:09:30investment thesis.
00:09:31So,
00:09:33the good news
00:09:34is the last investment
00:09:35we did
00:09:35at Société Générale Ventures
00:09:37is actually Namer,
00:09:39which is a French startup
00:09:40that has been founded
00:09:42and it's headed
00:09:43by a woman,
00:09:44Chloé Claire.
00:09:46So, you know,
00:09:47it's a wonderful startup.
00:09:50We're developing
00:09:51partnership with them
00:09:52and, as also Caroline
00:09:54was saying,
00:09:54diversity really
00:09:56creates opportunities.
00:09:57The way women think
00:09:59on the business
00:10:01really brings
00:10:02different perspectives
00:10:03and new ideas.
00:10:05So, happy to be here again
00:10:07and see those
00:10:08wonderful women pitching.
00:10:10Indeed.
00:10:10Thank you so much, Didier.
00:10:16We'll invite you now
00:10:17to take a seat right there.
00:10:19Now, a little bit more
00:10:20information
00:10:21about this challenge.
00:10:23Over 400
00:10:24female-founded companies
00:10:26have applied
00:10:27for the
00:10:27Females Founder Challenge
00:10:29and we were so impressed
00:10:31by their level
00:10:32of maturity.
00:10:35Despite, of course,
00:10:36their recent creation.
00:10:37After all,
00:10:38they are our startups.
00:10:39We were also in awe
00:10:41by the geographical
00:10:42diversity
00:10:43from over 65
00:10:46different countries
00:10:48and from sectors
00:10:50such as software development
00:10:51to food tech.
00:10:54We managed to shortlist
00:10:5530 of these startups
00:10:58like Bastien was saying before
00:10:59and we've invited them
00:11:02to Viva Tech
00:11:03to meet investors.
00:11:04But only six of them
00:11:06have been selected
00:11:08by our jury.
00:11:11speaking of which,
00:11:13just let me introduce
00:11:14to you
00:11:14the next
00:11:16set of jurors
00:11:18because, of course,
00:11:19we do have
00:11:20seven seats in here.
00:11:21Let me start with
00:11:22Carla Hschel
00:11:25from OXO,
00:11:26Hania Belkaya,
00:11:29a partner of EQT Ventures,
00:11:33Julian David Nidzik,
00:11:36managing partner
00:11:37of Iris,
00:11:39Tatiana Jama,
00:11:40founder and general manager
00:11:42of Sista Fund.
00:11:45You didn't think
00:11:47to the right.
00:11:55we're ready.
00:11:57We're ready.
00:11:57All set.
00:11:58Now, let's proceed
00:12:00with the finalist pitches.
00:12:03The following six
00:12:05female founders,
00:12:06again,
00:12:07have come from
00:12:07all over the world
00:12:08to pitch in front
00:12:11of all of you today.
00:12:13and only one of them
00:12:15will be selected
00:12:16the winner
00:12:17of the 2023
00:12:18Female Founder Challenge.
00:12:20So let's get
00:12:21the things rolling.
00:12:23Each finalist
00:12:24will have
00:12:24three minutes
00:12:25to pitch
00:12:27their startups
00:12:28and the juries
00:12:29will then take
00:12:30three minutes
00:12:31to ask
00:12:32the questions
00:12:33to each finalist.
00:12:34We'll be very strict
00:12:36with this,
00:12:37so let's see
00:12:38how it goes.
00:12:39Now, let's go
00:12:40with the first one.
00:12:41Ladies and gentlemen,
00:12:42please give
00:12:43a warm welcome
00:12:44to our first finalist,
00:12:47Valeria Kogan
00:12:48from the startup
00:12:49Fermata.
00:12:58Hello, everyone.
00:12:59Thank you very much
00:13:00for having me here today.
00:13:01My name is Dr. Valeria Kogan
00:13:03and I'm CEO
00:13:04and founder of Fermata.
00:13:05So we are working
00:13:07on helping farmers
00:13:08produce more sustainable
00:13:09crop while being
00:13:10even more efficient.
00:13:11So let me tell you
00:13:12how we do that.
00:13:13Global crop production
00:13:14has increased dramatically
00:13:16over the past year
00:13:17and the trends
00:13:18will be there
00:13:18because population
00:13:20is increasing.
00:13:21On the other hand,
00:13:22it's super hard
00:13:22to find professional
00:13:23that can take care
00:13:25of all these plants
00:13:26and this leads
00:13:27to a problem.
00:13:28Up to 30% of harvest
00:13:30is lost
00:13:30due to pests
00:13:31and diseases.
00:13:32This is the major source
00:13:33of food waste
00:13:34on the planet,
00:13:358% of global CO2 emission
00:13:37and also a lot of money.
00:13:39More than $3 billion
00:13:40is lost annually
00:13:42in greenhouses
00:13:43only because of pests
00:13:44and diseases,
00:13:45not even speaking
00:13:46about the open fields.
00:13:47And the reason for that
00:13:49is how the process
00:13:50of monitoring the plants
00:13:51is currently organized.
00:13:52There are these people
00:13:53who are called scouts
00:13:54and their work
00:13:55is to go through
00:13:56every single leaf
00:13:57of every single plant,
00:13:59identify the tiny bug
00:14:01and notify agronomists
00:14:03about that.
00:14:03of course,
00:14:05we people
00:14:05are not very well designed
00:14:06for this kind of work.
00:14:07We miss something,
00:14:09plants contaminate each other
00:14:10and eventually
00:14:11we lose 30% of harvest.
00:14:13So we at Fermata
00:14:14develop a platform
00:14:15for automatic scouting.
00:14:17So we ship farmers' cameras
00:14:20to standard cameras.
00:14:21We buy them on Amazon.
00:14:22They install them themselves.
00:14:24Cameras 24x7 analyzes the plants
00:14:27and then with our AI
00:14:28we identify pests,
00:14:30diseases,
00:14:31problems with nutrition,
00:14:32problems with water
00:14:33and immediately let farmer
00:14:34know what's happening.
00:14:36So our app is like
00:14:37augmented reality.
00:14:38You can see your whole facility
00:14:40and exact location
00:14:41of the issue
00:14:41we have detected.
00:14:43We charge farmers
00:14:44with a subscription
00:14:45for our services
00:14:46and do not charge anything
00:14:48for the hardware we provide.
00:14:50So what's in there
00:14:51for the farmer?
00:14:52First of all,
00:14:52we help them optimize
00:14:54their labor
00:14:55and focus their team
00:14:56on solving the problems
00:14:58not detecting them.
00:14:59The second is
00:15:00we help them save
00:15:0130% of their losses
00:15:02of harvest
00:15:03and the last but not least
00:15:04we help them
00:15:05apply less chemicals
00:15:07because they know
00:15:08what exactly
00:15:08and where is happening.
00:15:10So you don't even have
00:15:11to be a farmer
00:15:12to benefit from our technology.
00:15:14We provide the integration
00:15:15of our AI
00:15:16to third parties
00:15:17which can be
00:15:18either those
00:15:19who already have a stream
00:15:20of videos or photos
00:15:21like drone companies
00:15:22or robotics companies
00:15:23or bigger players
00:15:24who have a lot of customers
00:15:26and want to work
00:15:26in different ways.
00:15:27So we work with
00:15:29the large chemical companies
00:15:31like Bayer and Syngenta
00:15:32helping them to switch
00:15:34from selling chemicals
00:15:35to selling technology
00:15:36to the farmer
00:15:37to save his harvest.
00:15:39We also work
00:15:40with biological protection
00:15:41companies
00:15:41to help them
00:15:42be more efficient.
00:15:44So Fermata
00:15:45is three years old.
00:15:46First couple of years
00:15:47we spend on R&D.
00:15:48Last year
00:15:49we were doing pilots.
00:15:50This year
00:15:51we started sales.
00:15:51So we're doing pretty well.
00:15:53We have half a million
00:15:54ARR for this year
00:15:55and they're now raising 3.5
00:15:57to reach 2 million ARR
00:16:00and break even
00:16:01late next year.
00:16:02So I guess
00:16:03my biggest achievement
00:16:04is my incredible team.
00:16:05We have 25 people
00:16:06in Israel, Europe
00:16:08and the US.
00:16:09Thank you very much.
00:16:16I will be happy
00:16:17to answer the questions.
00:16:18Thank you Valeria.
00:16:20Yes, indeed.
00:16:21Let's go for some questions.
00:16:22There are many farmers.
00:16:24how do you go to market?
00:16:26How do you let them know
00:16:27you exist
00:16:27and how do you sell to them?
00:16:29So we decided
00:16:30that if we're talking
00:16:31about direct sales
00:16:32we narrowed down
00:16:33our list of crops
00:16:34we work with
00:16:35to five.
00:16:36So these are like
00:16:37flowers, strawberries,
00:16:39leafy greens
00:16:39and others.
00:16:40And we have our
00:16:41internal small sales team
00:16:43who directly sells
00:16:44this to the farmers.
00:16:45But we see
00:16:46the scalability point
00:16:47actually through
00:16:48the integrations
00:16:49because of course
00:16:49for the companies
00:16:50with the bigger names
00:16:51it's much easier
00:16:52to provide this kind
00:16:53of product.
00:16:54And when we do
00:16:54integrations
00:16:55we just follow
00:16:56our partner
00:16:57like whatever is
00:16:58important for them
00:16:59that we will do
00:16:59because the technology
00:17:00itself is crop agnostic.
00:17:04There is any stickiness
00:17:05on the product
00:17:06and how do you see
00:17:06that in the long term?
00:17:07And I have a second question
00:17:08which is about
00:17:10the network effect.
00:17:11Do you see any kind
00:17:12of network effect
00:17:13on the supply side?
00:17:14Yeah, I will start
00:17:15with the second question
00:17:16because it's actually
00:17:16incredible
00:17:17because the people
00:17:18who are our customers
00:17:19right now
00:17:20of course
00:17:20they have this
00:17:21early adopters mindset
00:17:22and they're amazing
00:17:24and we see
00:17:24that they become
00:17:25the biggest
00:17:26advocates of our technology
00:17:28and spread the world
00:17:29around their neighbours
00:17:31that come see this tech
00:17:33so it works amazing
00:17:34with our current customers.
00:17:36And the first question
00:17:36is there what?
00:17:37Was the stickiness
00:17:38of the farmers.
00:17:40You mean that they
00:17:41are conservative
00:17:41or something?
00:17:42Yeah, basically
00:17:44how you make them
00:17:45stick with your solution.
00:17:46Yeah, so of course
00:17:48even though this is
00:17:49a technology
00:17:50people are looking
00:17:51for people, right?
00:17:52So we try to be
00:17:53with them
00:17:54during this process
00:17:55we understand that
00:17:56first of all
00:17:57we try to make
00:17:58everything very seamless
00:17:59this is the key thing
00:18:00for us
00:18:01that we do not
00:18:02disrupt any
00:18:02business processes
00:18:04the cameras
00:18:05you don't have to
00:18:06stop your operations
00:18:06or something
00:18:07it's super simple
00:18:08and we try to be there
00:18:10with them
00:18:10for the first period
00:18:11to make sure
00:18:12that we know
00:18:13their KPIs
00:18:14that we fulfill
00:18:15their KPIs
00:18:16and expectations
00:18:20Okay
00:18:23One more question
00:18:26very quickly
00:18:27Could you talk
00:18:28a little bit
00:18:29about your clients
00:18:30because you said
00:18:31you had 500k
00:18:32of our air
00:18:32which is great
00:18:33congratulations
00:18:34Thank you
00:18:35What kind of clients
00:18:36is it?
00:18:37So I would say
00:18:38these are rather
00:18:38smaller farmers
00:18:40because for them
00:18:41the decision making
00:18:42I think is easier
00:18:43because the subscription
00:18:44then is less than
00:18:45hiring even one person
00:18:46for their greenhouse
00:18:48or farm
00:18:48so current customer base
00:18:50is US and Europe
00:18:53Thank you very much
00:18:54Thank you so much
00:18:56Valeria
00:18:56Great work
00:18:58Thank you so much
00:19:00You can exit
00:19:01wherever you feel
00:19:02it's better
00:19:06Now for our next speaker
00:19:10there was a little change
00:19:11in the program
00:19:12we will have
00:19:12Natalia joining us
00:19:14and I will let her
00:19:15introduce herself
00:19:17and of course
00:19:18her venture
00:19:28Hello everyone
00:19:30I was so happy
00:19:32when I got my last
00:19:33new iPhone
00:19:34but then
00:19:35a few days
00:19:36days later
00:19:37my joy vanished
00:19:39I had to go
00:19:40to an important meeting
00:19:42and I had to
00:19:43take the train
00:19:44but then
00:19:46when I wanted
00:19:46to use my
00:19:47normal mobile app
00:19:48well
00:19:49guess what
00:19:50it didn't work
00:19:50the payment
00:19:51wasn't initialized
00:19:53I switched to the
00:19:54banking app
00:19:54but it didn't work
00:19:55either
00:19:55I had to switch
00:19:57to the banking
00:19:57authenticator app
00:19:58same story there
00:20:00well
00:20:00I was very
00:20:02very very frustrated
00:20:03and
00:20:04ladies and gentlemen
00:20:07I am not alone
00:20:08in this
00:20:09I'm sure
00:20:09that many of you
00:20:10have been
00:20:11in the same
00:20:12situation
00:20:16yes
00:20:16I think
00:20:17this is a
00:20:18huge
00:20:19industry
00:20:19problem
00:20:20in general
00:20:22actually
00:20:2340 to 50%
00:20:24of
00:20:26support
00:20:27problems
00:20:28are related
00:20:29to login
00:20:29and authentication
00:20:30issues
00:20:33so
00:20:34I am
00:20:34Natalia
00:20:35Goods
00:20:36I am a
00:20:37security engineer
00:20:38at FutureA
00:20:39and I had to
00:20:40step in
00:20:41very short
00:20:42notice
00:20:43for Sandra
00:20:43Tobler
00:20:44our CEO
00:20:46and co-founder
00:20:47because she had
00:20:48to leave
00:20:48she had
00:20:49very urgent
00:20:49family matters
00:20:50so please
00:20:52bear with me
00:20:52for the
00:20:53remaining
00:20:54one minute
00:20:55or nine seconds
00:20:59so at FutureA
00:21:01we do not
00:21:03only make
00:21:04online services
00:21:05accessible
00:21:05for everyone
00:21:06tech savvy
00:21:07or not
00:21:08but we also
00:21:09innovate
00:21:10around those
00:21:10complex situations
00:21:12involving
00:21:13life cycles
00:21:14so we are
00:21:16a highly
00:21:16diverse
00:21:17team
00:21:18building
00:21:19cyber security
00:21:20of tomorrow
00:21:20because something
00:21:22is so critical
00:21:23we need to be
00:21:23diverse
00:21:24to represent
00:21:25all the different
00:21:25points of views
00:21:29with our
00:21:30novel technologies
00:21:32innovating
00:21:33around those
00:21:33typical life cycle
00:21:34problems
00:21:35we can avoid
00:21:35up to 90%
00:21:37of those
00:21:39support
00:21:40problems
00:21:42so fraud
00:21:43is changing
00:21:44extremely quickly
00:21:44and we help
00:21:45our customers
00:21:48in highly
00:21:49regulated markets
00:21:50keeping up
00:21:52with those
00:21:54problems
00:21:55problem solving
00:21:57sorry
00:22:00we do that
00:22:01in a privacy
00:22:02preserving way
00:22:03with a security
00:22:04by design
00:22:05mindset
00:22:06limiting
00:22:07sensitive
00:22:07information
00:22:08and decoupling
00:22:09risk
00:22:09for companies
00:22:11so we have
00:22:13built
00:22:13our authentication
00:22:14platform
00:22:15up
00:22:16ground up
00:22:17with security
00:22:18in mind
00:22:19and we help
00:22:20customers
00:22:22to identify
00:22:23cross correlations
00:22:24to detect fraud
00:22:25before it happens
00:22:27so future
00:22:28has grown
00:22:28over the past
00:22:29years
00:22:30and we have
00:22:31over 120
00:22:32customers
00:22:32banks
00:22:33hospitals
00:22:34retail
00:22:34insurances
00:22:36Barclays
00:22:37as well as
00:22:38Quanto
00:22:39in France
00:22:40and yes
00:22:41we are still
00:22:42growing
00:22:42and we are
00:22:43looking for
00:22:43investors
00:22:44to help
00:22:44us
00:22:45scale
00:22:46globally
00:22:47so
00:22:48we are
00:22:50future A
00:22:50and we build
00:22:52the security
00:22:52of tomorrow
00:22:53thank you
00:22:54thank you
00:22:55Natalia
00:23:00I'll leave it
00:23:01to the jurors
00:23:02to ask you
00:23:04some questions
00:23:04thank you
00:23:05so much
00:23:06for your
00:23:07very first
00:23:07pitch
00:23:08that was
00:23:08super
00:23:08great
00:23:09of you
00:23:09so
00:23:10maybe
00:23:11the next
00:23:11question
00:23:11because
00:23:11you mentioned
00:23:12several times
00:23:13that the team
00:23:13is very diverse
00:23:14can you tell me
00:23:15more about
00:23:15your team
00:23:16about our team
00:23:18yes
00:23:19so we are
00:23:19we are around
00:23:2040 people
00:23:21and we have
00:23:23I think
00:23:23around 16
00:23:24nationalities
00:23:25we are scattered
00:23:27around Europe
00:23:29but most of
00:23:30people are
00:23:31in Zurich
00:23:32we have
00:23:33a lot of
00:23:33women
00:23:34engineers
00:23:35as well as
00:23:36business
00:23:36and yeah
00:23:38we are a
00:23:38great team
00:23:39please come
00:23:40visit us
00:23:40in Zurich
00:23:41if you ever
00:23:41come by
00:23:42so
00:23:43yeah
00:23:46who are your
00:23:46first customers
00:23:47who is using
00:23:48your product
00:23:48today
00:23:49what kind
00:23:49of people
00:23:50have access
00:23:51to your product
00:23:51so our customers
00:23:53are businesses
00:23:53but their customers
00:23:56are normal people
00:23:57like
00:23:58yeah
00:23:58like me
00:23:59to whom they are
00:24:00selling
00:24:01but so
00:24:01they are
00:24:02mostly banks
00:24:03so fintechs
00:24:04insurances
00:24:05but
00:24:06any
00:24:07any company
00:24:08that would have
00:24:08like an online
00:24:09portal
00:24:10for access
00:24:12and what
00:24:12is the average
00:24:13size of
00:24:14basket
00:24:14that they
00:24:15will sign
00:24:15for your
00:24:16product
00:24:16the average
00:24:17size
00:24:18we have
00:24:18really very
00:24:19diverse
00:24:19customers
00:24:20they can
00:24:20be very
00:24:21small
00:24:21and go
00:24:22into
00:24:22like
00:24:23a million
00:24:23users
00:24:24so
00:24:25it depends
00:24:25yes
00:24:28all right
00:24:29any last minute
00:24:29questions
00:24:31all right
00:24:32I think
00:24:32we're all set
00:24:33thank you
00:24:33so much
00:24:34Natalia
00:24:35thank you
00:24:35thank you
00:24:40now
00:24:41yes
00:24:42you can
00:24:43you can
00:24:44go down
00:24:44wherever you
00:24:45like
00:24:47now
00:24:47our next
00:24:48participant
00:24:49is
00:24:49Simisola
00:24:50Sobowal
00:24:51of
00:24:52Instant Energy
00:24:53I would like
00:24:54to welcome
00:24:54her
00:24:55out to pitch
00:25:06hello everyone
00:25:07my name is
00:25:08Simisola Sobowale
00:25:09and I'm the
00:25:10co-founder
00:25:10COO at
00:25:11Instant Energy
00:25:12it's an honor
00:25:13to be here today
00:25:14to speak about
00:25:15our innovative
00:25:15solution
00:25:16which is solving
00:25:17the problem
00:25:17of sustainable
00:25:18energy access
00:25:19for all
00:25:20at Instant Energy
00:25:21in one sentence
00:25:22we are simplifying
00:25:23clean energy access
00:25:24payments and usage
00:25:26monitoring
00:25:26for emerging markets
00:25:28so to take you
00:25:28back on my journey
00:25:29so I started
00:25:30I remember when I was
00:25:31young and when I
00:25:32come back from school
00:25:33I usually have to
00:25:34play outside
00:25:34because there's no
00:25:35light in the house
00:25:36I have to wait
00:25:37for my parents
00:25:37to come back
00:25:38from work
00:25:38so that they're
00:25:39able to switch
00:25:39on the generator
00:25:40this is the reality
00:25:42of so many people
00:25:43we have about 95
00:25:44million people
00:25:44in Nigeria
00:25:45that currently
00:25:46lack access
00:25:46to clean
00:25:47renewable energy
00:25:48and we also
00:25:48have about 600
00:25:49million people
00:25:50in sub-saharan
00:25:51Africa
00:25:51I decided to go
00:25:53on my journey
00:25:54to study engineering
00:25:55and because the
00:25:56passion was shocking
00:25:57me right from my
00:25:58young age
00:25:58and now to hide
00:26:00together with my
00:26:01other founders
00:26:02with diversity
00:26:03in tech
00:26:04engineering
00:26:04and also business
00:26:06development
00:26:06we are currently
00:26:07working on
00:26:07addressing this
00:26:08challenge
00:26:09at instant energy
00:26:11in one sentence
00:26:11we will say that
00:26:12simplifying clean
00:26:13energy access for
00:26:14all truly is the
00:26:16future for everyone
00:26:17because we know
00:26:18what the hazardous
00:26:19effects of polluting
00:26:20generators can have
00:26:21on the environment
00:26:22currently in the
00:26:24country we have
00:26:25millions and billions
00:26:26of generators
00:26:27that are currently
00:26:27operational and
00:26:28currently being used
00:26:29and that is not
00:26:30good for the
00:26:30environment
00:26:31at instant energy
00:26:32we have developed
00:26:33an energy as a
00:26:34service platform
00:26:35that simplifies
00:26:36the process of
00:26:38customers being able
00:26:39to transition
00:26:39to clean energy
00:26:40currently households
00:26:42and small businesses
00:26:44are currently
00:26:45dependent on the
00:26:46grid and also
00:26:47generators as a
00:26:49backup alternative
00:26:50at instant energy
00:26:52we have developed
00:26:52an energy as a
00:26:53service platform
00:26:54that targets
00:26:55three core areas
00:26:56affordability
00:26:57ease and
00:26:58transparency
00:26:59affordability
00:27:00through the use
00:27:01of our least
00:27:02own financing
00:27:02options
00:27:03ease through
00:27:04the use of
00:27:05our user friendly
00:27:06application
00:27:07and visibility
00:27:08through the energy
00:27:09monitoring platform
00:27:10that we offer
00:27:11at instant energy
00:27:12we are currently
00:27:13looking to scale
00:27:14our operations
00:27:14outside of
00:27:15also outside of
00:27:17Nigeria
00:27:17to the entire
00:27:20continent
00:27:20and also going
00:27:21into Europe
00:27:22I'm here today
00:27:23to speak up
00:27:24I'm here today
00:27:25to thank
00:27:25everybody
00:27:34so at instant energy
00:27:36we are looking to
00:27:37raise about a
00:27:37million US dollars
00:27:38to scale our
00:27:39patients outside of
00:27:40Europe
00:27:41outside of Africa
00:27:42and also to the
00:27:43entire Europe
00:27:44I'm excited for the
00:27:45opportunity to
00:27:45speech and speak to
00:27:47everyone today
00:27:47thank you for
00:27:48listening
00:27:49thank you so much
00:27:52well done
00:27:53and with 20 seconds
00:27:54to spare
00:27:57I'll leave it up
00:27:58to the jury
00:27:59for the questions
00:28:01so could you tell us
00:28:02more about your team
00:28:03and the structure
00:28:04of your team
00:28:05okay
00:28:05so our team
00:28:06currently we have
00:28:07a team of five
00:28:08we have a diversity
00:28:09we have some
00:28:10backgrounds in
00:28:11engineering
00:28:12tech
00:28:12and also business
00:28:14development
00:28:14our business model
00:28:15is that we
00:28:16work a B2B2C model
00:28:18with a 30%
00:28:20month-a-month growth rate
00:28:21we currently partner
00:28:22with hardware companies
00:28:23where they provide
00:28:24us with the hardware
00:28:26with the hardware
00:28:27for the
00:28:27that is the battery
00:28:28and the solar
00:28:29we also partner
00:28:29with financiers
00:28:30where they are able
00:28:31to provide us
00:28:32with finances
00:28:33we can offer
00:28:33this line of credit
00:28:34to the end user
00:28:38can you tell us
00:28:39more about
00:28:39the go-to-market
00:28:40and the acquisition
00:28:41channels that you're
00:28:42using
00:28:42okay so at the
00:28:43moment now
00:28:44we are working
00:28:45through our platform
00:28:46but also pushing
00:28:47out marketing
00:28:49and also having
00:28:50the ability
00:28:52to also work
00:28:52with big companies
00:28:53also work
00:28:54with OEM partners
00:28:55also work
00:28:56with some financiers
00:28:57that are able
00:28:57to also help us
00:28:58project our
00:28:58we use digital
00:29:00marketing
00:29:00and some of
00:29:01that innovative
00:29:01technologies
00:29:04thank you so much
00:29:08great job
00:29:10well done
00:29:12now our fourth
00:29:43participant
00:29:44it's change
00:29:45now the issue
00:29:47is that
00:29:47currently technology
00:29:48just cannot
00:29:49handle change
00:29:50in fact
00:29:52we're living
00:29:52in a world
00:29:53of static
00:29:54IT systems
00:29:55we call them
00:29:56badge
00:29:56and everything
00:29:58and everything
00:29:59that's happening
00:29:59around us
00:30:00moves
00:30:01and changes
00:30:02cannot be easily
00:30:04taken into account
00:30:05by the technology
00:30:06which is meant
00:30:06to be helping us
00:30:08right now
00:30:09it is extremely
00:30:10difficult for software
00:30:11engineers
00:30:12to design systems
00:30:13that would be able
00:30:14to react to changes
00:30:15in real time
00:30:16it is nearly impossible
00:30:19for machines
00:30:20to learn
00:30:21in real time
00:30:23like we do
00:30:24until now
00:30:26let me introduce
00:30:27you to pathway
00:30:28the most powerful
00:30:29data processing
00:30:30framework
00:30:30out there
00:30:31a unified
00:30:32batch
00:30:33and streaming
00:30:34engine
00:30:34which allows
00:30:35every developer
00:30:36to stay on top
00:30:37of the flow
00:30:38of data
00:30:38and develop
00:30:39very exciting
00:30:40like think
00:30:41formula one
00:30:42exciting
00:30:42and powerful
00:30:44applications
00:30:45very easily
00:30:45including
00:30:46advanced
00:30:47real time
00:30:47AI
00:30:49real time
00:30:50will become
00:30:51the norm
00:30:51for data
00:30:52processing
00:30:53very soon
00:30:55and it's a game
00:30:56changer
00:30:56for everybody
00:30:57starting from
00:30:58financial services
00:30:59energy
00:31:01telecom
00:31:01you name it
00:31:02take it from
00:31:04the CIO
00:31:05of Goldman Sachs
00:31:06who said
00:31:06that going
00:31:07from batch
00:31:07to real time
00:31:08is like going
00:31:10from the printed
00:31:10newspapers
00:31:11to the
00:31:12internet
00:31:12or from
00:31:14La Post
00:31:14a client
00:31:15of Pathway
00:31:16for whom
00:31:16it's already
00:31:17a paradigm shift
00:31:18going real time
00:31:20with a higher
00:31:20processing capacity
00:31:21also means
00:31:23less compute
00:31:24so dramatically
00:31:25lowered costs
00:31:26and a lower
00:31:27footprint
00:31:27of the data
00:31:28applications
00:31:29all this
00:31:30accompanied
00:31:31with a smooth
00:31:32developer experience
00:31:33truly enabling
00:31:34the real time
00:31:35revolution
00:31:37Pathway
00:31:38was brought
00:31:38to life
00:31:39by a stellar
00:31:40team
00:31:40including
00:31:41including our CTO
00:31:42who worked
00:31:43with the
00:31:43godfathers
00:31:44of AI
00:31:44our CPO
00:31:46who had his PhD
00:31:47at 20
00:31:47and as for myself
00:31:49I'm the author
00:31:51of the state-of-the-art
00:31:52forecasting model
00:31:53for maritime trade
00:31:54which was published
00:31:55by the Academy of Sciences
00:31:57of the United States
00:31:58we are supported
00:32:00by brilliant people
00:32:01like Lukasz Kaiser
00:32:02who is the T
00:32:03in GPT
00:32:05our mission
00:32:06our mission
00:32:06is to make
00:32:07the real time
00:32:08revolution happen
00:32:09and I invite
00:32:10every developer
00:32:11and business leader
00:32:12to go to
00:32:13pathway.com
00:32:14and start your journey
00:32:15now
00:32:15it's free
00:32:17and open
00:32:18thank you very much
00:32:20thank you
00:32:21Zuzana
00:32:21well done
00:32:25can you give
00:32:26a couple of examples
00:32:27of how you've impacted
00:32:28companies
00:32:29with your solution
00:32:30so first
00:32:32there is cost reduction
00:32:33just in compute
00:32:34cutting cost
00:32:3650%
00:32:37then there is
00:32:38reduction of latency
00:32:38very often
00:32:39you may imagine
00:32:40fraud detection
00:32:41or any sort
00:32:42of data transformations
00:32:43that usually
00:32:45require some
00:32:46waiting time
00:32:46we reduced
00:32:48latency
00:32:49sometimes
00:32:49from 12 hours
00:32:50to seconds
00:32:51it completely
00:32:52changes the workflows
00:32:53of how people
00:32:54can interact
00:32:55with data
00:32:56and with technology
00:32:57so it's really
00:32:58going
00:32:59going from
00:33:00like stating data
00:33:01which is always old
00:33:02to always having
00:33:04fresh information
00:33:05or not even data
00:33:06having fresh insight
00:33:07at every given
00:33:08moment in time
00:33:10and could you
00:33:11explain a little bit
00:33:12more your business
00:33:12model
00:33:13how do you
00:33:14actually make money
00:33:15absolutely
00:33:17so these are
00:33:18licenses per service
00:33:19we are very much
00:33:20in a PLG
00:33:20developer tools
00:33:21space
00:33:23which means
00:33:24that there is
00:33:25actually developers
00:33:25it's free
00:33:26in the sense
00:33:26that everybody
00:33:27can start
00:33:28using pathway
00:33:29right now
00:33:30but we have
00:33:30certain features
00:33:31which are available
00:33:31in the enterprise
00:33:33package
00:33:34and then also
00:33:35at a given moment
00:33:37when actually
00:33:38the sizes
00:33:38of the applications
00:33:40grow
00:33:41the license
00:33:42becomes
00:33:43commercial
00:33:44and your go-to-market
00:33:46is it only
00:33:47B2C
00:33:48how do you
00:33:49it's B2B
00:33:50big time
00:33:51only B2B
00:33:51big time
00:33:53but how do you
00:33:54get your
00:33:54however
00:33:54indeed
00:33:55the persona
00:33:56is always a developer
00:33:57even
00:33:57at the enterprise
00:33:58it is a developer
00:34:00it is a solution architect
00:34:01it can be
00:34:02a VP of data
00:34:03but it's always
00:34:05a tech person
00:34:06who has to put
00:34:07her hands
00:34:08on the technology
00:34:09and test it
00:34:10and see it
00:34:11and like it
00:34:11and make sure
00:34:12that everybody
00:34:13in her team
00:34:14can actually
00:34:15use it
00:34:15so this is
00:34:17why we actually
00:34:18are creating
00:34:19all the content
00:34:19we're doing
00:34:20something that's
00:34:21maybe better known
00:34:23in the US
00:34:23in the developer
00:34:25ecosystem
00:34:25we're going
00:34:27to be organizing
00:34:28meetups
00:34:28there's a lot
00:34:30of work around
00:34:31awareness
00:34:31we go to
00:34:32developer conferences
00:34:33we're actually
00:34:34sponsoring an event
00:34:35where usually
00:34:36they're handing out
00:34:37the touring award
00:34:39we're doing
00:34:40some like
00:34:40targeted
00:34:41retargeted
00:34:42right now
00:34:43developer
00:34:44not even marketing
00:34:45it's just really
00:34:45awareness
00:34:46and making sure
00:34:47that people
00:34:47who are interested
00:34:49in data
00:34:49who speak the same
00:34:50language
00:34:51they know about
00:34:52Pathway
00:34:52and they talk
00:34:53about Pathway
00:34:53all right
00:34:54time is up
00:34:56thank you so much
00:34:58Susana
00:34:58well done
00:35:03okay
00:35:03now
00:35:04two more
00:35:06to go
00:35:06before we decide
00:35:07who the winner
00:35:08is
00:35:08please welcome
00:35:10Leah from
00:35:11Trace for Good
00:35:23hello everyone
00:35:24I'm Leah from
00:35:25Trace for Good
00:35:27so as far as
00:35:28I can see
00:35:28no one is naked
00:35:30here
00:35:30right
00:35:31so you all
00:35:32buy clothes
00:35:33and as consumers
00:35:34you probably want
00:35:36to know more
00:35:36about the products
00:35:37to purchase
00:35:39well good news
00:35:40there are actually
00:35:41loads that now
00:35:42make it mandatory
00:35:43to report on
00:35:44product impact
00:35:46but have you ever
00:35:47wondered how
00:35:48fashion brands
00:35:49can get all
00:35:50this data
00:35:51and then transfer it
00:35:52to you
00:35:53their customers
00:35:55in fact it's very
00:35:56in fact it's very complicated
00:35:57and lengthy
00:35:58the amount of information
00:36:00that's required
00:36:01from suppliers
00:36:02is expanding
00:36:03super fast
00:36:03and without the proper tools
00:36:05it takes an average
00:36:07of four to five emails
00:36:08between brands
00:36:09and suppliers
00:36:10to get to any
00:36:11precise data point
00:36:13and this is exactly
00:36:15why we created
00:36:16Trace for Good
00:36:17the supply chain
00:36:19traceability
00:36:20and data management
00:36:21platform
00:36:21that allows
00:36:22brands and suppliers
00:36:24to collaborate
00:36:25in real time
00:36:26on a standardized
00:36:27source of information
00:36:29so what our clients
00:36:30love about our solution
00:36:32is the ability
00:36:33for them
00:36:33to very quickly
00:36:34assess and mitigate
00:36:36product's impact
00:36:37comply with the
00:36:39different regulations
00:36:39and anticipate
00:36:41extra financial reporting
00:36:42and in the end
00:36:44provide more transparency
00:36:46to their customers
00:36:48so today
00:36:49we have about
00:36:50a thousand users
00:36:51registered on the platform
00:36:52and we work
00:36:54with large groups
00:36:54such as
00:36:55LVMH
00:36:56NAFNAF
00:36:57Jonec
00:36:59so without a solution
00:37:01like ours
00:37:01neither brands
00:37:03nor suppliers
00:37:03can manage
00:37:04traceability
00:37:05at large scale
00:37:06which is needed
00:37:08if you want to change
00:37:09the industry though
00:37:10so concretely
00:37:12what we bring
00:37:13is
00:37:13data mining algorithm
00:37:14to make data collection
00:37:16way faster
00:37:18consistency checks
00:37:19to ensure
00:37:20high quality data standards
00:37:22and very important
00:37:24we also bring
00:37:25the ability
00:37:26for brands
00:37:26to manage traceability
00:37:28internally
00:37:28and that means
00:37:30that they remain
00:37:31the data owner
00:37:32that they have
00:37:33real time visibility
00:37:35on information collected
00:37:36and very important
00:37:38it costs less
00:37:39managing traceability
00:37:41with traceable goods
00:37:42is at least
00:37:43five times cheaper
00:37:44than doing without it
00:37:47so my co-founder
00:37:48Lora and I
00:37:49studied traceable goods
00:37:50a bit more than a year ago
00:37:51to make it possible
00:37:52for brands
00:37:53in practice
00:37:54to improve
00:37:55their ESG standards
00:37:56at a time
00:37:57when both consumers
00:37:59and regulation
00:37:59are pushing for it
00:38:02today we're studying
00:38:03in the apparel industry
00:38:04and will expand
00:38:05to all consumer goods
00:38:07so our ambition
00:38:09is to become
00:38:10the leading
00:38:10collaborative platform
00:38:11for managing
00:38:12products
00:38:13environmental
00:38:14and social data
00:38:15in global
00:38:16supply chains
00:38:17thank you very much
00:38:24thank you
00:38:25thank you
00:38:25now Leah
00:38:27I'll leave it to
00:38:28the jury
00:38:29to ask the question
00:38:32does your solution
00:38:33automate the reporting
00:38:35for ESG
00:38:36does it provide
00:38:37a standard itself
00:38:38like a ribbon
00:38:39saying you're fit
00:38:40how
00:38:42what is the result
00:38:43of using your solution
00:38:44towards the customers
00:38:46so we're really focusing
00:38:47on helping brands
00:38:49to get this data
00:38:50and then one of the use
00:38:51is you know
00:38:53the AGEC law
00:38:54in France
00:38:55next
00:38:56is the
00:38:57equal score
00:38:58you know
00:38:58sort of
00:38:58neutral score
00:38:59for textile
00:39:00and so
00:39:01there are
00:39:02you know
00:39:02several uses
00:39:03but there
00:39:04there are standards
00:39:05that are you know
00:39:06being developed
00:39:07and for example
00:39:08the AGEC law
00:39:08is one of them
00:39:09where you know
00:39:10you have to report
00:39:11this precise data
00:39:12on all the new
00:39:13textile products
00:39:14that will be sold
00:39:15in the
00:39:15I mean
00:39:15starting now
00:39:18I have a question
00:39:19how do you
00:39:20basically share
00:39:21the data
00:39:22between two customers
00:39:23if they own the data
00:39:25sorry
00:39:26what do you
00:39:27all the data
00:39:28all the data
00:39:28that you aggregate
00:39:29how do you make sure
00:39:30to be able to use
00:39:31for the same
00:39:32ICP
00:39:33for the same
00:39:33profile
00:39:34the data
00:39:35from NAFNAF
00:39:36to another
00:39:38customers
00:39:38so I mean
00:39:39this is proprietary
00:39:40data for the
00:39:41customers
00:39:42the only thing
00:39:43that's going to be
00:39:44reused
00:39:44is for example
00:39:45if two brands
00:39:46are using
00:39:47the same supplier
00:39:48well the supplier
00:39:49will have
00:39:49you know
00:39:49their access
00:39:50on the platform
00:39:50and will be able
00:39:51to reuse the data
00:39:52what's really
00:39:53important
00:39:54no one
00:39:55in this industry
00:39:56and this
00:39:56you know
00:39:57huge effort
00:39:57that everyone
00:39:58has to do
00:39:59both on the supplier
00:40:00and brand side
00:40:01has to reenter
00:40:02the same data
00:40:03twice
00:40:04obviously
00:40:05we keep
00:40:06confidentiality
00:40:07in mind
00:40:07and suppliers
00:40:08can opt in
00:40:09for confidentiality
00:40:10but yeah
00:40:10we're trying
00:40:11to you know
00:40:12be a big player
00:40:14in terms of
00:40:14interoperability
00:40:17okay
00:40:17one last minute
00:40:18question
00:40:1930 seconds
00:40:20maybe just
00:40:20your average
00:40:21basket
00:40:22and the number
00:40:23of clients
00:40:23that you already
00:40:24have
00:40:24yep
00:40:24so we have
00:40:25around 10 clients
00:40:26today
00:40:26the average
00:40:27basket
00:40:27is increasing
00:40:28but the last
00:40:30client signed
00:40:31were about
00:40:313,000 euros
00:40:32per month
00:40:34thank you
00:40:35thank you
00:40:36thank you so much
00:40:37Leah
00:40:37well done
00:40:43five down
00:40:44one more
00:40:45to go
00:40:45I'll leave it
00:40:47to Caroline
00:40:47to explain
00:40:48what her VC
00:40:50is about
00:40:51welcome
00:41:02hello everyone
00:41:03let me tell you a story
00:41:06we are in 2009
00:41:08we are in Iran
00:41:09and Roussava is a young political activist
00:41:12campaigning for the presidential election
00:41:16unfortunately
00:41:16he is arrested
00:41:18he goes to prison
00:41:19for a few weeks
00:41:21and when he gets out
00:41:22he realizes that exile
00:41:24is the only option
00:41:26first to Turkey
00:41:27and then to France
00:41:29but oh my goodness
00:41:30it was difficult
00:41:31it was difficult
00:41:32to find a job
00:41:33it was difficult
00:41:34to find a place to live
00:41:35or to open a bank account
00:41:37all the basics
00:41:38you need
00:41:39to settle in
00:41:40in a new country
00:41:41this refugee
00:41:42is my co-founder
00:41:43I'm Caroline Spahn
00:41:45and together
00:41:46we are building
00:41:46Welcome Place
00:41:47the neobank for newcomers
00:41:50this story is not unique
00:41:52every year
00:41:533 million of people
00:41:54arrive in Europe
00:41:56to work
00:41:56to study
00:41:57or because they have to escape
00:41:59their own country
00:42:00in total
00:42:01in Europe
00:42:02we have 87 millions
00:42:04of immigrants
00:42:05and they all face
00:42:06the same problem
00:42:07with banks
00:42:08they don't have
00:42:09the right paper
00:42:10they don't speak
00:42:11the right language
00:42:11they don't have
00:42:13the right nationality
00:42:15even diplomats
00:42:16have problems
00:42:17to open a bank account
00:42:18with Welcome Place
00:42:20we provide them
00:42:21with a card
00:42:22a bank account
00:42:23a multilingual application
00:42:24and we allow
00:42:26our customers
00:42:27to use WhatsApp
00:42:28to do all their transactions
00:42:29via the text
00:42:31or the voice
00:42:32command
00:42:34what we want
00:42:35to become
00:42:36is a live partner
00:42:37and provide
00:42:38to the newcomers
00:42:39all the services
00:42:40that they need
00:42:41to settle in
00:42:45we are signing
00:42:47partnership
00:42:48with big companies
00:42:49like ADECO
00:42:50and with NGOs
00:42:52such as the Red Cross
00:42:53with whom
00:42:55we are signing
00:42:55a big contract
00:42:56to address
00:42:57400,000
00:42:58of the beneficiaries
00:43:00our target
00:43:01is to reach
00:43:021 million people
00:43:03by 2027
00:43:06so our business model
00:43:09is membership based
00:43:10as I said
00:43:11and our strategy acquisition
00:43:13is B2B2C
00:43:15we are supported
00:43:16by Visa
00:43:17Microsoft
00:43:18and Enfuse
00:43:19our best partner
00:43:20the former minister
00:43:22of digital affairs
00:43:23in France
00:43:23CĂ©drico
00:43:23is on our board
00:43:25and I'm very happy
00:43:26to announce
00:43:27that we are almost
00:43:28closing our first round
00:43:30and finally
00:43:31a word about me
00:43:32I had the chance
00:43:34to study
00:43:35in the best
00:43:36business school
00:43:37the best university
00:43:39in France
00:43:39I have managed
00:43:40a start-up accelerator
00:43:42and a company
00:43:43but mostly
00:43:44I'm the granddaughter
00:43:45of an immigrant
00:43:46and what I deeply know
00:43:48is that
00:43:49every newcomer
00:43:50wants to feel
00:43:51one thing
00:43:52is to feel welcome
00:43:53and this is exactly
00:43:54what we are doing
00:43:55with Welcome Place
00:43:56thank you for listening
00:43:59sorry I was
00:44:06how do you address
00:44:08what relates
00:44:09to the risk
00:44:09of your business
00:44:11KYC's capacity
00:44:12to know where
00:44:13the funds are
00:44:14monetizations
00:44:15yeah
00:44:16we've noticed
00:44:17that the KYC
00:44:18was not really
00:44:19a legal problem
00:44:20we've discussed
00:44:21with the Banque de France
00:44:22ACPR
00:44:23but it's more
00:44:24about the
00:44:25bank practice
00:44:26so what we will do
00:44:28with the KYC
00:44:29of course
00:44:29we will check
00:44:30the identity
00:44:31of the person
00:44:32with identity papers
00:44:34with the facial recognition
00:44:36and the residency card
00:44:40of course
00:44:40but we have the expertise
00:44:42about all the newcomers
00:44:44because my co-founder
00:44:45is a refugee
00:44:46my CTO
00:44:47is a refugee
00:44:48and they know
00:44:49what kind of paper
00:44:50we need to open
00:44:51a bank account
00:44:52and today
00:44:53we've noticed
00:44:54that yeah
00:44:54the bank don't want
00:44:55to open
00:44:56a bank account
00:44:57for newcomers
00:44:58as I say
00:44:59sorry
00:45:01so what's your
00:45:03geographic expansion plan
00:45:04you're studying
00:45:05in France
00:45:06expanding plans
00:45:07for expanding Europe
00:45:08yeah exactly
00:45:09we start with France
00:45:11this is our main focus
00:45:12for this year
00:45:13and next year
00:45:14and then we want
00:45:15to go to Germany
00:45:16Spain
00:45:16and Italy
00:45:17because they're
00:45:18the places
00:45:19where most newcomers
00:45:20are arriving
00:45:23and you intend
00:45:23to provide credit
00:45:25on top of
00:45:25yeah
00:45:26yeah
00:45:26that's something
00:45:27we want to do
00:45:28because we really want
00:45:30to be a life partner
00:45:31and we've noticed
00:45:32that financial inclusion
00:45:34is not only having
00:45:35a bank account
00:45:36it's also having credit
00:45:37to start a business
00:45:39to buy a place to live
00:45:41so for us
00:45:42it will be a one step
00:45:43not right now
00:45:45because you know
00:45:46that it will be difficult
00:45:47but in three or four years
00:45:48could you explain
00:45:50why people like
00:45:52Revolut
00:45:52or Societe Generale
00:45:54or BNP
00:45:55cannot come in this market
00:45:56yeah
00:45:57well
00:45:59that could be an answer
00:46:00a question
00:46:01to the other one
00:46:04yeah
00:46:06with a new bank
00:46:07it's a bit easier
00:46:09to have access
00:46:10for newcomers
00:46:11but what we've noticed
00:46:12that you have to do
00:46:14a bank transfer
00:46:16from your
00:46:16bank account
00:46:17you want to activate
00:46:18your account
00:46:19and that's a problem
00:46:20so
00:46:21there are more
00:46:22but there are more
00:46:24a secondary account
00:46:25than a primary account
00:46:27and we want to be
00:46:28the primary account
00:46:29I hope that it's
00:46:31perfect
00:46:31thank you
00:46:32thank you
00:46:32thank you
00:46:34so much
00:46:35time is up
00:46:36thank you
00:46:41and that's it
00:46:42six finalists
00:46:45pitching today
00:46:46they're all sitting down
00:46:47in the front row
00:46:49I don't know about you
00:46:50but I was very impressed
00:46:51with their pitches
00:46:53and I'm sure
00:46:54that the jury
00:46:54will have a hard time
00:46:56to come up
00:46:57with a final decision
00:46:58so while you deliver it
00:47:01I will welcome you
00:47:02backstage
00:47:04until we have that
00:47:05final decision
00:47:08thank you
00:47:10and while we wait
00:47:12it is my pleasure
00:47:14to be welcoming
00:47:16first and foremost
00:47:18Vanessa Cunert
00:47:19she is the winner
00:47:21of last year's
00:47:23female founder challenge
00:47:25we're going to discover
00:47:27what's new since then
00:47:29and why winning this challenge
00:47:31was key for her startup
00:47:34welcome Vanessa
00:47:41hi everyone
00:47:43all right
00:47:44so what did winning
00:47:47last year mean for you
00:47:49so winning such an event
00:47:52as a female founder challenge
00:47:55means a lot of things
00:47:56first it's the female founder challenge
00:47:59and in our startup
00:48:00we are extremely proud
00:48:01that we have a good female representation
00:48:04not only in the C-suite
00:48:06but also in the board
00:48:08and in our employees
00:48:09so that was really putting
00:48:11into the light
00:48:12this aspect of our startup
00:48:14so that's one
00:48:15the other thing is also
00:48:16the fact that our startup
00:48:17is then recognized
00:48:19for what it's doing
00:48:20and it gives confidence
00:48:21it gives visibility
00:48:23and again
00:48:24where attention goes
00:48:25money flows
00:48:26so that gives us
00:48:27a lot of attention
00:48:28so I'm really thankful
00:48:30for that
00:48:30so our solution
00:48:32for those of you
00:48:32who do not know
00:48:33we have a stitching threat
00:48:35that dissolves at high temperature
00:48:37what's the interest of this
00:48:38well the problem is
00:48:40recycling
00:48:41so only 1%
00:48:43today is recycled
00:48:44so by having a stitching threat
00:48:46that dissolves
00:48:47you can easily dismantle
00:48:49the product
00:48:49and more than 60%
00:48:51of the products
00:48:52are different material together
00:48:54so just to remind you
00:48:56of the startup goal
00:48:58now I see that
00:49:00we have two chairs over there
00:49:01so if you want to get more comfortable
00:49:04now for the second question
00:49:06I feel it's so interesting
00:49:08that you've managed to raise
00:49:09over 2.2 million dollars
00:49:13I want to know more
00:49:14about how you were able
00:49:16to do this
00:49:16and who your investors were
00:49:18yeah absolutely
00:49:20so our lead investors
00:49:22are Finance and Invest Brussels
00:49:25it's a public fund
00:49:27in Belgium
00:49:28and the second lead investor
00:49:31is Scale Fund
00:49:32so
00:49:33and we have also
00:49:35Impact Funds
00:49:36as followers
00:49:38so
00:49:38what was really important
00:49:42the discussions with investors
00:49:44it's always
00:49:45a dance
00:49:46so it does take time
00:49:48so
00:49:50what was really important
00:49:52for us
00:49:52is to have smart money
00:49:54and
00:49:54that the investor
00:49:55would bring
00:49:56more than just money
00:49:57a network
00:49:58a know-how
00:49:58also
00:49:59what was important
00:50:00is for them
00:50:01to understand
00:50:02the
00:50:04area
00:50:05the domain
00:50:06in which we are acting
00:50:07so that
00:50:08took also
00:50:09a bit of time
00:50:09and a bit of alignment
00:50:12so
00:50:12we found
00:50:14those partners
00:50:15and it's really
00:50:15a two-way interview
00:50:17I would say
00:50:19now I want to know
00:50:20what the next milestone
00:50:21is
00:50:21for
00:50:23Resortex
00:50:23yes
00:50:24so
00:50:25we just finished
00:50:27raising funds
00:50:27but it never ends
00:50:28so we're actually
00:50:29starting our new
00:50:30Series A
00:50:31so we will be
00:50:32going for
00:50:337 million this time
00:50:35we were very lucky
00:50:37to also
00:50:38win the EIC
00:50:39so that
00:50:40the European fund
00:50:41so
00:50:42we will
00:50:43have
00:50:44well they're currently
00:50:45doing the due diligence
00:50:46and we are looking for
00:50:47investors
00:50:48at the end of their due diligence
00:50:49to join
00:50:50that round
00:50:51also
00:50:53we've been growing
00:50:54quite significantly
00:50:55since last year
00:50:56we were about
00:50:57five employees
00:50:59when I came last year
00:51:00to present Resortex
00:51:02we are now
00:51:0318
00:51:03and we are still
00:51:04recruiting three more people
00:51:05another key milestone
00:51:07is
00:51:08we aim to have
00:51:10one million products
00:51:11with the Resortex
00:51:13Stitch
00:51:13in one year time
00:51:15thank you for that
00:51:16now
00:51:17what is your advice
00:51:19to all female
00:51:20CEOs
00:51:21and co-founders
00:51:22launching their startups
00:51:25so I will try
00:51:26not to state
00:51:27the obvious
00:51:28but
00:51:28one element
00:51:29that we've been
00:51:30really
00:51:32conscious of
00:51:33is that
00:51:34the solution
00:51:35we bring
00:51:35needs to
00:51:37be
00:51:37either
00:51:38at no cost
00:51:40for the customer
00:51:40what does that mean
00:51:41is that
00:51:42we just replace
00:51:44a solution
00:51:45a process
00:51:46that they have
00:51:47at the moment
00:51:48or
00:51:49of course
00:51:50the benefit
00:51:51needs to outweigh
00:51:52the cost
00:51:52so
00:51:53those are
00:51:55really important
00:51:55elements
00:51:56to bear in mind
00:51:56from the beginning
00:51:57another thing
00:51:59also
00:51:59that might not
00:52:00be so
00:52:01intuitive
00:52:02from the beginning
00:52:02is really
00:52:03to spend time
00:52:04building the brand
00:52:05and paying attention
00:52:07to
00:52:07as I said earlier
00:52:08getting the right attention
00:52:09getting the right narrative
00:52:11we are working
00:52:12on innovation
00:52:13it's a lot about
00:52:14education
00:52:14it's a lot about
00:52:15engaging people
00:52:16alongside us
00:52:18in our journey
00:52:18so
00:52:19spending time
00:52:20resources
00:52:21on those elements
00:52:22are important
00:52:23early on
00:52:25sounds good
00:52:26well thank you so much
00:52:28and congratulations
00:52:30very very well done
00:52:32Vanessa
00:52:36now our time is up
00:52:38for now
00:52:39but
00:52:40we have
00:52:41one more person
00:52:42delivering a speech
00:52:43in here
00:52:43it is
00:52:44my welcome
00:52:45to
00:52:46I'm sorry
00:52:47it is my
00:52:47oh
00:52:49I'm being told
00:52:51that we have to wait
00:52:51just a couple of minutes
00:52:52so
00:52:53stand by in there
00:52:55but we do have
00:52:56a very special guest
00:52:57and that will be
00:52:58the Prime Minister
00:53:00Elizabeth Bourne
00:53:01so
00:53:02while we wait for her
00:53:03just a couple of minutes
00:53:04stand by
00:53:06do not leave your seats
00:53:07which by the way
00:53:08I really appreciate
00:53:09you all staying here
00:53:11we were doubtful
00:53:12that the room
00:53:13was going to fill up
00:53:14even after Musk
00:53:16so
00:53:16it is
00:53:17it is really great
00:53:18to have you all here
00:53:20experiencing this challenge
00:53:27so just give us one minute
00:53:30so just give us one minute
00:53:30thank you all your time
00:54:00so justĂĽcke it is
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01:08:10et Ă l'honneur de pouvoir recevoir ce prix de vos mains.
01:08:15C'est un moment impressionnant pour moi, je dois admettre.
01:08:21Si vous pensez Ă ce que je disais dans mon pitch,
01:08:25c'est que le temps est vraiment des changements, right?
01:08:29C'est comme le temps d'avoir le temps d'Ă©tat,
01:08:31nous avons des mouvements, nous voyons des curves.
01:08:34En fait, c'est l'ambiance de la capacité de capturer
01:08:37de ce genre de nature de tout ce qui se passe autour de nous.
01:08:42Quand vous pensez de ça,
01:08:43c'est un peu comme les attributs qui sont souvent féminins.
01:08:48Et parfois, je pense que, en tant qu'Ă l'honneur,
01:08:50pour faire le monde le plus puissant
01:08:54d'adaprocessing engine qui existe maintenant,
01:08:57nous avons besoin de la femme.
01:08:59Donc, merci beaucoup.
01:09:01Et, en tant qu'à l'honneur, il y a plus d'autres idées
01:09:03qui vont venir parce qu'on nous sommes.
01:09:06Merci.
01:09:08Merci beaucoup.
01:09:10C'est parti.
01:09:11Merci Ă tous les finalistes pour ĂŞtre ici avec nous.
01:09:15Bien sûr, à tous les winners.
01:09:17Je voudrais vous inviter Ă tous les finalistes,
01:09:19les sponsors,
01:09:22Ă venir ici et prendre une photo final.
01:09:27Les jury membres, aussi, s'il vous plaît.
01:09:30Je voudrais vous inviter Ă tous les jury membres.
01:09:38C'est parti.
01:09:39Oh, c'est parti.
01:09:41Oh, il y a un trophy qui nous a voulu nous donner,
01:09:44c'est parti.
01:09:58Oh, c'est parti.
01:10:02Oh, il y a un trophy qui nous a mis.
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