A View from Abroad

Attention European and Israeli Start-Ups: GuideWire Group's Innovate! Coming to a City Near You

Innovate! 2010 Europe has kicked off and Guidewire Group has started accepting applications from promising technology startups. On a rolling basis, Guidewire Group’s analysts – led by Chris Shipley – will review all applications for eligibility and will select the best ones as semifinalists.

Innovate! is a unique program dedicated to fostering relationships between local entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world and the global entrepreneurial ecosystem centered in Silicon Valley through in-person events and the annual Innovate! 100 list of top startups.

Innovate!’s mission is to identify and showcase the most promising early-stage startups across the globe, and to help dramatically accelerate those businesses by connecting them with world-class partners, investors and press.

Semifinalists will be invited to participate in one of the Innovate! 2010 Pitch Slams which will be held in over 10 cities throughout Europe and Israel in March 2010. Like the poetry slams by which they’re inspired, the Pitch Slams will provide entrepreneurs with valuable feedback from their peers and a panel of expert judges.

Using Guidewire Group’s proprietary assessment framework, each Innovate! 2010 startup will be given a G Score that reflects its overall viability, and offers a detailed evaluation of its business and product execution strategies, team and business model. Participants will also be invited to take part in the Innovate! 2010 Silicon Valley tour, a weeklong trade mission featuring intensive mentoring workshops, private introductions and meetings, and exclusive visits to some of Silicon Valley’s leading companies.

The top-ranked companies will be named to Guidewire Group’s Innovate! 100 list of the most promising early-stage technology, media and telecom startups. Selection as one of theInnovate! 100 confers extraordinary endorsement, validation and promotion. Contact GuideWire Group to be informed when applications and nominations open.

You’re also invited to learn more about Guidewire Group’s 2009 Innovate!Europe program, which helped to accelerate the global expansion of Europe’s top startups.

Seedcamp Paris

Microsoft was at the heart of things in the digital & start-up world yet again -- for a second time in one week, Microsoft’s French HQ hosted another key event (thanks, Julien!).  Young start-ups from all over France gathered for Seedcamp France, the French precursor event to Seedcamp London (September 15th-18th). The start-ups had only five minutes each to sell their company to a group of experienced and successful VCs & entrepreneurs, including folks from Eden Ventures, WAYN, SUN, Sofinnova, Microsoft, Index Ventures, Google, Partech International, TechCrunch, Atlas Venture and Elaia.

After the presentations and a networking lunch, the experts were divided into teams and met with the entrepreneurs individually to assess the start-ups and to help them with their pitches. At the end of the day, the top 3 were selected by vote -– which, actually, in the great tradition of Seedcamp, expanded to become a “Top 5."

They are: 

1. MyPronostic and SquareClock
2. Stupeflix
3. WatZatSong.com and BabyGo

MyPrognostic and SquareClock automatically won spots at Seedcamp London, where, along with 18 other European start-ups, they will compete to be one of the five winning Seedcamp teams.  All of the French participants are eligible to apply, however.  Applications will go live in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

 

Barbarians at the Gate - June 2nd

Some of the best and brightest French media minds met in Paris June 2 at Microsoft's French HQ to discuss and reflect on the state of the French media. The half-day event was charged with hot topics and lively discussion, and the two panels, mediated by Oliver Provost from La Tribune, were informative and uncensored.   Alain Weill of NextRadio gave a great keynote speech about his unique experience with building his media group, and other panelists and presenters included Dominique Delport of Havas Media France, Hervé Digne of Postmedia, Alexandre Michelin of MSN.fr, François Blum of SPIR Communication, Yseulys Costes of 1000mercis.com, Marc Ménasé of Nextedia and Mark Zaleski  DailyMotion. The event was sponsored by Partech International, Atlas Venture, Jefferies, Microsoft, La Tribune and Ballou PR.

Apply For Plugg Start-Up Rally -- Deadline Feb 8th

Need to jump-start your start-up?  The Plugg conference in Brussles March 19th is features a tech start-up competition -- entrants not only have a shot at early-stage funding, but also great and trade press, tech blogger and early-adopter attention.  Entrants will present themselves on stage in front of the entire Plugg audience and have a chance of winning the Plugg Start-Up of the Year Award 2008.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Established private companies (no projects, plans or ideas) in the web, mobile, enterprise and/or mashup 2.0 industry
• Funding situation: a maximum of 1 institutional round of financing raised
• Breakthrough innovation in technology or services (your product or service tackles a big problem in the market, or an opportunity that has not been exploited and you are offering an elegant solution that creates substantial value)
• International ambition and potential (to change your industry and market)
• Linked to Europe (location, founders, funding, expansion plans...)
• Entering the start-up rally is free of charge. However, we do require representatives of the presenting companies to register for the event at a reduced fee of 150 € per person to cover some of our own fixed costs.

Register now, as registration closes on Friday the 8th.  Note that the first 50 companies to register will receive a free 25 € voucher from Plugg sponsor Brabo Ventures / Gate2Growth.