“The Slush conference confirmed some of our decisions and, thanks to all the people we met, we now understand that our goals are international.”
Pierre-Adrien Giroguy has no regrets about his participation in this major international conference on innovation, held in Helsinki, Finland. In fact, he learned so much that he even decided to change the name of his startup, now called Skwad (instead of TheSocialRace), to better match his goals.
That was in 2021. Pierre-Adrien Giroguy has established very promising contacts with three major groups, including
AstraZeneca.
“Slush also gave us an opportunity to measure ourselves against the international competition. A third very critical point is that we were able to get a good understanding of new market trends,” he adds.
Slush is one of the world’s major innovation conferences. In addition, the event is attended by the market’s main investors. That is why Montpellier Métropole is increasing its presence this year. Thanks to a partnership established with
Business France, the team now has a booth that can be shared with the startups they bring to the show.
For the upcoming edition of Slush, being held from November 30 to December 1, 2023, Montpellier Métropole is bringing – as usual – four young startups from the Montpellier area. They will all benefit from a discovery day on November 29 to learn about the Finnish innovation ecosystem.
A call for candidates was launched so startups could apply to attend (the submission deadline was July 30).
The call for candidates was sent out early so that the selected startups would have enough time to benefit from a preparation session beginning in September. This will help them get the most out of their presence at Slush. While in Finland, they will each take turns promoting their products and/or solutions at the Montpellier Métropole booth.
Support for startups at Slush is one example among others. In fact, Montpellier Métropole has been giving its international action a serious boost since 2020. In addition to partnerships with
AD’OCC, the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Regional economic development agency, at
Vivatech Paris and
CES in Las Vegas, Montpellier Métropole continues to increase its presence at many other events, conferences, and trade shows in order to provide exposure for local products and expertise.
For example, Montpellier Métropole now attends the annual Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA), a key international event for the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector, which broadcasts a presentation of its ecosystem in French and English.
The Montpellier Métropole area is an international hub for CCIs, as well as for global health, notably with
MedVallée, the excellence center founded in June 2022. This explains Montpellier Métropole’s presence at the
BIO International Convention, one of the main events worldwide focusing on medtech.
At the same time, Montpellier Métropole also promotes the territory’s wine sector and wine tourism internationally, following the operational launch of the “Pôle Vin” wine cluster and having earned the
Vignobles & Découvertes (vineyards and discoveries) label thanks to
a concerted effort undertaken in association with local wine and wine tourism stakeholders in the greater Montpellier area.
This action was highlighted by Montpellier Métropole’s presence at the
International Agriculture Fair in Paris, at which the team had its very first booth in 2023. A dozen local winemakers joined the team for the event. Tomorrow’s agriculture is also taking shape in the Montpellier Métropole area. Another sector to promote! This explains Montpellier Métropole’s participation in the
Montpellier Wine Fair in Heidelberg (Germany), as well as three major trade fairs in China (Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai). A mission to present wines from the greater Montpellier area will be organized in late 2023 in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
For Montpellier Métropole, all these actions and events are designed to support local companies and help them accelerate their growth, while continuing to make the territory more attractive. Success for all through international action!
