An exclusive Panel Discussion organized by Team Côte d’Azur – the agency in charge of promoting the Côte d’Azur – and Business France – in charge of supporting the international development of the French economy – will take place in London on September 24th, 2019.
The main theme will be “Côte d’Azur, High-Tech Destination & Magnet for Talents”. During this event, which will be held in the premises of Business France UK, two key technological sectors will be highlighted: Artificial Intelligence and the FinTech industry. To this occasion, Team Côte d’Azur will carry out its mission to attract UK investors which might set up in Europe due to the BREXIT.
Raffaella Silvetti, Head of Inward Investments at Business France, and Jean-François Chapperon, Head of International Networks at Team Côte d’Azur, will each present the economic and technological opportunities for British investors in France and on the Côte d’Azur.
Gathering several key FinTech and AI experts who set up on the Côte d’Azur, a round table animated by Lilian Poilpot, Senior Partner at Erevena – a consulting firm for investors, boards, and leadership teams -, will analyse the reasons why the following companies chose this destination:
- ARM France, represented by Christophe Frey, Managing Director. Based in Sophia Antipolis, and at the heart of the AI community, this company is a major stakeholder specializing in the design of electronical components.
- Symphony, represented by Antoine Clerget, CTO. Originally from the Silicon Valley, this unicorn startup specializing in encrypted business messaging was supported by Team Côte d’Azur during the set-up of its R&D center in Sophia Antipolis in January 2018.
- ABAKA, represented by Fahd Rachidy, Founder & CEO. This British FinTech expert was also supported by Team Côte d’Azur during the opening of its offices in Nice in March 2019.
Through the testimonials of Azurean CEOs, this round table will explore the decisive arguments that led to investment decisions on the Côte d’Azur and contributed to the growth of four renowned international AI and FinTech specialists. According to ARM, which is present in Sophia Antipolis for the last twenty years, and other newly set-up businesses such as Symphony, the attractiveness arguments converge: a pool of highly skilled engineers, the presence of competitiveness clusters and a future Interdisciplinary Institute for AI “3IA Côte d’Azur”, competitive real-estate costs regarding business offices, a direct access to an international airport…
Following those discussions, the law firm Askesis Sophia Antipolis, represented by Mr. Bastien Bernard specializing in Contract, Corporate and Financial Law, will highlight the emergence of a local FinTech cluster and the main operations currently led to support its development.
In charge of the economic promotion of the Côte d’Azur and providing customized support services to businesses wishing to invest or set up there, Team Côte d’Azur will also target sales leads and potential UK investors and talents able to contribute to the Azurean High-Tech, AI and FinTech value chains.
A Networking cocktail will take place at the end of the Panel Discussion. It will be the opportunity for attendants to share their own insights on the theme “Côte d’Azur, High-Tech Destination & Magnet for Talents”, and meet with local and international High-Tech, AI and FinTech experts that could potentially invest in or set up on the Côte d’Azur.
Do you wish to learn more about the Côte d’Azur and local economic opportunities? Are you looking forward to meeting key local and international High-Tech specialists?
Event Details :
Tuesday, September 24th, 2019
6PM – 8:30PM
Business France UK,
Brettenham House-2-19 Lancaster Place,
London WC2E 7EN
Agenda :
6PM: Welcome
6:15PM : Introduction
Raffaella Silvetti, Head of Inward Investments, Business France
6:30PM : General Presentation of the Côte d’Azur
Jean-François Chapperon, Head of International Networks, Team Côte d’Azur
6:45PM : Round Table « Talents : Côte d’Azur Attractiveness »
– Lilian Poilpot, Senior Partner Erevena
– Christophe Frey, Managing Director, ARM France
Antoine Clerget, CTO, Symphony
– Fahd Rachidy, Founder & CEO, ABAKA
6:45PM : Presentation of the Azurean FinTech Environment
Mr. Bastien Bernard, Cabinet Askesis
8PM: Q&A
8:15PM : Networking Cocktail
