Sophia Antipolis science park made itself known to the new international “tech” scene during the last edition of the Web Summit held from the 7th to 10th of November 2016 in Lisbon. The 1st Technopole of Europe federated the entrepreneurs of the French Tech Côte d’Azur* to present the activities and assets of the Côte d’Azur to investors and technology experts at a networking event.
Web Summit 2016 gathered together 53,000 participants, representing 15,000 companies and 166 different countries, who were able to demonstrate their latest innovations and discuss the societal developments arising from the growing presence of technologies in the daily lives of users.
Team Côte d’Azur carried out activities of prospection of companies and met some fifteen companies, including two carriers of an investment project on the Côte d’Azur in the short term.
To support the promotion of the Côte d’Azur for companies, the science park of Sophia Antipolis presented its ecosystem of innovation at a networking cocktail, organized by Team Côte d’Azur. About thirty entrepreneurs, journalists and international investors were able to meet and exchange on technologies developed within the scientific park.
The latest economic data on Sophia Antipolis, collected by the Sirius Observatory, were pre-announced to journalists. Data reveals that 2,200 companies representing 36,300 jobs are located in the science park, with the creation of 800 new R&D jobs per year on average. These figures demonstrate the potential of the Côte d’Azur ecosystem in conducting R&D projects in highly specialized areas. Expertise recognized by major international groups, like Bosch, which has chosen to establish itself in Sophia Antipolis in 2015 to develop its future autonomous vehicles.
Several startups and student entrepreneurs from the Côte d’Azur also participated in the event and demonstrated the support and welcome solutions offered to innovative young entrepreneurs on the Côte d’Azur. Startups including BeeShary, LiveMasters, Swike and Zipli were able to pitch in front of the audience to present their solutions and consider partnerships with invited companies.
*French Tech Côte d’Azur : refers to the startups and innovation entrepreneurs from the Côte d’Azur/French Riviera region, under the national brand “French Tech” created by the government to promote French startups abroad.