Ziggu recently joined the Silicon Luxembourg Business Club. Get to know the startup!

(Featured Image: David De Winter, CDO, Pieter Gistelinck,CTO, Yannick Bontinckx, CEO, and Vincent Van Impe, CPO / Image Credit © Ziggu)

Tell us about your startup.

Ziggu is a proptech company that offers real estate professionals digital tools to manage the complexity of construction and above all to better inform and engage homebuyers during construction. We went through Luxinnovation’s Fit4Start and Queensland’s HotDesQ accelerator programmes successfully and were afterwards accepted at Technoport.

How did you come up with the idea?

Our CEO, Yannick Bontinckx was working as a project developer before starting Ziggu and experienced the challenges associated with managing hundreds of different homebuyers across multiple projects first-hand. He looked for solutions and tried combining several tools to put a stop to the chaos. However, in doing so, he found a new complexity: these tools often don’t communicate well with each other and all information is spread out over different databases. With Ziggu we build a single integrated solution, tailor made for real estate.

“Our main product, Ziggu Engage, offers residential property developers a way to manage, track and update information about their customers in a secure and user friendly way.”

What are your products/services?

Our main product, Ziggu Engage, offers residential property developers a way to manage, track and update information about their customers in a secure and user friendly way. At the same time homebuyers are able to login 24/7 to their personal platform to get updates on construction, browse documents, schedule appointments, ask and review questions, make decisions and track invoices.

We launched our second product, Ziggu Construction View, by popular demand of our customers to extend the Ziggu Engage platform with live or historical camera images or timelapses straight from the construction site. Ziggu Construction View helps our customers avoid unnecessary commutes to and from the construction site, keeps track of safety and security and above all it’s a great marketing tool to share progress with different stakeholders.

Ziggu Construction View is also available as a standalone solution, suited for a range of different construction professionals such as general contractors, architects, banks, insurance companies etc…

What is your business model?

We offer Ziggu Engage as a subscription model where our customers pay per (housing) unit placed on the platform. This provides a very transparent and fair pricing policy that is easy to budget and scales along with our customers. Ziggu Construction View has a one time fee for the (reusable) hardware components and installation on the construction site, combined with a monthly subscription fee based on the amount of cameras for use of the online platform.

“We’re planning to add more exciting features to both Ziggu Engage and Ziggu Construction View with a strong focus on integrations with other existing tools and machine learning & artificial intelligence”

Who are your clients?

Our clients are mainly residential property developers that are actively looking for solutions to better manage, track and update their home buyers or investors. Expectations of home buyers are changing, and they are used to great consumer experiences from other brands in their daily lives. While the real estate industry is shifting towards a more service oriented approach, levels of customer centricity will need to match those of other industries. Our customers understand this shift to be inevitable and are using Ziggu to deliver world class customer service while at the same time increasing their own efficiency.

What are the next steps in your development?

We’re planning to add more exciting features to both Ziggu Engage and Ziggu Construction View over the next few months, with a strong focus on integrations with other existing tools and machine learning & artificial intelligence to help our customers get even more value and insights out of the data captured in our Ziggu platforms.

Name:

See More Sàrl

Date of creation:

2017-10-13

Address:

3 ZARE ilot ouest
L-4384 Ehlerange

Email:

contact@seemore.lu

Phone number:

+352 661 40 86 32

Website:

seemore.lu

Social networks:

LinkedIn | Facebook

Capital Stock:

62k€

Funds Raised:

50k€

Turnover:

20k€

Founders:

Gilles Maire | David Biver | Benoît Scherschel

Staff:

3

Job Offers:

/

Field of activity:

We provide an augmented reality mobile application that can display paintings on a wall, in real time, without any markers. Our solution works on the main mobile platforms (iOS and Android) and you only require a tablet or a smartphone to enjoy the results. The purpose of See More is to provide an easy way to view the art. We do not replace existing websites or market places used by art galleries, but improve the customer experience through smart integration.

Elevator Pitch:

« You can’t convince anyone of anything. You can only give them the right information, so that they convince themselves ». See More will give art buyers the right information to convince themselves on their choices.

Products/Services:

Displaying art work in situ before buying it would be a great benefit for both buyers and sellers. See More offers augmented reality views through smartphone and tablet cameras wherever the art will be placed and therefore facilitates buying and selling.

Business Model:

Art galleries will buy augmented reality views available to their public at €20 per SKU. Complementary services will also be offered.

Forecast:

We aim at reaching 10% market share by 2022.

Leverage your network. Meet entrepreneurs. Grow your business. Join the club and help build the future. We set up the first private business club for tech innovators, where individuals, startups and corporates can meet throughout the year at a series of dedicated events, including conferences, workshops and after-work events. We gather the best of the best entrepreneurs that Silicon Luxembourg’s network has to offer. Join the club and help build the future.

Chez CarVROOM, nous sommes des passionnés de mobilité ainsi que des différentes technologies de voyages. Nous développons une plateforme d’échange de voiture entre particulier pour voyageurs malins.

Nos avantages :

Notre start-up a un énorme potentiel de croissance. Le lancement de notre plateforme se fera en septembre 2018. Vous serez le premier développeur à rejoindre notre équipe, qui est actuellement composé de 3 fondateurs et d’un chargé de communication et de
marketing.

En respectant la vision des fondateurs de la start-up, vous serez à la tête de la partie technique de notre projet.

Pour renforcer notre équipe, nous cherchons un Développeur Full Stack (H/F). Profil recherché :

Attitude personnelle :

• Esprit analytique
• Patient(e)
• Envie d’apprendre
• Attention au détail

Connaissances techniques :

• HTML (4 et 5) ;
• CSS et Préprocesseur CSS tel que SASS et LESS ;
• AngularJS ;
• Langages de programmation tel que JavaScript, Python, Ruby ou Java ;
• Compréhension de SQL et NoSQL ;
• Maitrise du déploiement et de la gestion d’applications sur des infrastructures virtuelles telle que Google Cloud ou Amazon

Compétences :

• Au moins 1,2,3 années d’expérience dans le domaine du digital, e-business, marketing digital, nouvelle génération de services financiers.
• Un haut intérêt pour l’écosystème des start-ups, la mobilité, le secteur du tourisme, l’innovation digitale.
• Service à la clientèle excellent, compétences en communication ainsi que l’aptitude à assurer des liaisons avec différentes parties prenantes.
• Volonté de travailler dans une nouvelle start-up et de rejoindre le début d’une belle aventure.
• Maitrise courante du français et de l’anglais

En retour, vous obtiendrez :

• Un contrat permanent au sein de notre équipe
• L’opportunité de travailler directement avec les fondateurs de la start-up
• Une atmosphère de travail amicale dans des bureaux spacieux et moderne en plein cœur de Luxembourg Ville (bus régulier)
• Rémunération : à négocier ensemble

A propos de nous :

De nos jours, les voyageurs sont de plus en plus ouverts aux nouvelles technologies. CarVROOM donne l’opportunité d’emprunter une voiture gratuitement lorsque vous voyagez. Cette plateforme construit une communauté d’échange de voiture entre particuliers, basé sur la confiance des membres VROOMERS, où chaque membre à la possibilité d’emprunter des véhicules pendant leurs vacances. Inspiré par le modèle commercial de la fructueuse compagnie Guest to Guest, l’échange des véhicules entre les membres VROOMERS est démonétisé et se fait grâce à un système de point, ce qui rend la transaction complètement gratuite !

Envie de rejoindre l’aventure ?

Si vous pensez être fait pour ce poste, envoyez-nous un mail en disant pourquoi souhaiteriez-vous nous rejoindre, ainsi qu’une copie de votre CV : contact@carvroom.com. N’oubliez pas de mentionner en objet du mail le nom du poste (Développeur Full Stack) et de nous envoyer votre numéro de téléphone.

As of June, there is a new coworking space in Luxembourg city. Silversquare,  Belgian leader in coworking spaces, is crossing borders to implement its first office in the Luxembourg city center, rue Glesener. Silicon Luxembourg met with Claudine Bettendroffer, head of Silversquare Luxembourg’s development.

(Featured Image: Claudine Bettendroffer, Silversquare Luxembourg’s country leader / Image Credit © Olivier Minaire)

Can you explain to our readers the Silversquare success story of?

Silversquare opened its first coworking space in Belgium 10 years ago, making it the first coworking space of its kind in the heart of Europe. At that time, the two founders intended to create a company, but encountered some issues in finding offices. That’s when they had the idea to create a coworking space for entrepreneurs looking to launch their businesses and in need of offices to do so.

Silversquare has significantly grown since then, with new investors joining, such as Befimmo, a Belgian regulated real estate company specialized in managing business offices.

“Silversquare focuses on having a diverse community with different backgrounds and experiences. In our Belgian offices, you will meet lawyers, developers, writers, stylists, startups, sport coaches and many more.”

 What makes Silversquare different from other coworking spaces?

Silversquare provides efficient, innovative, warm and inspiring working premises and services to meet the needs of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.

We offer prestigious services such as the ones you could find in a business center, i.e. reception desk to welcome the clients and receive mail, office manager on site for the day-to- day organization (such as meeting room schedules), and perhaps most importantly, there is a 24/7 access for members that need such flexibility to work beyond normal office hours.

But, professional services shouldn’t be honored to the detriment of well-being. That’s why Silversquare’s offices offer a relaxed and open atmosphere to feel good at work and encourage interaction between members.

Silversquare also focuses on having a diverse community with different backgrounds and experiences. In our Belgian offices, you will meet lawyers, developers, writers, stylists, startups, sport coaches and many more.

“We really want this place to live so we intend to welcome events of every kinds, such as seminars on professional developments, stress management, blockchain, IA and so on.”

Can you briefly describe the Luxembourg office?

The office is 2300 m2 with 43 private desks and 100 desks in open space.

With the help of our architect, we have designed a wonderful place with many alcoves, niches, bench seats, high tables and also spaces that we called “cockpits” (think boxes to work without being disturbed!). All those architectural elements are the reflection of Silversquare’s concept of creating an entrepreneurship spirit, with high flexibility. On site, we have a perfect balance between community interaction and quiet areas to perform your work in the best professional way.

And on top of that, we also have a bar, a kitchen, a garden and a balcony!

We really want this place to live so we intend to welcome events of every kinds, such as seminars on professional developments, stress management, blockchain, IA and so on.

On a more practical note, entrepreneurs can rent by the month for a starting price of €395, with a choice between flex or fixed formulas (depending if you rent a specific desk or only open space access). In addition, we propose a day pass for a €30 (€250 for 10). One important point to stress is our no minimum commitment time policy, to give the best flexibility to entrepreneurs that are just starting off.

“With a huge presence in Belgium, Silversquare now intends to become the leader in Luxembourg and we are all working hard to make it happen.”

What will you bring to Silversquare here in Luxembourg through your personal background?

I had several years of experience in advising innovative startups in Luxembourg, so I know quite well entrepreneurs needs and the Luxembourgish ecosystem.

When Silversquare approached me, it took me little time to be convinced that I wanted to help them implement Silversquare in Luxembourg.

With a huge presence in Belgium (the 4 th co-working center with 5,000 m2 capacity has just opened in Uccle, Brussels) Silversquare now intends to become the leader in Luxembourg and we are all working hard to make it happen. We hope that this office rue Glesener is the first to many more, but one step at the time!

This article was first published in the 8th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

Klin est une jeune start-up luxembourgeoise active dans le secteur du nettoyage à sec et de la blanchisserie. Notre objectif consiste à proposer une nouvelle vision des services d’un pressing afin de les adapter aux contraintes modernes de la société à travers de la digitalisation, le respect de l’environnement et le service à la personne.

Dans le cadre de notre activité, nous recherchons donc une personne (H/F) qui rejoindrait notre équipe en tant que stagiaire pour une période de 3 à 4 mois. L’appellation « à tout faire » correspondra aux tâches sur lesquelles le stagiaire pourra accompagner l’équipe actuelle, à savoir :

• Gestion de la relation client (commande et contact client, résolution des réclamations),
• Gestion des réseaux sociaux de l’entreprise,
• Participation aux activités de prospection,
• Prise en charge de certaines missions de livraison,
• Revue et mise à jour de la documentation interne (business plan, cash-flow, …).

Ces missions entraînant différentes responsabilités, nous recherchons avant tout :

• Une maîtrise des langues FR et/ou EN ; d’autres langues étant un atout,
• Une bonne organisation et un attrait pour les nouvelles technologies,
• De bonnes compétences sociales.

En tant que startup, klin s’engage à offrir un environnement de travail agréable, une table de ping-pong, une flexibilité et variété des tâches, ainsi que des perspectives à long-terme.

Rémunération non-prévue mais bonus possible en fin de stage.

Contactez Antoine si vous êtes intéressé.e antoine@klin.lu

Check out these three questions answered by David Kiener, Managing Partner at DeKan Group and Regtech startup FundsQ, a SaaS platform that automates and industrializes the due diligence process.

(Featured Image: David Kiener founded Regtech startup FundsQ / Image Credit © Olivier Minaire)

How is Regtech changing the financial industry?

Since the 2008 financial crisis, the finance industry has been overwhelmed by new regulations requesting more risk detection and controls as well as enhanced scrutiny. As a result, the cost of compliance became a huge burden for financial institutions. The needs in data, process and system improvements have caused an explosion of compliance budgets.

Regtech helps financial institutions with agile solutions to constantly adhere with regulators’ new rules at an acceptable cost, and more. Regtech goes beyond traditional constraints by bringing new technological ideas to make processes easier, faster, more complete and more efficient.

Could you tell us more about these “new technological ideas”?

Of course, artificial intelligence (AI) is the most well-known but pure AI is still not a technology accessible in many situations. In the context of FundsQ, we focus on the RPA – Robotics Process Automation –, a pre-stage of AI, that demonstrates massive potential within financial institutions. Many processes still require multiple steps with bottleneck approvers, and data spreads into many departments and systems. These types of processes continue today in plenty of organizations with the belief that the system cannot be automated. Our approach is definitively a “case study” in this domain.

As a startup aiming to build and manage efficient due diligence of service providers, what are three pieces of advice to build an efficient due diligence questionnaire?

First advice: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! An ancient Chinese proverb says, “He who asks a question remains a fool for 5 minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever.”

Second advice: Good questions make better lives. The better you are at questioning, the better answer will come to you.

Third advice: Asking meaningful questions really matters. The majority of our success in life depends on asking the best questions followed by making the best decisions. Due Diligence questionnaires must help you to select and keep the adequate service providers. It is not just a regulatory obligation.

This article was first published in the 8th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

Three questions for Sissel Hansen, Danish entrepreneur based in Berlin, founder and CEO of the creative content and publishing company that produced the guidebook.

(Featured Image: Sissel Hansen founder Startup Guide, a creative content and publishing company / Image Credit © Startup Guide)

How did you come up with the SG idea?

I moved from Copenhagen to Berlin in 2012 for its open, vibrant and do-it-yourself spirit. At the time, everyone was talking about startups and companies were sprouting out everywhere in the city. Soon I realized that many people moved to Berlin with a similar urge to start a business or work for a startup but, like me, didn’t know where to begin. As I began researching, I noticed how difficult it was to find practical information about the city itself, but also advice on who to talk to and what to do to start a business in Berlin. That’s when I realized there was an opportunity here: I could collect all of this information in one place and make it accessible to others to help them navigate the startup scene in Berlin.

Our first book came out in Berlin in 2014 and it sold out in less than 48 hours. Today, Startup Guide is a creative content and publishing company that produces guidebooks and tools to help entrepreneurs navigate and connect with different startup scenes across the globe. Our books are in 18 different cities in Europe and the Middle East and have opened two physical stores in Berlin and Lisbon to promote and sell products by startups. As the world of work changes, our mission is to guide, empower and inspire people to start their own business anywhere.

“We hope the book will become a trusted companion for entrepreneurs as they start a new venture in a new city.”

How do your guides help entrepreneurs concretely?

So our books are based on traditional guidebooks that can be carried around everywhere. To ensure an accurate and trustworthy guide every time, we team up with a city partner that is established in the local startup scene. Each Startup Guide book is packed with useful information and data, exciting entrepreneur stories and insightful interviews with the movers and shakers in the local startup ecosystem. It cuts through the clutter to help entrepreneurs navigate and connect with different startup scenes around the world. We hope the book will become a trusted companion for entrepreneurs as they start a new venture in a new city.

“Though many people may be less likely to associate Luxembourg with thriving startup scenes in countries like the UK, France or the Nordics, in fact, it has a business climate that’s ripe for entrepreneurial activity and innovation.”

What do you think about Luxembourg’s startup ecosystem?

Luxembourg is known for having a high ranking when it comes to economics, education, life expectancy and income on the Human Development Index. These ingredients alongside a government that has been investing in its startup culture make it a perfect recipe for having a successful entrepreneurial community. Though many people may be less likely to associate Luxembourg with thriving startup scenes in countries like the UK, France or the Nordics, in fact, it has a business climate that’s ripe for entrepreneurial activity and innovation. Not only that, the small population and country size mean that it’s extremely easy to navigate both within and outside the country. You can reach the airport from the city center in a mere ten minutes, which is a big plus for the expansion of a startup business.

This article was first published in the 8th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

GoldbAuM recently joined the Silicon Luxembourg Business Club. Get to know the startup.

(Featured Image: Valérian Branco (sitting) and Marco Materazzi (standing right) founded GoldbAuM / Image Credit © Olivier Minaire)

What is your startup about?

This startup is about financiers and techies launching their first independent financial research technology provider out of Luxembourg. Our vision is to help finance professionals such as money managers or analysts do more and better research with fewer resources. And our mission is to fully automate error-prone and heavily-manual selection processes so they can forget about old school methods and outdated tools such as spreadsheets.

“Our digital platform offers two automation services and only B2B. The first service takes over selection processes of financial products while the second one generates research content which is tailor-made to profiles (client, risk, investment, ….)”

How did you come up with the idea?

Out of our own professional experience. The two of us met in London (Valérian, Marco) through work or our professional network. We spent our past careers at the largest or most sophisticated financial institutions. There, we understood well the limitations and shortcomings of current systems and processes in place. From both a research and a technology perspective, we either struggled ourselves or saw our clients struggle to make the right choices, day in day out. Regulatory landscapes and market micro-structures can change a lot over time but most of the traditional actors just stay behind the curve. This will not change in the near future and will even worsen unless the right innovation happens. We wanted to tackle these far-reaching and profound impacts, with technology and in one go. Therefore, we realized that an independent platform integrating deep analysis and fast due-diligence of financial products available at a click of a button has its value in the financial market research space. It would take a lot of pain away from our clients.

What are your products/services?

Our digital platform offers two automation services and only B2B. The first service takes over selection processes of financial products while the second one generates research content which is tailor-made to profiles (client, risk, investment, ….). For our users, it is a cost-efficient way to integrate into their investment research process precise and reliable data and deep-diving analytics powered by machine learning. Our users lift the opacity of current market structures and products with little or no effort. They will be exposed to a more-suitable, wider and unbiased choice of products. Decision making becomes a 5 minutes job – instead of hours or days. In return, they can spend more time doing deeper research all the while respecting the latest regulation and improve the quality of their own services. They will still think about “where” to invest or “what” market to recommend but our platform will help them in the “how” and “when”. Automatically, continuously, and systematically.

“We need to transform our current minimum viable product into its product version. Hence, we need to bring in more talent in dev, data, and research.”

What is your business model?

Cloud-based and lean. We run a SaaS model which our clients onboard with one of our services in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. By letting the software run these processes independently, our clients stop passing on current shortcomings directly into their research – if they have any in the first place. Our clients value such a digital model, as it means that they get access to a higher level of expertise, which understands their problems and is aware and confronted to the same market and regulatory evolutions.

Who are your clients?

Banking, financial and insurance companies which need (or want) to perform financial market research, either internally for stakeholders, or externally for end-clients or investors. It can range from a small one-person advisory boutique over to a medium-sized asset manager to a larger private bank. And it is basically anybody who has no resources to deploy vast and costly manual research processes. With us, they jump right into the future of research: independent, automated AND tailor-made.

What are the next steps in your development?

We need to transform our current minimum viable product into its product version. Hence, we need to bring in more talent in dev, data, and research. And this should come relatively soon as we are eager to deploy our research frameworks to even more products and markets.

This article was first published in the 8th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

On June 1st, The University of Luxembourg Incubator organized the 2nd Falling Walls Lab pitching competition hosted at the University of Luxembourg. Among the members of the guest jury was Martin Bell, Global Startup Advisor, Investor, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the “100 Task Startup” playbook. Mr. Bell gave a keynote speech on the core tenets underlying his playbook and provided Silicon Luxembourg with his thoughts for lightning-fast growth and successful execution of an idea. Check out the key points here!

(Featured Image: Martin Bell, Global Startup Advisor, Investor, Keynote Speaker, and Author of the “100 Task Startup” playbook / Image Credit © University of Luxembourg)

The Keynote

“We talk too much about nifty concepts,’” said Martin. “Whereas we should really be focused on building a solid foundation.” Just as a child focuses on learning how to walk before s/he moves on to driving, so should a startup team solidify the critical internal elements before trying to go public. It’s all about building solid foundations.

We often tend to think that the foundation of a startup is its idea. Martin sought to push back on this, tipping his hat to the old adage, “only 1% of a successful innovation is the idea. The other 99% is execution. Just like making a baby is easy and raising a baby is hard, so too is the execution of an idea on the market.”

But what are the components of execution? In essence, team members are the most readily identifiable elements. “You really need someone to construct and build the idea, whether it’s a product or a service, and another person to correctly implement it on the business side. An innovator is thus inventor plus entrepreneur. One of the biggest problems today is that founders rush growth without taking care of the necessary foundational steps to growth; or, in other words, without excellent execution.”

“On the business side, there is a more or less clear blueprint for building successful companies,” according to Martin. First, you need HR, finance, and legal set up. “You don’t want to create a product and build up your business, only to find out a year later that the product you built infringes on someone else’s IP,” said Martin through a knowing smile. The next step is verifying that the product and its tech are secure, scalable, and user-friendly, followed by setting up sales and marketing, operations, and customer care. “The last step is to make sure you have solid data collection and reporting, to do your stress test, and finally to put it all together: launch!”

“Most of the ideas given today [that is, at Falling Walls Lab Luxembourg 2018],” finished Martin, “are still in the idea stage. We’ll see what happens in the execution!”

“Only 1% of a successful innovation is the idea. The other 99% is execution. Just like making a baby is easy and raising a baby is hard, so too is the execution of an idea on the market.”

The Interview

You speak about lightning fast startup construction, meaning in 20 weeks. Do you think there is any risk for error in speedy efforts? Perhaps for human error?

No—that’s precisely the point of the 100 Task Startup playbook. Errors in the beginning stages of a startup usually occur because founders either don’t know what to do or in what order to do it. If you follow the steps, you remove the “unknown unknowns” from the equation. Think about a time when you said to yourself, “if only I knew then what I know now!” The playbook helps entrepreneurs avoid that situation because it is the best-practice product of my vast startup experience. It takes away your blind spots. But hey, these aren’t just my words, this has worked time and time again.

What is the biggest weak point in new startups?

The human one. It always comes down to the people, and it all cascades down from the founding team. It comes down to people’s blind spots—what they are and are not aware of. If two co-founders start a company and they ignore what they don’t know, then risk will snowball. Founders’ inability to face what they don’t know is the biggest weak point. At the end of the day, the founding team can never cover all of the necessary skills needed to build a successful business around their idea. That’s why the execution of team construction is so important.

On the same note, emotional intelligence and domain expertise are equally tantamount to success. Emotional intelligence is critical for effective people management, which is what determines successful execution in the long term—and don’t forget, execution is 99%.

What is one thing that can jump out to you during a pitch?

It’s really the passion. It manifests itself in a few ways. One is the sheer fire in the entrepreneur’s eyes. The other is, quite simply, how well the entrepreneur has thought the idea through. That comes through in the presentation and in the Q&A.

This article was first published in the 8th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

StarTalers, a startup designed to assist women with financial planning and reaching their investment goals, won first place in the Female Empowerment competition at the Arch Summit in Luxembourg. The prize was EUR 50,000.

(Featured Image: Gaëlle Haag, founder of StarTalers / Image Credit © Olivier Minaire)

StarTalers cofounder and chief executive Gaelle Haag said the prize money will be mostly spent on hiring developers to bring the app to minimum viable product (MVP) stage.

“We [currently] have a low-fidelity prototype and over the coming weeks we will transform that into something we can test,” Ms Haag, who is half Belgian and half Luxembourgish, said in an interview following her win.

Numerous studies show that women are less inclined to invest their money than men due to their lack of confidence, willingness to engage and time. Moreover, investment products have typically been designed by men for other men, and have neglected to address the needs and preferences of women. Startups such as StarTalers and other financial institutions are now starting to wake up to the potential power of female investors.

Prior to founding StarTalers, Ms Haag worked for McKinsey, the management consultancy firm, and then for KBL, the private banking group. She described the “moments of truth” that propelled her into her new incarnation as entrepreneur.

The first was the realization that the wealth management model that has existed for 20 years is coming to an end. The second was that, as evidenced by the 2007/08 financial crisis, the industry is more and more disconnected from reality, and investors – especially female investors – increasingly want to know that their money is being invested in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The “eureka moment” however was when she attended a conference in Luxembourg that raised the questions: what are women investors looking for? And how well are they being served?

“That was the moment of realization,” Ms Haag said. “I am myself a financial professional and I have everything I need to make informed investment decisions but I procrastinate.”

“Girls need role models and they need their mothers to show them that everything is possible. I hope I can pave the way for them to be financially aware and autonomous.”

She started asking around and found that it was a problem shared by many of her female friends and colleagues.

“I realized: there is something to be done here,” she recalled.

After a period of research and brainstorming, Ms Haag began working full time on StarTalers in January 2018. Her co-founder is Thierry Smets, a former colleague. Aude Lemogne, the director of Link Management, an art advisory, is also part of the team. The app will initially target French-speaking markets in Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Switzerland.

The name StarTalers, incidentally, comes from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale in which a poor little girl is rewarded for her kindness when falling stars turn to silver coins that make her rich.

The app, as currently conceived, will have an education component that is free for all users. This is designed to be engaging, fun and devoid of jargon. Through positive feedback it’s also designed to boost users’ confidence in their ability to invest.

When ready, users can pay a monthly membership fee to to access the financial planning and investment portfolio platforms.

In devising a portfolio, investors will be able to choose products that align with their values such as renewable energies or gender diversity. They will also receive feedback on the impact their investments have created.

As well as an entrepreneur, Ms Haag is the mother of two daughters aged six and nine, and she says that has probably also fueled her passion for this project.

“I want to be able to make the world in which they live a better place and be a role model,” she said. Girls “need role models and they need their mothers to show them that everything is possible. I hope I can pave the way for them to be financially aware and autonomous.”

This article was first published in the 9th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

Every day, we put startups first. Our focus is laying the groundwork and providing the necessities for entrepreneurship in order to help business owners take on the adventure of creating a company. Following the information gathered from formal meetings and events, we have learned that certain startuppers trust us with their struggles and hold us accountable for malfunction on the administrative side, whether they be incoherencies or misunderstandings. We have decided to take the time to hear them clearly and the sympathize with their stories, and sometimes, as in the present case, to remain anonymous to avoid foiling their development plans. He who testified also demanded responses for you, dear readers. Let us know what you think about the situation. Share your opinion either in the comments below or by writing to us directly.

A few months ago, we stumbled upon a French entrepreneur freshly installed in Luxembourg and very sure of his decision to launch a startup. The man had heard and bought into arguments about the startup-friendly bureaucracy and direct access to different government services in the process of building a company here. What he did not expect is that after three months of work, his company would still not be officially established in the Grand Duchy, even though his contacts at different government institutions had taken considerable steps towards domicile his activities and R&D in the country.

“Given the size of the country, Luxembourg has all the cards needed to transform its lagging bureau into a real asset for startups.”

“First off, the company manager must submit a request at the Ministry of SME in order to obtain the authorization to carry out the aforementioned activity. This request can be done online via Guichet.lu or sent by the post. At first glance, it seems that this part of the process would be easiest online. However, such is not the case in practice.”

The problem rests in the fact that the online form is not totally comprehensive, mainly because it does not explain to the sender what s/he has forgotten at the moment of submission—documents that are absolutely necessary. Another example happens when a company has two managing partners, as the website does not allow submission of necessary information for each manager, only one.

We started our request online at the end of March and our company is still not official!

Once the request is submitted online, the administrative team got back to us with additional requirements that were not mentioned when we submitted said request. What is more, these additional requirements are done by the post, which slows down the process even more. I had to provide an attestation of honor because I was on Luxembourgish soil for less than five years. And yet, this attestation costs €180 and must be done before a notary in Luxembourg! The additional requirements this prolonged our request another two weeks.

The list of documents to provide for any request for authorization is provided by the House of Entrepreneurship, and it is obvious that it’s convenient for startups to be sure to provide the totality of the necessary documents before submitting any request. However, in order to avoid forgetting anything, we can see how the online system could be reworked, as many entrepreneurs have suggested, particularly by creating immediate notifications for missing or lacking documents. Such notifications would prevent submitters from doubting about seemingly incessant back and forths with the administration, the back and forths being in most cases sent by the post and not by email, creating the lengthiest part of the process.

“Startups’ frustration is huge because, without authorization, we can neither create the company nor open a bank account, which means we cannot account our services.”

Other startups have also spoken to us about very irregular and rare follow-ups from the side of the administration. The majority of them must get in touch with their administrative contact in order to get a status update of their dossier and make sure that everything is in order. On my last call, someone asked for my NACE codes, which were not a part of my initial request because such was not asked of me. I then had to send this information by email. Again.

It seems to me that the number of requests is becoming bigger and bigger, and so the Luxembourgish administration has a hard time keeping up. When someone asks for a deadline for the completion of his/her dossier, the administration indicates that they are overbooked and cannot give a precise date.

You have to understand us. Startups’ frustration is huge because, without authorization, we can neither create the company nor open a bank account, which means we cannot account our services. If Luxembourg really want to position herself as an agile startup ecosystem capable of easy access, she must clearly rethink the bureaucratic processes.

That said, until the present we have always found a listening ear in our efforts, and we appreciate the ability to be able to easily contact the ministries, which is different than other countries where services are just saturated. Complete digitalization of these processes would be welcomed with open arms, and doing so under 24/48h would be ideal. Given the size of the country, Luxembourg has all the cards needed to transform its lagging bureau into a real asset for startups.”

(Photo by Mark Asthoff on Unsplash)

Quite simply, the iNUI Studio plans to change the way you shop. Their AIRxTOUCH technology, for natural user interfacing, has seduced banks, supermarkets, jewelry boutiques, and big international groups such as IKEA, Swatch, Disney, LVMH, and PMU. But why such attention? We met with Olivier Raulot, CEO of the Luxembourgish startup, to get a better idea of the particular features of their technology. The startup is part of the Technoport Incubator in Foetz.

(Featured Image: Alexandre Megna and Olivier Raulot, respectively Business Developer and CEO of iNUI Studio / Image Credit © Olivier Minaire)

The Story

The startup started R&D in 2011 to create a natural interface that requires neither voice or gest stimulation. “The idea as it is now commercialized came up in 2013 with a request from JC Decaux, who wanted to have interactive bus stops without needing touch stimulation, for obvious sanitary reasons,” explained the CEO.

“From the first commercialization, we have had the chance to get attention from Samsung City in Korea, who fell in love with the technology, as it is the first of its kind.”

With this project, the startup noted a real need. It started to develop its current technology in order to make transparent surfaces touchable without modifying the original material. After three years of R&D and four certificates, the startup created its first prototypes. Today, 100 of the products have been produced in France, in factories located in Dreux, and 80 have been sold. The price? A meager €3,900 (premium reseller price).

“From the first commercialization, we have had the chance to get attention from Samsung City in Korea, who fell in love with the technology, as it is the first of its kind,” explained Olivier Raulot proudly.

In terms of function, the “play and play” usage is direct: the product is placed over an already-installed screen behind a store’s showcase glass. The glass becomes interactive with a simple touch regardless of thickness of the glass. The unchallenged advantage for shops is that the screen attracts the attention of passersby, regardless of time of day. The internal software can be catered by iNUI or by shop owners themselves.

For obvious security reasons, the final purchase of a given product cannot be completed directly on the shop window, but can with a smartphone. A text can be sent to a customer, allowing him/her to confirm the shopping cart and pay directly thereafter!

A client pool as prestigious as it is diverse

“We know that this completely new technology quickly found a market and alleviated a need. In our client pool, we have groups coming from a variety of industries. Some examples are as follows. PMU installed the product in order to help smokers to continue to shop even from outside; IKEA developed “gift shops” in downtown Utrecht, Holland to allow the purchase of small products; CORA supermarkets now offer ticket and sales purchases through showcases,” explained Olivier.

“We are planning to raise 5 million euros in the coming weeks. This would allow us to expand our productivity and limit our costs of production, which are very important right now”

International groups such as Disney, LVMH and Swatch have also demonstrated a strong interested and plan to soon equip their shop with AIRxTOUCH. Some Luxembourgish companies have also showed interest. You can find some of the windows at INOWAI, and JOIN.

So what’s next?

The startup declared a one-million-euro revenue but needs more funds in order to develop more of the special product.

“We are planning to raise 5 million euros in the coming weeks. This would allow us to expand our productivity and limit our costs of production, which are very important right now,” explained the CEO.

With the development of a number of partnerships, mainly in France, the iNUI team, which has only one business developer for the moment, needs to grow.

“We need to recruit more business developers in each region in order to offer better follow-up to our partners. We are also working to develop additional applications and features to the product… which means we need more people!” emphasized the CEO.

This article was first published in the 9th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

Check out this fireside chat with Karin Schintgen, CEO of the brand new House of Startups (HoST), the anchor point for young startups and a laboratory for new ideas.

(Featured Image: Karin Schintgen, CEO of the House of Startups / Image Credit © Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg)

The HoST is finally here! What were the main challenges?

The two main challenges were defining the concept and choosing the location. Let’s start with the concept. The concept in itself is the outcome of a strategic approach by the Chamber of Commerce to accelerate the development of entrepreneurial ideas way before the enterprise is actually launched. In line with this logic, the Chamber first set up a House of Training and then in 2016 the House of Entrepreneurship.

The very specific challenges faced by non-traditional innovative companies led to the decision to create the HoST. Today, these three Houses offer a full package: from training programs to guidance in entrepreneurship, including creation of new companies and diversification of the existing corporate substance.

The second challenge was finding an appropriate location and the equipment of these facilities within a quite conventional office building. We wanted a place that would inspire and boost creativity, somewhere that would enable people from extremely different backgrounds and nationalities to feel at home in Luxembourg. We therefore put together an unconventional team combining the skills of Luxembourgish artisans with an Israeli interior designer well versed in startup space aesthetic. The result is great and people love the place!

“HoST is kind of an innovation campus where you find a mix of startups, corporates and experts.”

How was the City of Luxembourg involved?

The City of Luxembourg is the partner of one of our five Innovation Hubs: the Luxembourg-City Incubator (LCI). After launching the HoST in September 2017, the Chamber of Commerce created the LCI as a more universal incubator. Due to the partnership with the City on one hand, and various other incubators in the country (with whom we want to cooperate and not compete!) on the other, a decision was made to focus on areas of close interest to the Chamber and the City: urban tech, business, tourism, logistics, construction and the environment.

The City also wanted to give special attention to female entrepreneurship and the support of social enterprises. For the City, as well as the Chamber, it was important not only to witness change but to take an active part in impacting this change. Both the economy of tomorrow and the cities of tomorrow will be very different from what they are today. It is important to anticipate that change by educating and attracting the right people to handle the change.

LHoFT, LCI, ICFA, nyuko… That’s quite a few initiatives under one roof!

HoST is kind of an innovation campus where you find a mix of startups, corporates and experts. Starting with the innovation hubs or incubators that host startups over a longer period of time, we are very happy to have the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) which focuses on RegTech, FundTech and InsurTech, in addition to FinTech. The LCI and the newly created Hub@Luxembourg – an initiative launched by Group Crédit Agricole and closely linked to the Villages by CA concept – will also be housing startups from a variety of sectors ranging from space to maritime, and cybersecurity up to new technologies in the agricultural sector.

We also host accelerators such as nyuko active in early or later stage startup support, and the International Climate Finance Accelerator which supports the Luxembourg fund industry’s focus on green and climate issues. Next to the LHoFT you’ll find Chinese FinTech, PingPong.

“We plan to heavily promote the ecosystem at trade fairs and through our communication strategy, and we will definitely be a lobbyist for the ecosystem. Our aim is to be recognized as driver and unifier of the ecosystem.”

How do you coordinate everything?

First and foremost by catering as much as we can to their needs and trying to work together. Each initiative is autonomous in its actions but we try to find as many synergies as possible. Coordination is much easier when you’re all in the same House.

What are the HoST’s main objectives?

We are expected to run a dynamic and interactive House that attracts the best players in the field. We plan to heavily promote the ecosystem at trade fairs and through our communication strategy, and we will definitely be a lobbyist for the ecosystem. Our aim is to be recognized as driver and unifier of the ecosystem.

Why should a startup join the HoST?

For everything it offers in terms of services, facilities and the dynamic nature of the House. The HoST is not an incubator – it is a campus, or a forum for innovation. Startups enjoy interaction with a broad range of professionals who do not only come from the startup world. A startup usually knows which incubator it wants to join otherwise we gladly make introductions and provide all the necessary information.

Furthermore, the HoST also supports a number of corporate initiatives including Business Mentoring and the Luxembourg Open Innovation Club. It should also be highlighted that the various innovation hubs have been quite successful in attracting major sponsors willing to support startups. This is fantastic! We have also set up a space called Check Point where startups (not only ours, but also those of other incubators) can have access to experts in a number of fields such as web design, intellectual property, data management, marketing and accounting. Of course, we also intend to run inspiring events for the community in a continuous effort to support networking and the exchange of expertise.

In a nutshell, startups should come to the HoST because it is THE place to be!

This article was first published in the 9th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

On July 4th, 80+ CEOs, members of the Silicon Luxembourg Business Club, attended an exclusive networking event organized by Silicon Luxembourg in partnership with Wildgen at Knokke Out Luxembourg. The founders, co-founders, directors and country managers gathered together to celebrate the launch of the 9th edition of Silicon magazine. They also had the opportunity to leverage their network through a friendly walking cocktail and enjoyed fresh beers by Fox Beer. The club at its best!

(Featured Image: Torge Schwandt (ONPEX), Patrick Rahme (All Square), Sébastien De Jong (Peakers) and Pierre Clément (Nexvia) / Image Credit © Serge Deuces)

On June 30th, the startup incubator of Dudelange held its official inauguration ceremony with help from Francine Closener, Secretary of State of the Economy. A total of seven startups are beginning their adventure with the Innovation Hub Dudelange. At the inauguration, guests had the opportunity to explore the space and check out the 7 up-and-comers.

(Featured Image: Official #opening of #InnovationHub in @VilleDudelange / Image Credit © Antoine Hron)

An inspiring public-private ecological collaboration

In July of 2017, Dudelange’s town council unanimously signed an agreement with three players—the Minister of the Economy, Technoport, and GIE Luxinnovation—for the drawing up and creation of the Innovation Hub Dudelange. The Hub is designated as a center for innovation in the domain of ecotechnologies and will remain in part under supervision of the City of Dudelange.

“The focus on ecological technology will help in a wider effort for a future ecological neighborhood, Neischmelz, which will have a neutral CO² consumption.”

The project’s framing goal is to help foster improvement at the local, regional and national levels by developing companies focused on technology. And the focus on ecological technology will help in a wider effort for a future ecological neighborhood, Neischmelz, which will have a net-neutral CO² consumption.

The Innovation Hub Dudelange calls 100, Route de Vomerange, the last Arcelor-Mittal headquarters to date, its home. The grounds boast over 500m², which comes out to 14 offices and meeting rooms that have all been completely renovated and installed for the benefit of 12 young startups.

“In the new world order—well, in Neischmelz—the rolling-mill, perhaps too fittingly, will host startups.”

Just a piece of Neischmelz?

The Innovation Hub serves as a precursor to the concept of a future eco-friendly neighborhood, Neischmelz. As a pilot program, the Innovation Hub represents a first step towards the construction of Neischmelz and a larger namesake for Dudelange as ecotechnologically centered. The transition will be lengthy, so before building the new landscape and infrastructure, architects needed to be sure the site would be beneficial in the short-term as well—notably by creating jobs while adhering to the Neischmelz concept in design. In the new world order—well, in Neischmelz—the rolling-mill, perhaps too fittingly, will host startups.

At the Innovation Hub, young startups will be able to hold their headquarters for five years max. Two types of companies will be defined by age:

1. Very young companies (under two years old at the time of integration into the Innovation Hub) will have access for five years. The innovation hub will serve as a base camp and as a trampoline to launch them to success (Silicon Luxembourg wonders if there will be an actual trampoline on site? Cue wondering emoji.)

2. Young startups over two years old for which the Innovation Hub will serve as a host house before they become fully autonomous.

Seven startups have already taken control of the space. Four of the startups are already rolling, and the other three are getting their footing. The startups’ products and services spread a range of subjects within the ecotech domain, from recycling and ecological cleaning to ecological habitat consulting and broader eco consulting, just to name a few.

No entry without a pat down

While the city of Dudelange will have final say, Luxinnovation and Technoport are responsible for prescreening all interested startups to determine readiness for entry into the Hub. Luxinnovation and Technoport will hopefully also have a part in the creation of Neischmelz, an effort that Dudelange encourages with hopes to optimize the transition.

“What would be even more advantageous is a synergistic relationship between the startups and city services.”

The city is taking steps to organize animations at the Innovation Hub Dudelange that will help make activities more visible to the surrounding community, including open house days and scholastics visits of the grounds. What would be even more advantageous is a synergistic relationship between the startups and city services.

Inauguration of Dudelange innovation hub for #ecoinnovation #cleantech #startups @FClosener @sasha_baillie @Technoport_Lux @tortorman @VilleDudelange @DanBiancalana pic.twitter.com/JiZYN9HUpN

— Luxinnovation (@Luxinnovation) June 30, 2018

Silicon Luxembourg got the chance to sit down with Grégoire Yakan, CEO and Founder of Koosmik, to discuss the startup’s electronic wallet solution on the Togolese market.

(Featured Image: Magloire Nyuiadzi, Grégoire Yakan, Lynda Sowu, Gildas Adohoun & Matthieu Crance / Image Credit © Koosmik)

What is Koosmik, exactly?

Koosmik is an electronic wallet solution designed for people lacking access to bank & financial services targeted mainly to Togo and Western Africa, where almost 80% of the population lacks access to a bank account.

Many Western Africans struggle with payments. Online payments are not at all the norm, so the marketplace is growing right now. And there’s a huge need because many commodities are prepaid services—services that must be purchased in advance in order to eliminate the risk of abuse. For example, a family may purchase €30 of electricity in June. Once that’s gone, the power goes out. This means if there is food or even medicine in the fridge, it can go bad if power goes out early. If electricity goes out, you can’t do anything. And there is no way to get the power back on quickly. With Koosmik, you can pay from your phone, or even ask a friend to do it for you. This changes daily life.

There is also a problem with theft. When people receive their salary (cash) from work, the money can be stolen just on the walk home! If paychecks go directly to the electronic wallet, that threat virtually disappears.

Koosmik uses the same local currency (FCFA – XOF), but it’s on an electronic wallet instead of cash notes. Other companies are on board too, such as cable and electricity companies. Organizations are happy to be paid quicker remotely, with full traceability and without too much staff involved. People will definitely be able to pay with Koosmik most of the time. We’re also hoping young people will prefer to pay their obligations as well because the interface comes through as a “WhatsApp like” chat.

In addition, there is no real loyalty programs available in Togo, so we created a full paperless loyalty program. Everyone will collaborate on the same platform, earn rewards and share the word to have more benefits.

“We believe electronic access to money is becoming a natural human right. If it contributes to solving other issues and brings more transparency and traceability, we will be even happier.”

What are your biggest challenges right now?

Our biggest challenge right now is trying to be attentive to community feedback and to create even more useful services through our app. In the end, that’s the best way to convince people about the benefits of mobile banking in Western Africa. There is a rising digitization movement in the region, and we need to listen to our users. The need is certainly there, but our target population needs to see the product up front to realize all what it can do. Given the status quo in the region, people will be able to better manage their finances.

In Western Africa, there is still an idea that “the only good money is money in my pocket,” and that thought must be overcome. When our clients see what the product can do, we’re confident the revolution will happen naturally, with no turning back.

What is your business model?

The product is, for most intents and purposes, 100% free. There are no hidden costs—no subscription fees or setup fees. We make money through a small commission fee on individual-to-merchant payments, at which point we charge the merchant. If, at some point, someone cashes out from their account, they will pay a little fee as well corresponding to the cash cost. We want to be clear, though, that individual-to-individual money transfers are free of charge, even if they do not share the same telecom provider. Koosmik wants to free people from traditional banking gravities. Cash is expensive, so let’s get rid of it!

“We are proud to be a tech company and not a bank. The idea was to find the best match between a mobile banking app and the evolution of emerging markets demands. […] In the end, our goal is not to solve all the issues with money and payments in Africa, but rather to provide for free in an all-in-one app the best financial hub of services to the market.”

Who are your competitors?

There are already some telecom companies working in this domain. So, yes, it is already possible to do some electronic transfers, but not in the same breadth. Also, there is a big cost for these telecom companies because what they achieve is moving cash from A to B using telecom credit. It’s a costly process for the users as well; in fact, domestically and internationally they can be charged up to almost 10% if they do not share the same telecom provider.

You can go to a certain place and get the money, but it’s a long and difficult process. Some people wait hours in line only to find out there was a misplacement problem and the cash desk has shut down. Koosmik allows you more access and takes away the waiting-for-cash problem. Lastly, Koosmik would allow faster distribution of bulk payments, giving merchants an incentive to facilitate their compatibility and salary treatments with the app.

Also, Koosmik has the advantage of an easy-to-use interface. For our users it’s designed like a chat app, something most tech-savvy West Africans are already very familiar with. It changes everything in terms of user experience compared to the traditional app from banks or telecom players. In general, the existing competitors have created the playing field that Koosmik can now enter. Koosmik will automate payments with certain clever tools that improve quality of life.

What was the inspiration for Koosmik?

We are proud to be a tech company and not a bank. The idea was to find the best match between a mobile banking app and the evolution of emerging markets demands. We always keep in mind the vision and core values of the company. After conducting an overall market analysis, we confirmed that African markets were more likely to be both fast and mass adopters of next generation mobile wallet solutions.

In the end, our goal is not to solve all the issues with money and payments in Africa, but rather to provide for free in an all-in-one app the best financial hub of services to the market. We believe electronic access to money is becoming a natural human right. If it contributes to solving other issues and brings more transparency and traceability, we will be even happier. Financial management will be a must in our digital world, and we will deliver the best solution in Togo and Western Africa at large.

How is network in Togo?

There are two providers for 3G and 4G (though it’s not as fast as in Europe). Togolese people mainly use smartphone connections instead of landlines outside of big cities. It’s important to note that internet is a main priority for almost all governments, so we expect to see much progress in the coming years. Things are only looking up!

“Africa’s got talent, and a lot of it. It’s just hidden and underappreciated. Tech will solve more daily problems in Africa than in Europe. That’s why we believe the future of tech, especially Fintech, is on this continent.”

Do you have a social approach as well?

Yes, this is closely related to the inspiration for Koosmik. We believe that a solid user base and the right team are the most important part of our company values. Perhaps the strongest proof of our commitment is the local team we’re building in Togo. It’s a “Solution for Africa, made in Africa,” as French President Macron said to us on Afric@tech during VivaTech, where we exhibited last May.

Our ambition is to eventually participate in education projects with young dynamic talents, locally, within the team—sharing with them our experience and skills. We also think that we are going to learn as much from this sharing knowledge experience by encouraging young entrepreneurs to create their business.

Clearly, we think the best way to grow a new generation of young dynamic executives and entrepreneurs is to allow them to evolve in this kind of working environment. We believe that we learn much more on the field facing real business situations than listening to theoretical lectures at school.

How do you see the future of tech in Africa?

Africa’s got talent, and a lot of it. It’s just hidden and underappreciated. Tech will solve more daily problems in Africa than in Europe. That’s why we believe the future of tech, especially Fintech, is on this continent.

Did you benefit from any aids and what are the next steps?

We did not benefit from any aid or special treatment in Europe or in Africa. We are geeks, so still believing the best aid we can have is to hire great people making a great product and hopefully profit will come one day. Next steps will be to raise more funds based on our pilot success, accelerate growth and expand to other countries.

This article was first published in the 9th issue of SILICON magazine. Be the first to read SILICON articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.

First Name/Last Name:

Aurélien Dobbels

Email:

adobbels@gmail.com

Phone Number:

+352 661 142 431

Url of the blog/company:

adobbels.github.io

Social Networks:

NC

Biography:

In parallel of his 10 years of experience in market finance, Aurélien developed a strong interest in innovation and startup industry: he has launched a second-hand furniture market place, worked together with a Luxembourg based FinTech and worked on a paper that shed some light on the following question: “Is crowdfunding an opportunity for the bank I work for?”.
He has just changed the path of his career and acquired technical skills thanks to Le Wagon coding bootcamp.

Building on these experiences, he has developed a skill set which allowed him to be hired as a Product Owner in charge of BIL’s innovation Lab.

Should you want to know him better, feel free to visit his GitHub page.

What I’m looking for:

Meet like-minded people.

What I can offer to the community:

Web development, Agile methodology, innovation, digital banking, finance, share a coffee or a beer.

Leverage your network. Meet entrepreneurs. Grow your business. Join the club and help build the future. We set up the first private business club for tech innovators, where individuals, startups and corporates can meet throughout the year at a series of dedicated events, including conferences, workshops and after-work events. We gather the best of the best entrepreneurs that Silicon Luxembourg’s network has to offer. Join the club and help build the future.

The Luxembourg Open Innovation Club (LOIC) recently hosted an evening of competition and networking centered around Artificial Intelligence.

Holding true to fundamental goal, the LOIC connected a range of businesses from large accounts, SMEs and new startups to help them access new ideas, external competencies and potential sources of growth at the innovation dating event.

These companies included Luxembourgish, French and Belgian thinkers, all of whom had the chance to pitch their ideas in competition and share ideas in a networking setting. Among the competitors were Case Law Analytics, Datakeen, EmailTree, Haapie, HighWave Capital, JetPak Data, Konverso, Sagacify, and Yields.io, who set the evening off with their pitches.

Following the pitches and providing time for Alexa-driven, audience voting was a roundtable under the theme of “How to create business value through artificial intelligence.” LOIC’s own ambassador, Emilie Bechet, hosted the guests from the Ai field: Dr. Emilia Tantar, leader of the artificial intelligence efforts at PwC Luxembourg and co-founder of BlackSwan, and Dr. Patrice Caire, researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Social Robotics. Some of the topics covered were application, externalization and ethics in Artificial Intelligence.

“But they all had one thing in common: the use of artificial intelligence to drive solutions.”

Then came the vote! The audience used and Alexa-assisted system to vote for three prizes: the most innovative startup, the startup with the best value proposition, and the most mature startup. Of the ten total startups in the running, products and services covered topics such as Training, automation, decision-making tools, data analysis and visualization, bots, and process optimization. But they all had one thing in common: the use of artificial intelligence to drive solutions.

“In the end, Haapie took most innovative, JetPack Data took best value proposition, and Yields.io took most mature.”

Bruno Wozniak, Chief Innovation Officer at Cargolux, the event’s sponsor, spoke about the event’s competitors. “Cargolux’s strategy is to become ‘The global carrier of choice’. For us, artificial intelligence has clear potential to disrupt our business model, and we are determined to make the best use of it. It was thus extremely relevant for us to support this event,” he said emphatically.

In the end, Haapie took most innovative, JetPack Data took best value proposition, and Yields.io took most mature.

Emilie Bechet explained her pleasure in hosting the event. “The format of the event is greatly rewarding both for the startups, who get a direct access to the large groups in Luxembourg, and for the corporates, who are given the opportunity to discover local and international innovations and their implications in different fields. I’m glad that we have gotten such positive feedback. It encourages us to do it again!”

As a major influencer in Private Equity and Venture Capital on Luxembourgish soil, the LPEA has a lot of pressure to find the right leadership to continue building Luxembourg’s reputation and thus activity in the alternative investments sphere. On July 4th, it did just that. The Board of the Luxembourg Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (LPEA) elected Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider as the new President for 2018-2020.

(Featured Image: Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider, new LPEA’s President, and Paul Junck, LPEA’s Managing Director / Image Credit © LPEA)

What does Madame Mekouar-Schneider bring to the table?

Well, she has a lot of experience. Mrs. Mekouar-Schneider is the Head of Syndicate and part of the Investment Team at Kharis Capital, “a direct investment firm backed by family offices and dedicated to mid-cap consumer markets with offices in Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland,” explains LPEA.

“With Rajaa at the head, LPEA is getting quite a range of angles to help tackle alternative investment fund acquisition to the Grand-Duchy.”

She has also been an LPEA board member for the past two years, which means she already knows the ins-and-outs of the internal network. If you attended or heard about the two very successful LPEA Insights Conferences, you can tip your hat to Rajaa, as she mastermined both of them.

Before making the move to Luxembourg in December of 2015, Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider was based in London where she worked in a host of different firms, including Draper Fisher Jurvetson ePlanet Ventures, Lazard European Private Equity Partners, and Change Capital Partners. She spent 15 years spread among the lot. With Rajaa at the head, LPEA is getting quite a range of angles to help tackle alternative investment fund acquisition to the Grand-Duchy.

What will the transition be like?

As she replaced now-former president Jérôme Wittamer, Rajaa Mrs. Mekouar-Schneider recognized the trust instilled in her. “Jérôme believed in [my] ability to succeed him after his four amazing years as well as by Paul Junck, Managing Director and by the LPEA board. It is a true privilege to work with such distinguished professionals and I am convinced we will continue to make the Luxembourg Private Equity community proud and inspire investors further afield to come here,” she said confidently.

“The priority is to “further promote Luxembourg as a hub for Private Equity, particularly for European Union and international investors pondering the idea of establishing investment teams here.”

What can we expect over the next two years?

Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider said it herself. The priority is to “further promote Luxembourg as a hub for Private Equity, particularly for European Union and international investors pondering the idea of establishing investment teams here. These range from established funds and niche players, to Family Offices and entrepreneurs. The same goes for the trusted advisors and service providers. LPEA can greatly contribute to this objective given its active role within the Private Equity community and Luxembourg deserves to be at the center of the map.”

“But given Rajaa’s demonstrations with the two Insights Conferences, we expect great things.”

This has always been LPEA’s mission and speaks to Rajaa’s modesty. But given Rajaa’s demonstrations with the two Insights Conferences, we expect great things.

A New Executive Committee too!

The Board meeting also elected the Executive Committee of LPEA which is now composed of Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider (Kharis Capital) as President, Jérôme Wittamer (Expon Capital) and Olivier Coekelbergs (EY) as the Vice-Presidents of the association, Eckart Vogler (Bi-Invest Advisors/ InvestIndustrial) as Treasurer, Emanuela Brero (CVC Capital Parners), Antoine Clauzel (3i Investments Luxembourg), Claus Mansfeldt (SwanCap Investment Management) and Hans-Jürgen Schmitz (Mangrove Capital Partners/ Honorary President of the LPEA) as members representing General Partners and Gilles Dusemon (Arendt & Medernach), Peter Myners (Allen & Overy), Nick Tabone (Deloitte) and Serge Weyland (Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management) representing the service providers and Paul Junck as Managing Director of LPEA.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is just around the corner in January 2019. Luxembourg’s own LuxFactory has secured 100 m² at what many consider the world’s largest high technology event. In 100m², LuxFactory has space for 16 of Luxembourg City’s most promising startups. Get your name in the running by sending an email to direction@luxfactory.com!

While seats are always highly sought-after, there is time until August 31^st to have your go at securing a spot. In terms of startup visibility, the venue can’t be beat. In January 2018, CES welcomed more than 182,000 people and 4,400 exhibitors, of which 900 were startups.

Taking place at the Eureka Pavilion, you won’t find a higher concentration of fully dedicated innovative technologies professionals in the world. Oh, and yeah, there will be about 1000 inspiring speakers.

In addition to the 16 chosen startups will be a powerful Luxembourgish delegation including some of the more well-known personalities in the Grand-Duchy.

Because startups will need to cover booth fees, Luxfactory is planning a way for said startups to obtain partnerships to split the costs.

Interested startups, send and email to direction@luxfactory.com or email questions to lkharchi@luxfactory.com!