On April 2nd, 360 webmarketing firm Poweron will host its 6th edition of Startup Academy Day at which 40 of France’s rising startups will have the opportunity to pitch in front of a jury of 20+ key players in France’s tech ecosystem (members of jury noted here). Poweron’s Startup Academy actually started in 2008 by Jean-François Ruiz & Sébastien Rousset and was one of the first programs in France focusing on the promotion and development of startups. Their idea blossomed and now includes a well-followed blog, newsletter, active social media presence, and, of course, their well-known Startup Academy competition.
Over the years, over 600 startups have applied to their annual competition, with three jury selected winners emerging at each Startup Academy Day. Many of the winners have gone on to raise funds and, in some cases, have emerged as some of France’s startup success stories, including AllMyApps, Lengow, and Fidall. In addition to the three main prizes, there will also be a public prize which gives the general public the chance to give their opinion on their favorite startup. The public prize, which was awarded for the first time last year, is cosponsored by online entrepreneur radio startup Widoobiz. In order to determine the winner of the prize, all startups that enter the competition do a ‘radio’ pitch via Widoobiz which will be available on their site via podcast from March 18-29th. Those who listen to the podcast can ‘like’ their favorite entry and the startup with the most ‘likes’ will be announced as the winner on the 2nd.
Although only 40 of the startups who applied will be selected to pitch at the event, the organizers have always welcomed the broader French ecosystem to attend and actively participate in Startup Academy Day. Last year’s edition drew at least 150 attendees, of which 80% were entrepreneurs, offering attendees a great opportunity to meet and network with their peers.
The organizers have kindly given us 5 free tickets to give away, so if you want to win one, just ‘like’ this article on our Facebook page. Make sure to act fast or register here, because places are limited and going quickly.
