Strasbourg’s entrepreneurs were in the spotlight during the European Entrepreneur Week (12 to 17 November 2018). From the communication campaign publicising the event to the number of prizes awarded to local companies, one thing is for sure – entrepreneurship in Strasbourg looks set for a bright future!

Hosted by the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg and the Wirtschaftsregion Ortenau, the 8th European Entrepreneur Week featured 19 events on either side of the Rhine, 26 partners and leading organisations and attracted over 2000 attendees.

Teaser for the European Entrepreneur Week

The idea ? To bring entrepreneurs seeking to start-up new companies or acquire existing ones into contact with funding structures, networks and established entrepreneurs to share experiences, offer advice and recommend good practices, boost dynamism and encourage cooperation both in a cross-border context and locally. It’s also a great opportunity for spotlighting the men and women bearing the standard of Strasbourg entrepreneurship.

For the first time since the start of the European Entrepreneur Week, Strasbourg launched a promotion campaign for the event, by highlighting local talents on bill posters and through a teaser on the Internet.

Women to the fore: two thirds of the campaign featured women, in line with the programme of the European Entrepreneur Week, a major part of which focused on female entrepreneurship!

Who are the entrepreneurs?

Christèle Vaast

Who? Christèle Vaast was once manager of a retail outlet in the south of France, working with Thierry Milone, her current partner both in business and in real life!

The project? L’Anticafé, a franchise with a warm, contemporary decor, which doubles as a café, an office and an area for organising meetings.

The innovation? Customers pay for the time (by the hour, day or month) they spend in the café, coffee and snacks are included.

Noémie Boschetti

Who? A marketing professional, she left Paris in summer 2015 and decided to move to Strasbourg with her husband and 3 children.

The project? Mums In Strasbourg: a collaborative platform for parents, with great ideas and local info. Strasbourg was the first step in a project that Noémie Boschetti hopes to take further.

The innovation? Making life easier for parents, through a completely local network. The platform works like a personal assistant, with tips, places to go, reductions and also a social network for parents to get to know each other.

Arthur Manier

Who? Arthur Manier is from Haute-Normandie and chose the Strasbourg Business School to do his Masters in Entrepreneurship. 6 years later, he founded Pandacola and still lives in the city.

The project? Pandacola, is a start-up in the Biocluster des Haras, specialising in goodies and other promotional products and custom gifts.

The innovation? It’s the very first marketplace for promotional products with an environmental slant.

See the videos:

•  Sabine Bauer, the Clerff-Fraikin hat shop
•  Julien Guay, co-founder (with Emeline Hahn!) of Fizimed, a start-up developing a device for strengthening the pelvic floor
•  Anne Lienhart, Media Blick, communication and public-relations consultant
•  Sylvain Claudel, head of Caldeira Engineering, an independent design office specialising in plastic component design and process engineering
•  Marie Mahé, head of KeeSeeK, an online platform, the first combining job offers with accommodation within a single ad!
• Marc Kopff, CEO of the Théâtre du Vin
•  Alexandra Hergott, a qualified astronomer and founder of Enastros, a company popularising astronomy through home-based projections
•  Elise Agnimel, a specialist in high-quality artisanal food products, which she imports from Africa and sells through Monoprix shops in the Grand Est region
•  Thiviya Ramaratnam, owner of a shop specialising in Indian fashions.

Prizes for Strasbourg entrepreneurs

The Odyssées des entrepreneurs is a competition organised, among others, by the local Chamber of Commerce and the European Entrepreneur Week was the ideal backdrop for the climax of the competition – the candidates’ pitches and the presentation of the 2018 awards. Of the 5 prizes awarded by the CCI Alsace Eurometropolis, the Alsace Chamber of Trades and the Région Grand Est, two went to Strasbourg companies.

Odyssée CCI Alsace Eurometropolis prize (project-initiator category) 
Ninjastorm (Matthieu Muller, Ludovic Bertrand and Gauthier Muller)
A recreational sports centre in the Hautepierre retail park, based on the Ninja Warrior concept and featuring a fun obstacle course for all ages.

Prix Odyssée CMA (Strasbourg Chamber of Trades) (young enterprise category) La fille du boucher (Natacha Bieber)
After getting a Master’s degree in foreign languages, Natacha Bieber decided to switch professions and took a course in how to become a butcher. After working with famous Paris butchers Desnoyer and Le Bourdonnec, Natacha decided to open La fille du boucher, a new-style butcher’s in Strasbourg city centre.

Great success stories, which promise great things for the coming year… Let’s keep an eye out for them!