DISKUTA, THE STARTUP THAT MONETIZES THE INFLUENCERS’ COMMUNITIES

Diskuta allows influencers to monetize their communities. How does it work? By calling their fans and getting paid for it! In concrete terms, the startup connects influencers with followers who want to talk with them live. The principle is really to chat (hence the name “Diskuta”) with your favourite influencer as if you were asking a friend for news or advice. Influencers make call slots available according to their availability. Then they define the price of the call that their followers will have to pay to chat with them. Their followers just have to book a time slot to chat.   Diskuta : Calling their followers on 1:1 chat to monetise the audience “Our goal is to create a new source of income for influencers and to deliver happiness to followers. “ Additional income for influencers The French startup Diskuta addresses the desire of many influencers to make a living from their content creation activity. Influencers who offer inspiring content to their followers can share their expertise and ideas with their followers. For the content creator, the strategy is simple “Call. Earn.” as the site says. The more calls they make, the more they earn. The site takes a commission but does not charge a subscription fee. “We earn cash, if the influencer earns cash with us, that’s only fair”. An average influencer can quickly earn more than 100€ in an hour, while having a real added value for their followers. Influencer rates on Diskuta vary according to their fame and what they can bring to the follower. The limited time of influencers and the high demand for personalised calls drive up prices, which are generally between €25 and €50 per call, and even more for some celebrities. An average influencer can quickly earn over €100 in an hour, while adding real value for their influencer.   More proximity and backing from the community The aim of the platform Diskuta is also to help influencers strengthen the relation between them and their followers. Basically, personalising the relationship with engaged followers means converting them even more and turning them into ambassadors. It creates proximity and deepens relationships. Content creators can use Diskuta as a way to strengthen their community and share their experience and expertise. “You can call them live, you can talk to them. It makes you want to follow them even more and help them with their personal or professional projects.” Influencers can go further to serve their community, but in a broader sense this time, by offering charity calls! The earnings are then transferred directly to the association by the platform. Safe calls for influencers on Diskuta To ensure security, influencers do not share their phone number. The call module is integrated directly into the platform. And calls are not visible or recorded by Diskuta, they are strictly private!   Personalised content and advice for the followers The one-to-one call is also a real opportunity for the follower to have a more personalised conversation. Who hasn’t dreamt of talking to their idol? Diskuta offers the possibility to talk “face to face” as you would talk to a friend on whatsapp or FaceTime. You can discuss anything and everything, but also ask for advice. Many influencers have an area of expertise, such as fashion, sports, travel. Followers inspired by their content are interested in getting expert advice. What do we talk about with influencers on Diskuta?   On Instagram, Tiktok or Youtube, influencers are everywhere and talk about everything. Each influencer develops his or her own universe with an area of expertise. Let’s take a few examples: Lifestyle influencer, inspiration at the heart of Diskuta calls! “Lifestyle” is very broad. Depending on their recognised expertise, some influencers can guide their community to invest, to travel or even to prepare a world tour. Through Diskuta calls, these influencers can simply become “role models” for their followers. By inspiring them to achieve goals they have already reached, for example. A strong motivation for sure!   Fashion influencer for personalised fashion advice An influencer specialised in fashion can talk about how photoshoots take place (the “behind the scene”), how she chooses the clothes she wears or the brands she collaborates with. Likewise, a beauty pageant can explain her background and help prepare the new contestants. But she will also be able to give fashion tips or her fitness routine to her followers! If the fans follow her, it is because she inspires them. If she inspires them, she can surely advise them!   Sports Influencer for coaching and real feedback Who hasn’t dreamt of debating the match with their favourite sportsperson? Diskuta has made it real! A sportsman or woman can talk about his or her matches and competitions with other enthusiasts. Some of his followers will certainly want to know about his training, or even be mentored in their own training to continue to progress. Parents whose children are passionate about sports will also be interested in having them meet a star in the field. Inspiration guaranteed!

Google invests $145 million in two Indian social networks

Google, which has not been successful in this area, is investing in two Indian social networks. These are the Indian start-ups Glance and Roposo, which are actually owned by InMobi, the leader in mobile advertising in India. Google is investing on social networks in India. The American giant has devoted a budget of 145 million dollars to invest in two start-ups specialising in the activation and monetisation of social media, reports VentureBeat. The Californian company is relying on the liquidity of Google’s India Digitalization Fund. This fund is leading these two fundraising campaigns alongside Mithril Partners, the fund of Ajay Royan and Peter Thiel.   GLANCE, the next big Indian social networks These Indian social networks young but experienced. Glance depends on the subsidiary dedicated to mobile marketing activities of InMobi, the leader in mobile advertising in India. This entity focuses on lockscreen technology that allows users to view content when their phone is locked. InMobi created Glance only in March 2019. It relies on artificial intelligence technologies that provide personalised feeds and content in several languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bahasa). The solution, called Lockfeed and available on Android, offers content in different categories such as entertainment, sports, fashion and news. It boasts more than 115 million active daily users who devote 25 minutes a day to it. ROPOSO : Snapchat and Tiktok’s future competitor Roposo (owned by InMobil since November 2019) has developed a platform for sharing very short videos on social networks. It claims more than 33 million active users per month who spend 20 minutes a day consuming content available in more than 10 languages. The Roposo application has been downloaded more than 103 million times from the Google Play Store in November 2020. It has clearly benefited from the ban on the Chinese TikTok application. This agreement demonstrates Google’s strong interest in the Indian technology market. Several unicorns, including InMobi, have surfaced in recent years. Above all, it shows that the interest of the Californian giant is still in social networks, where Google has suffered some setbacks. Glance wants to launch in the United States while Roposo may represent an alternative to TikTok and Snapchat. While both are based in Bangalore, India, their parent company already has offices in San Francisco.

Tokeny, the fintech startup guiding Monaco in the tokenisation of assets

Will Monaco, accompanied by blockchain startup Tokeny, be the future “funding nation”? The process of Fundraising through tokenisation of assets in Monaco is being prepared. Indeed, Monaco’s ambitions for the Blockchain are making two great strides: Preparing the legislative system to welcome decentralised finance with Law 1491 of June 2020. Recruiting the technology startup specialising in the creation of blockchains: Tokeny Frédéric Genta, who worked for Google and is interministerial delegate in charge of the digital transition, has the ambition to host regulated Security Tokens Offerings (STOs). STOs are an alternative to fundraising, which allows funds to be raised directly through the sale of tokens. Each token represents a share of the company. And any asset (company, work of art, film project etc…) can be tokenised. Sometimes called “securitisation 2.0”, the tokenisation of assets has many advantages: Improving liquidity Enabling faster settlement Reducing costs and strengthen risk management and compliance.   Tokeny, fintech startup, Blockchain partner in Monaco for the DeFi Tokeny, a Luxembourg-based fintech company, will manage the operational part of Monaco’s decentralised finance. On the administrative aspect, the Principality will label the projects to reassure investors. “The lack of high quality tokenised assets has been a stumbling block in the tokenisation industry. With the mandatory label, the projects selected by the Principality of Monaco will be easily recognised by investors as serious and high quality investment opportunities”, explains Luc Falempin, CEO of Tokeny Solutions. Tokeny’s solution for Monaco’s STOs Tokeny’s solution consists of a technology platform sold as a service and supported by a robust blockchain. The blockchain startup Tokeny offers three products: Issuance and allocation of tokens and onboarding investors; Transfer and control of these tokens by the blockchain; and after-issuance service and a white-label investor portal. High security measures for the Monaco Blockchain For the issuer of the tokens, the rules related to AML and KYC checks will be automatically applied. Companies raising funds will have to be registered in Monaco. Also, the fund raising project will have to be approved by the Monegasque authorities. And finally, article 4 of Law 1491 requires that the funds be sequestered until they are invested. “Finally, the rights of investors will be guaranteed by their blockchain identity.” reassures Luc Falempin.   Euronext, Tokeny’s new shareholder to gain credibility In July 2019, Tokeny announced that Euronext had subscribed to its entire €5 million capital increase. The Luxembourg start-up had already won the Fintech prize at the 4th edition of the Fintech Awards Luxembourg. This entry in Euronext’s capital is a clear sign of the market’s confidence in Tokeny. Indeed, the young startup fintech was only born in September 2017 and has quickly established itself as a serious player in the field. Thus, Euronext subscribes to the €5M and takes control of 23.5% of the shares. Finally, the manager of the European stock exchanges benefits from a position on the board of directors.   5M raised for Tokeny and a good dose of credibility alongside Euronext “This is doubly important,” notes Tokeny’s CEO, “On the one hand, we will be able to recruit the best people to continue our development. Of course, developers but also support functions. People who will be able to accompany us in the deployment with our new customers, and in communication as well.” “And on the other hand, Euronext, with whom contacts began in February-March, is the perfect partner for its European dimension, but also central to the organisation of the markets. This can be reassuring for our prospects and future clients”. In short, great prospects for the fintech hosted at the Lhoft! “It’s also the right time because regulations are opening up, particularly in France and Luxembourg“, says Luc Falempin.   Tokeny, supported by PWC for turnkey tokenisation solutions Tokeny and PwC Luxembourg have founded a joint business relationship. This enables them to provide turnkey solutions for asset tokenisation. This solution can be applied to both capital markets and asset management. This partnership will be a complete offer on the tokenisation of existing and new assets: Legal and legal aspects to be managed by PWC (from accounting to law, regulation, taxation, risk insurance Technical aspect to be managed by Tokeny (technical solution, cybersecurity or conservation) Tokeny is gearing up to become the partner of the Principality of Monaco in its Blockchain and STO projects! “Thanks to tokenisation, institutions can digitise financial assets such as shares, loans, bonds, funds and other securities. They can thus streamline their administration to provide customers with a digital service first”, according to Luc Falempin. “In addition to reducing costs for companies, this new technology can open up new revenue models and new markets for industry players”.

5 Monegasque startups enter the MonacoTech incubator in 2020

When you think Monaco, you automatically think about yachts, big cars and richest men on the planet, and not so much about the Monegasque startups. But the Principality has a lot of projects like becoming a leader of fundraising through the tokenisation of assets and developping a state of the art incubator. Indeed, And Monaco is now home to a startup incubator, MonacoTech. And the institution is rather well-born since it was founded by Monaco Telecom but above all by the startupper Xavier Niel himself! It must be said that the first startupper in France is a shareholder of Monaco Telecom. He is even developing 5G in the country! MonacoTech, the incubator of Monegasque startups, has just selected 5 new candidates to be incubated. For this 5th edition of the competition launched, the Principality’s incubator received 38 projects from 13 different countries. Not bad for an incubator founded in 2018 only! The Monaco incubator welcomes start-ups from a wide variety of sectors, under the direction of Lionel Galfré, former director of the IMSEE : AdTech BioTech GreenTech MedTech Yachting, of course! Where better than in Monaco? The Startuppers Club presents the 3 incubated startups that you need to get to know: Carlo (Commerce), our favourite startup at MonacoTech The most Monegasque of Monegasque startups. The Startuppers Club’s favourite! The startup is reinventing the local shopping experience, and has already developed its offer in the Principality. Led by startupper Antoine Bahri, the application has already convinced 66 shops in Monaco to join the programme. In these difficult times for small businesses, this application has everything to please. Created in March 2018, the Monegasque startup’s ambitions are already focused on international markets. Indeed, the Carlo application is currently being tested in Barcelona. The principle is simple: all you have to do is scan the shop’s QR code to be credited with 5% cashback on your virtual wallet. In concrete terms, you don’t need to give your bank details, the shop will treat your credit like a gift voucher! Air Ion Technologies (Aeronautics) Air Ion, incubated in Monaco, develops drones and a 100% electric helicopter. This young Swiss company mainly develops military drones. This startup is made up of a group of engineers, pilots and managers specialised in aeronautics. The small team came together in Lugano in 2017 to found Air-Ion. The startup is located next to the private airport of Ambri in order to carry out tests more easily and to be closer to its first partner SKT Helicopters. But the startup has already collaborated with Antonov as well! Mea Plant (GreenTech) The Italian startup Mea Plant is developing an innovative solution for above-ground cultivation using a non-absorbent substrate. The drops of water, supplied by the irrigation system, remain suspended on a network of wires that make up the innovative cultivation substrate. The concept works a bit like a spider’s web after the rain that holds the water drops. The water is completely consumed by the roots, without any accumulation of mineral salts in the substrate. The water savings made possible by this concept is about 90%. Of course the elements are made of recyclable materials and the whole thing does not need any pesticides or herbicides. Finally, the good autonomy of the solution ends up making it a promising startup in the GreenTech. 2 other Monegasque startups incubated in MonacoTech that worth a look YouStock, an Monegasque startups alumni ! The Monegasque startup YouStock is one of the successes of the MonacoTech incubator. The company makes storage accessible to all. Indeed, Youstock offers a service adapted to everyone and at unbeatable prices. The team comes to your premises and does its utmost to save you time. The services offered by the startup are diverse, from packaging, to inventory and, of course, the storage of your belongings. Thanks to the online inventory, you can request the partial or total recovery of your belongings at any time within 24 hours. Rates are calculated to the nearest cubic metre, which will allow you to take advantage of an advantageous and degressive rate depending on the duration of your commitment. YachtNeeds Yachtneeds allows its user list, mainly made up of captains, crew and shore-based professionals, to chat live. The site and the related application allow you to find and apply for jobs worldwide. Also, a geolocalised directory allows users to search for products and services in more than 600 major ports and marinas. The ambition of this startup is to be the reference in terms of the online yachting ecosystem. What better place to start than the Principality of Monaco!

Monaco: Fundraising through tokenisation explained by Grant Thornton

Fundraising through tokenisation of assets is a hot topic. The Principality of Monaco wants to become the world leader in ICO (Initial Coins Offering) and STO (Security Tokens Offering). The State has defined 3 main objectives linked to the tokenisation of assets: Attract new start-ups and activities Become the leader in environmental fundraising (CleanTech) Develop an alternative to a stock exchange via tokens Extended Monaco‘s ambition is to attract companies and activities thanks to the development of new technologies, such as the blockchain, with the help of innovative means of financing. For its part, the State is financing a first ICO dedicated to the production of the new documentary film by Luc Jacquet, Oscar-winning director of The March of the Emperor. Like the Monegasque State, investors will be able to invest in green projects approved by the Principality. Grant Thornton Monaco hosted a webinar on fundraising through tokenisation, which StartuppersClub attended, here the main information ! Regulatory aspects of fundraising through asset tokenisation in Monaco Monaco has established a legal framework for the use of tokens and in order to become the leader in fundraising through asset tokenisation. Law 1482 of 17th December 2019 – Monegasque law n° 1.482 of 17th December 2019 for a digital Principality, introduced (among others) the notion of “token” and recognises its legal existence in Article 2 [Translated] : The token is “an intangible asset representing in digital format, one or more rights, goods or services, which may be issued, registered, kept or transferred by means of a digital recording device on a shared register and which, at the time of its issue or subscription, assumes the legal nature of the said right, good or service”. Law 1491 of 23rd June 2020 – The purpose of this law is to introduce, in Monegasque law, a legal framework relating to token offers (called ICO or STO). Token offering is a form of fund raising carried out by means of a digital recording device on a shared register, such as a blockchain, and giving rise to the issuance of tokens in return for the capital outlay made by investors. Order 8258 of 18 September 2020 2 types of token exist: The Utility token has for final purpose its use within the framework of a service. It can be spent but it is not a financial asset, just a kind of credit in an application. Issuing this type of token is called Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The Security token is a pure financial asset, the equivalent of shares in a company for example. The issue of this type of token is called Security Token Offering (STO). Security aspects of fundraising through tokenisation in the Principality of Monaco Digital assets must be secured before they are made available to subscribers. Law 1491 of 23 June 2020 details the conditions for raising funds by tokenisation in Monaco. The aim of the Principality is here to secure ICOs and STOs, which is not always the case in other jurisdictions. This should reassure investors and create quality investments.  Producing the most secure token fundraising in the world is Monaco’s ultimate goal. Article 2 of Law 1491: Administrative authorisation of the fundraising through tokenisation [Translated] The realisation of a token offering is subject to prior administrative authorisation in the form of a label. Article 3 of Law 1491: Registration in Monaco The legal entity proposing an ICO or STO must be registered in Monaco and receive a label from the Principality. Article 4 of Law 1491: Funds escrowed until the end of the fund raising process The funds collected will be placed in an escrow account located in the Principality. The transferred funds can only be used when the project actually starts. If the fundraising is not fully completed, the funds will be blocked in a Monegasque bank. Article 5 of Law 1491: A dedicated platform validated by the Monegasque authorities The digital platforms will be validated by the Monegasque authorities. It will have to clearly identify the issuer and will retain full control over the tokens issued. Creation of a secondary market: the virtual stock exchange in Monaco A secondary market in Monaco would allow the sale of company shares in the form of tokens. In addition, it would facilitate the establishment of a kind of simplified stock exchange. It doesn’t exist at the moment, but the Blockchain technology combined with the tokenisation of assets could well make it possible! This market would increase the liquidity of investments in Monaco. It would therefore be possible to hold tokens for projects validated by the Principality. However, some questions still remain to be answered as to how to enhance the value of these digital assets and tax the gains. The startup Tokeny will help Monaco to develop its platform dedicated to the tokenisation of assets. The fintech is already specialised in the field of blockchain creation. According to Stanislas Colin-Benoit of the audit firm specialising in digital assets Cattalaxy, the Monegasque blockchain would gain in security as the platform is adopted by more and more people. Indeed, the security of a blockchain is determined in particular by the number of stakeholders. Monaco’s approach is of course not speculative and the State will not invest in cryptocurrencies. The aim is really to develop a new economy around this blockchain technology.   Get help from Grant Thornton Monaco for your STO (Security Tokens Offering) If you wish to carry out a fundraising campaign by tokenisation (STO) but the project seems complicated for you, Grant Thornton Monaco (Yohan Roudaut and Michael Mangano) and its partner Cattalaxy can help you with the key stages of your ICO/STO: Administrative steps to obtain the label Drafting of the “white paper”, the document that investors will read to understand the characteristics of the token (Art. 7 of Law 1491). Analysis of the compliance of internal procedures with the AML and KYC rules of Monaco Audit of the financial statements by a certified auditor, in particular for funds investing in tokens

Scaleway invites startups from Eastern Europe to its Startup Program

Scaleway, the second European cloud computing provider, has launched its Startup Program. With a special edition dedicated to promoting startups from CEE countries, they want to allow young companies to gain business experience and enable them to scale faster. To do so, Scaleway provides them with exclusive access to cloud solutions, technical support, mentoring, media visibility, and the list goes on. Scaleway launches its Startup Program The Startup Program by Scaleway was launched in June 2020. Each month, they onboard five new startups. As part of the one-year program, selected companies receive €3,000 per month in cloud credits to allow them to fulfil their full potential. They also benefit from training with mentors in the fields of IT, product development, marketing, and get the opportunity to establish contacts and cooperate within the international startup community. More and more startups take into consideration where their clients’ data is stored – due to GDPR regulations. As Scaleway is a European company, their partners can be certain that they meet the highest security standards. In the next edition, from October 15 to November 15, the company is focusing on Central and Eastern Europe – only startups from Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine can apply. “Startups from CEE have a drive and energy of their new, fresh ecosystems and to choose a European, and still quite new, multicloud solution as a partner makes a lot of sense for them, and it gives great support for us” says Pascal Condamine, Head of Startup Programs at Scaleway. As he adds, this special edition of the program is a great opportunity for the startups from CEE to join, as they will be competing with a bit of a smaller pool of competitors than usually, as other countries are excluded from this edition. For more information, please visit https://www.scaleway.com/en/startup-program/ or e-mail us at startup-program@scaleway.com The European provider of cloud services in Europe Scaleway is a European provider of cloud services. offering a number of pioneering solutions in the field of cloud infrastructure for professionals. Scaleway is expanding its operations around the world, and currently serves customers in over 160 countries. It has six data centers located in France, the Netherlands and most recently Poland, providing three availability zones.  

TECH SPIRIT BARCELONA ORGANIZES FOLLOWING CANCELLATION OF MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS

Catalan startuppers have proposed to hold “entrepreneurship days”. These will take place between 23 and 27 February, following the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress. Indeed, this global event has been cancelled due to the risks linked to coronavirus. Called Tech Spirit Barcelona, this event will bring together at least 2,500 people. It will be held at the Llotja de Mar and at the Barcelona Tech City Association. It is this association that is promoting the project. Tech Spirit Barcelona: a replacement for the Mobile World Congress The organizers presented this Tuesday the outline of the conference, which will be free of charge. The Generalitat and Mobile World Capital backed this replacement project. After the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona’s business ecosystem has decided to join forces to promote an alternative event. However, the organizers asked to avoid comparisons with the cancelled event. Indeed, the MWC is normally a big event with a global impact and more than 20,000 people attending. The city’s first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni, wanted to be confident but thinks it is still too early to see what the economic impact will be. Miguel Vicente, President of Barcelona Tech City, pointed out that last week there was no such event planned. His intention is that it will only take place this year due to the exceptional nature of the cancellation of the Mobile. “We haven’t slept in five days! » Miguel Vicente, President of Barcelona Tech City Tech Spirit Barcelona: Already a success! Airbnb, Cabify, Glovo and Uber have already announced their participation in Tech Spirit Barcelona. In addition, the organizers explained that many of the companies and funds that were due to attend the Mobile conference have confirmed their presence, including 150 investment funds and 40 speakers. Finally, the conference has a budget of around half a million euros and is supported by local authorities, the Generalitat and the Government. “This is a great example of public-private collaboration, a civic and almost romantic movement to maintain the city’s entrepreneurial spirit,” said Miguel Vicente, president of the Barcelona Tech City association, which brings together more than 1,000 companies in the digital sector. Tech Spirit Barcelona hopes to attract 2,500 participants and organises around 50 conferences and activities. Networking and speedating for Barcelona and international start-ups As part of the Open Challenges Innnovation, 120 Catalan and international startups will propose solutions to the challenges posed by 35 multinationals. In addition, the Government of Catalonia will organise networking meetings between 240 companies. Finally, the format is close to that of speeddating, with small 20-minute interviews. Just enough time to pitches your idea and see if common interests can emerge.

TRENDS 2020: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, VIRTUAL REALITY AND KILLER ROBOTS

Unicorns buying unicorns. An $8T opportunity in wellness technology. Empathy in design. Killer robots. Here are the main technological trends that should reshape the industries in 2020. At least, according to the CB Insights report on the 14 Tech Trends 2020. The Startuppers Club goes back over the main points of this report whose conclusions are based on artificial intelligence. Virtual reality and work organisation According to the CB Insights study, virtual reality could well be integrated into the organization of companies to bring people together from far away. Indeed, for several years now, we have been noticing the rise of remote workers and freelancers. But we also note the increase in real estate prices which could push some companies to relocate part of their employees. It would therefore become interesting to make some employees work from home, or in cities cheaper than Paris, London or New York. This is where virtual reality comes into its own! Startups such as Magic Leap or Spatial offer virtual rooms where employees’ avatars can meet. When participants wear the glasses, they feel like they are in a meeting room with others. But startups are not alone on the market because Google, Apple and Microsoft are already on the market. Last year, Google launched a new edition of its virtual reality headset for businesses and Microsoft launched its Hololens 2, also for businesses. Killer robots and ransomwares CB Insights predicts an increase in crimes perpetrated by robots or malware. In 2017, the movie Slaughterbots was released on Youtube. It featured autonomous drones capable of killing. But these drones were also equipped with facial recognition technology. The risk of seeing killer robots is very real according to CB Insights, since all technologies are available today. And they’re not too expensive, so they’re not reserved for states like nuclear weapons could be. Also, ransomwares should multiply and attack key institutions. Last year we saw attacks on the city of Atlanta, the British social security service or the London Stock Exchange. According to a report by McAfee, the hacking ecosystem will grow and concentrate to create more powerful forces. It is expected that in reaction cybersecurity startups will emerge against ransomwares. Cybersecurity will therefore certainly be in the Top 10 of Trends 2020. Artificial intelligence in Trends 2020, of course As every year, artificial intelligence is part of the Trends 2020. Start-ups that are evolving there are raising millions of dollars and the progress made is significant. Machine learning technology should become more democratic. “No code analytics” is seen as the next development of artificial intelligence. Indeed, Chad Meley of Teradata foresees the multiplication of big data platforms accessible to the public in Saas mode. The learning machine will thus become available without computer or coding skills. But while waiting for this to happen you can go and see how to invest in artificial intelligence as of now to take advantage of this trend! But artificial intelligence will not be used only to solve hunger around the world. Deepfakes are the evil counterpart of the benefits of AI. Indeed, DeepFakes should start to be released soon because the technology is already developed. One can think that there will be artificial intelligence startups created to detect deepfakes! Russia and Saudi Arabia to finance large-scale tech startups This is not really one of the new 2020 trends, but it is certainly a trend that will become stronger! Russia and Saudi Arabia have financed very large deals through sovereign wealth funds and should continue to do so. As a reminder, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has invested nearly 90 billion dollars in the SoftVision fund. The PIF has thus invested 45% of the total amount of SoftVision. SoftVision being one of the largest funds for startups in the world. This fund has moreover taken stakes in a few successful startups such as Slack, and even unicorns such as PayTM. Finally, Saudi Arabia has tripled its startup-focused installations. And “Vision 2030” has set significant targets to support SMEs. For its part, Russia has also been rather dynamic, investing in Richard Branson’s Hyperloop project but also in the Russian Google, called Yandex. Moreover, Moscow has created one of the biggest centres for innovation and start-ups: Skolkovo. This giant incubator created an investment fund “Skolkovo Ventures” in 2018. Together with Sberbank, this new Russian fund dedicated to startuppers should invest in numerous projects. Health and well-being: new markets for $8T Health and wellness will be among the top Trends 2020. Not only medical groups, but also startups and Google are interested in this market which promises to be huge. Indeed, life expectancy is increasing almost everywhere. As a result, more and more people are reaching an age that requires more care: anti-aging, wellness, etc… Google, the tech giant, is already ahead in the field. Its subsidiary Calico Life Sciences is making research a priority. With 2 main objectives: to increase life expectancy and to develop responses to age-related diseases such as cancer or neurodegeneration. Other startups go further by proposing to replace the body organ that no longer functions. Organovo and Celllink propose to use 3D printing technology to print organs. These organs would be made of cultured and interconnected cells. And some solutions already work, such as the artificial heart of the French company Carmat.

Value proposition : 3 tips to write it effectively

As always, the Startuppers Club helps you design your startup projects. You’ve managed to find a good idea to create your startup and you’ve even found a name that is still available. You’re good! So next step of the startupper-to-be is writing a good value proposition. Yet 3 statistics show that there is still work to be done: 7 out of 10 products that come out on the market do not find any customers (according to a study by Simon-Kucher & Partners, 2014). 82% of sites do not provide a clear understanding of what the company offers (according to a Convertize study, 2018). 8 seconds. This is the average attention time it takes for an Internet user to know if he or she will stay longer on the site. I – 3 criteria for a good value proposition A good value proposition should ideally fit into one sentence. It is the promise you make to your customers in exchange for their trust. It must be kept by your product or service. 3 criteria are important for good writing: Concrete Relevant Unique 1. How to make your proposal as concrete as possible to be easily understood? A. Easy to understand and clear Your value proposition must be very clear and easy to understand. Given the 8 decisive seconds to stay on a site, the Internet user must understand immediately what your startup proposes. A slogan or a short sentence should convey the overall idea. For example, you can’t use “Just do it” as a value proposition as it’s not self-explanatory at all. Nike can “do it” because the brand activity is already well-known. B. Close to reality The explanation of your concept must be as close as possible to reality so as not to create expectations or frustrations for the customer. Otherwise he would not be satisfied and will not come back. So, do not embellish the reality, but really explain what your startup can offer, what need it can meet etc… C. Accuracy of the value proposition The more specific the value proposition, the more likely the target customer will want to buy the product. For example, it is easy to see the difference between “learning how to negotiate” and “learning how to negotiate to buy property for a good price”. If you sell real estate training, then your wording becomes much more specific and your clients will know that you are offering exactly what they are looking for. 2. How do you make your value proposition relevant? A. Targeting the customer’s need Your value proposition must respond directly to the needs of your target customer. You need to determine how your service or product is in line with the customer’s wishes. The ideal if you have a website is even to understand what your target audience is typing to find you. In our recent example, he will certainly type “negotiate real estate purchase”. From an SEO and marketing point of view, it would therefore be a good idea to include these words in your wording. Perhaps “Learn how to negotiate to make a good real estate purchase” would be more appropriate. B. Understand the value proposition you are looking for This step is essential for a successful startup. Some ideas are good but do not correspond to any need and therefore do not reach any client. Don’t hesitate to take some time at the beginning to understand the market expectations. What are the key points of the expected service? What are the points that do not bring value to the startup’s proposition? etc… To do this, you can conduct market research and approach your future customers to better understand them, to know what they dream of. Taking time to define the need is key in entrepreneurship. This may save you from setting up a startup for nothing or having to shift your business model afterwards. 3. How to ensure the uniqueness of the concept? A. What makes your value proposition unique? Finally, the last step in the creation of the value proposition is to ensure the uniqueness of the concept. Of course, you can’t always be alone in thinking about an idea. But you have to try to explain why the offer you are proposing is the best fit, the best etc… B. Examples of uniqueness of proposal You can put forward a quality of service, speed of execution, outstanding reliability, or a different mindset from the competition… But the more you differentiate yourself, the more you will be able to federate your customers around strong values. A good example would be Apple and Samsung who both offer smartphones. But the value proposition is very different, and Apple customers are very loyal to their brand. II. The Ultimate Goal of the Value Proposition: Converting Customers Indeed, if the value proposition must be as adapted to the customer’s needs and its formulation as simple as possible, it is because it will serve to present your startup in a process of choice. The choice is made by the customer. Will he stay on your site? Does he want to buy your product? Will he be seduced by your service? Like most startups, you probably have a website. Therefore, the objective of your value proposition is that your first visitors continue beyond the landing page or home page. To achieve this, you need to be punchy, make the web user want to go further to learn more. But to optimise these conversions, in addition to the above, you will have to go through AB Testing. AB Testing to refine its value proposition The concept of AB Testing is to test several versions of your value proposition and see which formulation converts the most future customers. Once you have determined the best wording, keep it and put it up against a new challenger. This test should be conducted on a large enough number of visitors to be meaningful. Advertising to conduct your value proposition test If your site is not yet attracting

POLISH STARTUPS: HOT NEWS OF JANUARY 2020

Every month, StartuppersClub brings you the not-to-be-missed news about Polish startups. Here is the summary in a few points of the month of January 2020. And, if you’re interested in the subject, don’t forget to find out why Poland is the next Start Up Nation. Venture capital funds invest 5 times more in 2019 than in 2017 in Polish startups The financing of Polish startups is booming after a decade of stagnation. Venture capital investment in 2019 was PLN 1.3 billion, or EUR 0.3 billion. This is 8 times more than in 2018! However, 3 Polish startups account for almost half of the investments. Around EUR 134 million were invested in the following companies: DocPlanner, a competitor of Doctolib, 78 million euros. Brainly, a platform for knowledge exchange between students, 30 million euros in July 2019. Booksy, a hairdresser or beautician appointment application, 26 million euros in September 2019 Of course, this is still much less than in France or in the UK: for instance, French startups have raised around 5 billion euros in 2019. Finally, a particularity of the Polish financing market for start-ups is that it is mainly… public! Given the scarcity of funds investing in venture capital in Poland, the state has taken matters into its own hands. 2/3 of Polish sartups have received public funds. But they capped the financial aid at 125,000 euros. Too little to really launch a startup. Paid sabbatical to create a startup According to the Polish Minister of Development, employers are reluctant to grant long-term leave to their employees. However, the government is considering giving this possibility to computer scientists, engineers and programmers employed in large companies who are reluctant to take it up. “We would like to prepare a solution such as maternity leave for a certain period of time. So that the entrepreneur can try to test his idea” – explained the Minister. The regulations are intended to ensure that start-up startuppers would have access to sabbatical leave. It would also secure their reintegration in the event that their start-up fails to get off the ground.   Boomerun, a Polish startup that pays you to walk! Boomerun wants to motivate you to stay active. Every hundred steps registered in the application gives one point. And the points are transformed into vouchers. It’s a new field of economy that opens up according to its designer Tomasz Uściński: #Walkonomics. More concretely, the application works with Google Fit or Apple Health to count steps. The application is partly financed by public funds for the moment while waiting to refine the business model. On the user side, you still have to be a good walker. For the equivalent of 16€ (70 PLN), you have to walk for 2 months about 7000 steps per day! The founder claims that you just have to walk to the next bus stop instead of choosing the closest one to make it easy to reach! We are waiting to see if it works ! Many companies have shown interest including: Apple, Garmin, Xiaomi, Bose, Decathlon, Zara , Zalando, Spotify, Netflix , Google Play, PlayStation, Xbox, Nitendo… The Tauron Progres incubator will host 12 Polish startups The Tauron incubator was created by Tauron Polska Energia, a major Polish energy group. After studying 300 ideas and meeting 35 startups, Tauron Progres has chosen 12 projects on which it will collaborate. The group wishes to develop new services related to the connected home in particular. Some startups integrating this incubator had already benefited from the KPT ScaleUp accelerator program in Krakow.