The Genius association encounters Swedish entrepreneurship
Published on 06/10/2021
NEOMA's world
Thematics :
From 28 March to 4 April, thirteen members of Genius, the entrepreneurial association from the Reims campus, left on a start-up safari. Stockholm was the destination. Why did they go to the capital of Sweden? Because it is considered to be the future Silicon Valley. “What we were interested in was understanding why the city is so far ahead in entrepreneurship,” Grégoire Gloriod, outgoing president of the association, said.
To get some answers, the students from Reims met with local entrepreneurs. Among them were: Amelie Chartton, co-founder of Digmak AB, a legal tech start-up, and Nahom Solomon, co-founder of JOYNR Gaming. The young French people learned about the role of public policy that, since the 1980s, has promoted technology access and supported project leaders by reducing their risk. “The Swedish have taken a lot of inspiration from the United States, and while their ecosystem is smaller, it is still very active,” Tom Schoonheere, Genius president, said.
By meeting some of the school’s graduates in Stockholm, particularly Julie Haverkamp, who became global head of media at H&M, and Abozar Kia, current sales and marketing director for X Shore, a start-up that makes 100% electric boats, the NEOMA students were also able to observe the differences between France and Sweden. They were surprised by Swedish working hours, their trust-based management, and the heavy emphasis on independence starting in childhood and in childcare, all of which seems to create an environment conducive to personal development.
After visiting the Epicenter Stockholm, an incubator with more than 600 companies and the digital innovation house, and Findec, the centre dedicated to financial technologies, the members of Genius returned to France with greater desire than ever to start businesses without wasting a moment.
