The Village by CA Paris, a unique ecosystem where startups and large groups meet and cooperate to innovate together, launches a call for applications dedicated to social and environmental startups in partnership with Crédit Agricole CIB, EIT InnoEnergy, makesense Seed I and Groupe PSA.

All startups presenting a technology that responds to sustainable development: environmental (circular economy, carbon footprint, preservation of resources, etc.), social (inclusion, disability, education, health, etc.), and societal (mobility, cyber security, etc.) are eligible.

The call for applications will open on 9 March 2020 and close on 31 March 2020 at midnight. Thereafter, about fifteen startups will be pre-selected and then invited to pit before a selection committee composed of about thirty large companies. Finally, Le Village of Paris will organize, in partnership with the Village of Rouen, a Business Connect where startups and major accounts will meet during a “speed dating” on the theme “Impact”.

This call for applications is open to any innovative company of less than 3 years old working in the social and/or environmental field whose solution is prototyped, finalized, ready to market or at the beginning of commercialization.

Winning startups will be integrated into the Village by CA Paris for 2 years (for a fee). Integration into the Parisian Village by CA includes targeted business contacts with private companies and public players, two years’ accommodation, personalized support by the Village team and experts (legal, accounting, HR, etc.), Masterclasses, conferences by successful entrepreneurs, provision of common areas, access to event space booking, visibility on the Village networks and administrative assistance.

Our society is changing both socially and environmentally. Recycling, access to education, renewable energies, sustainable finance… the field of action is very wide and innovation is part of the solution; but social and environmental startups still encounter obstacles in their development.

• Tuesday 31 March 2020: Closing of the call for applications
• Friday 24 April 2020: Selection Committee
• 4^th June: Business Connect in partnership with the Village by CA Rouen

Link to apply: http://comite-de-selection-impact.selecteev.io

Village by CA was set up by French bank Crédit Agricole in 2014 as a value-creating ecosystem and start-up accelerator supporting high-potential projects. The first Village by CA opened in Paris and the network now boasts 34 Villages across France (Lille, Bordeaux, Orléans, St-Brieuc, Nantes, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse etc.), as well as in Italy and Milan. It also has outposts in major cities worldwide, including London, New York, Moscow, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore, to help start-ups expand abroad. Offering the advantages of cutting-edge technologies and positioning in regional hubs, each Village by CA provides start-ups with an opportunity to grow in an innovative ecosystem bolstered by a host of private and public sector partners.

Crédit Agricole CIB is the corporate and investment banking arm of Credit Agricole Group, the 12th largest banking group worldwide in terms of tier 1 capital (The Banker, July 2019). Nearly 8,000 employees across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa support the Bank’s clients, meeting their financial needs throughout the world. Crédit Agricole CIB offers its large corporate and institutional clients a range of products and services in capital markets activities, investment banking, structured finance, commercial banking and international trade. The Bank is a pioneer in the area of climate finance, and is currently a market leader in this segment with a complete offer for all its clients.

For many years Crédit Agricole CIB has been committed to sustainable development. The Bank was the first French bank to sign the Equator Principles in 2003. It has also been a pioneer in Green Bond markets with the arrangement of public transactions from 2012 for a wide array of issuers (supranational banks, corporates, local authorities, banks) and was one of the co-drafter of Green Bond Principles and of the Social Bond Guidance. Relying on the expertise of a dedicated sustainable banking team and on the strong support of all bankers, Crédit Agricole CIB is one of the most active banks in the Green bonds market.

EIT InnoEnergy is the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe.  EIT InnoEnergy supports and invests in innovation at every stage of the journey – from classroom to end-customer. With our network of partners, we build connections across Europe, bringing together inventors and industry, graduates and employers, researchers and entrepreneurs, businesses and markets.

EIT InnoEnergy works in three essential areas of the innovation mix: Education to help create an informed and ambitious workforce that understands the demands of sustainability and the needs of industry, Innovation Projects to bring together ideas, inventors and industry to create commercially attractive technologies that deliver real results to customers and Business Creation Services to support entrepreneurs and start-ups who are expanding Europe’s energy ecosystem with their innovative offerings. Bringing these disciplines together maximises the impact of each, accelerates the development of market-ready solutions, and creates a fertile environment in which we can sell the innovative results of our work.

EIT InnoEnergy was established in 2010 and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions to meet all customer expectations. The Group has five car brands, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall, and provides a wide array of mobility and smart services under the Free2Move brand. Its ‘Push to Pass’ strategic plan represents a first step towards the achievement of the Group’s vision to be “a global carmaker with cutting-edge efficiency and a leading mobility provider sustaining lifetime customer relationships”. An early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, Groupe PSA is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia.

The makesense SEED I fund was launched within makesense, an international community that helps citizens, entrepreneurs and organizations work together to solve the social and environmental challenges of our time. makesense Seed I is the first pre-seed impact fund attached to an incubator and labeled French Impact. With €8.2 million, it aims to finance 20 to 25 innovative start-ups addressing urgent social and environmental issues with a long-term perspective.

Natacha Heurtault 
Earlycom 
Tel : 06 12 23 58 60 
natacha.heurtault@early-com.com 
Lou Ducrotois 
Earlycom 
Tel : 06 85 56 60 97 

lou.ducrotois@early-com.com