It rivaled the famed Parisian catwalk shows for glitz and glamor. More than 8,000 people recently crowded into and outside of a new building on Rue du Caire near the Paris Stock Exchange - not to celebrate fashion, but to to launch a 1,500 square meter large startup-incubator called NUMA.
NUMA is short for “numérique” (French for “digital”) and “humain” (French for human). We partnered to create this exciting new facility with telephone operator Orange, the Paris city government and the Ile de France regional authorities. Beyond our financial support, we will organise workshops and other learning opportunities for web entrepreneurs and traditional companies that want to go digital.
Minister Fleur Pellerin
The new center is our latest attempt to help jumpstart the web economy. Our Campus London, which, in its first year alone, has hosted more than 860 events , offering more than 60,000 entrepreneurs mentorship, technical advice and training. Another Campus opened last year in Tel Aviv and we’re rolling out across the region our Google for Entrepreneurs .
In Paris, the new NUMA aims to attract up to 45,000 visitors and 600 tech start-ups each year. It will serve as a base for consolidating existing start-up projects – Le Camping and La Cantine.
At Numa’s launch party, the crowd demonstrated an optimism in sharp contrast with the ongoing stagnation and pessimism about France’s economy. “Together we open NUMA, and declare our ambition to fly the flag of French innovation even higher,” the organizers said on the NUMA website , predicting raft of investment and new jobs. Minister of Digital Economy, Fleur Pellerin, saluted this ambition.
The crowd was so numerous that many had to wait outside for an opportunity to enter and see the new facilities. No matter. Instead of fretting, the eager entrepreneurs turned the surrounding streets into a big party, complete with good drink, food and talk of exciting digital ventures.
Posted by Elisabeth Bargès, Public Policy Manager Innovation, Google France
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