First start-up map of Paris
Paris Tech List was founded by a 28 year old French entrepreneur
After the Made in New York Digital Map, launched by major Michael Bloomberg, now also Paris has its Paris Tech List – a list of Parisian start-ups, created by Gwendall Esnault, a 28 year old French entrepreneur who has just come back from the Big Apple.
Esnault has realized that startups in Paris form an ecosystem that functions but, differently from the US, difficult to identify. He then decided to create a tool enabling to rapidly find start-ups and incubators. In December 2012 the Paris Tech List was born.
For the time being, 159 start-up are listed – about 60 of them specify “we recruit” . Other organizations such as incubators are also listed, as well as investors and co-working spaces. For every start-up, incubator or co-working space mentioned on the list, a short presentation on the right of the list allows to rapidly find the contact of the founder through his name, e-mail and twitter account. This way meeting the right person becomes easier.
The map is interactive: every Parisian can contribute to it, for example adding a new start-up. They simply have to provide some basic information, such as the name of the enterprise, its address and website. This way the map is enriched every day.
The Paris Tech List develops an “ecosystem” that suffered from lack of visibility, especially abroad. The map has been developed in English, in order to address to those who come from abroad and do not necessarily know the Parisian ecosystem.
Information on the website is for free: no advertising banner, no payment. “At present there is no monetization”, says the young entrepreneur who was previously employed at Goldman Sachs.
Projects for the next future? Esnault plans to replicate the experience in other cities. On a website page , internet surfers can request the TechList map of their city, and ask for it it on twitter as well. Toulouse, Bordeaux and Montpellier are the most requested cities so far.
