The accelerator programme opens opportunity for INSEAD alumni entrepreneurs in the world’s largest start-up ecosystem.
INSEAD, the business school for the world, today announced the next group of start-ups to take up residency in the INSEAD LaunchPad at STATION F in Paris as of July 2019.
The INSEAD LaunchPad start-up accelerator programme is located in the heart of STATION F in Paris – the world’s largest start-up ecosystem. The LaunchPad has 37 desks reserved for alumni founders and offers much more than a physical working space. The LaunchPad provides workshops, connections and mentoring sessions based on specific start-up needs and brand goals.
During the six-month residency, start-ups can access all the advisory, exposure and connections in the LaunchPad network. These ventures can also tap into the wide range of STATION F ecosystem resources to ignite and accelerate expansion.
The six new INSEAD LaunchPad resident start-ups are:
- Celestory led by Pierre Lacombe MAP'19Feb
- Susu led by Solenn Marquette MBA'09D
- Gilbert led by Matthieu Burnand-Galpin MBA'19J
- Katerkatze Coffee led by Catherine Zhang MBA'19J
- Gaida.ai led by Galia Jordanova MBA'12J
- KidPool led by Christopher Coleon MBA'04J
INSEAD Deputy Dean and Dean of Innovation Peter Zemksy says, “Entrepreneurship is deeply ingrained in the INSEAD DNA, and we’re excited to again welcome alumni entrepreneurs from all over the world. At our INSEAD LaunchPad, these start-ups can take their business to the next level of scale at unprecedented speed. The diversity and dynamism of these ventures – and the alumni who lead them – should inspire our students and shape the future of innovation at INSEAD and around the world. This is another great example of how INSEAD enables and empowers our alumni to meet the challenges of our time.”
Celestory is an interactive story-technology that allows you to create your own video game, chatbot, interactive video or Alexa skill without having to code. This enables creation of personalized universes, training sessions and customer experiences.
Susu is a digitally-enhanced full-service healthcare insurance solution for African diaspora looking to offer the best quality of care to their families back home.
Gilbert provides on-demand storage services to individuals and businesses. Customers place a request online, and Gilbert then collects, store and provides access to your storage within 24 hours.
Katerkatze is a coffee tech company that cultivates new coffee lifestyles and creates engaging experiences by introducing premium coffee from all over the world to the Chinese market. This start-up uses online platforms to build communities for users to learn and interact with each other.
Gaida.ai is an AI platform that helps real estate agents serve up to 40% more of their leads in residential real estate with limited or no agent interaction, allowing for tailored offering that detects feedback and evolves with lead preference.
KidPool is an online platform that allows parents to plan and share their kids trips and activities. Parents can easily find other parents doing similar trips, organize carpooling or hire a pre-screened driver or guide for trips via walking or public transportation.
CEO and Co-founder of Celestory Pierre Lacombe MAP19Feb says, “We’re excited to join the INSEAD LaunchPad in STATION F for the next six months, and to take Celestory to its next stage of growth. Exciting times for us! INSEAD has proven to be a great source of inspiration for our product in pushing the boundaries of content creation and serious gaming.”
The six new start-ups join the 16 current start-ups also extending their INSEAD LaunchPad stay for at least six additional months.
The next call for applications for a start in January 2020 is due in September 2019. To find out more about the INSEAD LaunchPad, visit the website or follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter.
