21/09/2018

Full house at BIL’s third Startuppers Night

BIL's third Startuppers Night at the Technoport on Thursday, 20 September was a resounding success. More than 400 participants in the Luxembourgish start-up ecosystem came together in a festive atmosphere to discover the latest innovations from the country’s start-ups.

Geekiness prevailed on Thursday at the Technoport in Belval. Startuppers Night once again drew a crowd. Entrepreneurs, start-ups, incubators and accelerators stood shoulder-to-shoulder to test the latest technological innovations in the world of virtual reality, video games and artificial intelligence. They were introduced to the new electric smart scooter from Ujet, could test the multi-sensory display screen from Sniffy with its amazing fragrances, and check out the painting robot from Mexence and famous lunar rover from iSpace. The luckiest went away with volume 0 of the Ragnafall and Imperium Circus mangas signed by Cyril Marchiol from Tsume.

The atmosphere was festive yet relaxed. As the music played, attendees were able to take part in various recreational activities: puzzles, virtual reality games and, of course, cosplayer performances, alongside the famous Batmobile from the world of the superhero Batman. More nostalgic guests could also try retrogaming in a throwback to the 1980s.

A vibrant, eclectic, tech and fun event!

BIL launched Startuppers Night in 2016. Based on this initial success, BIL decided to make it an annual event for innovative companies and start-ups in Luxembourg.

According to Pierre-Olivier Rotheval, Head of Marketing and Innovation at BIL, " the growing Luxembourg start-up community is becoming increasingly fragmented. Startuppers Night is a chance to come together in a different, offbeat environment. To stand out from the multitude of pitch sessions, panels and other round tables, we wanted to offer something different: a vibrant, eclectic, tech and fun event! A reflection of the start-up community."

A major player in Luxembourg's start-up ecosystem, BIL supports accelerators and incubators such as Technoport, Paul Wurth InCub, InnoHub, Nyuko and the co-working space The Office. With its BIL Start support service, the bank gives start-up entrepreneurs access to the various financing programmes in which it participates. BIL is a stakeholder in the Digital Tech Fund launched by the Ministry of the Economy in 2016, and in July 2015 it became the first Luxembourgish bank to sign the InnovFin guarantee agreement for innovative SMEs as part of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

The undeniable success of this third event once again shows the entrepreneurial energy and growth of the start-up ecosystem in Luxembourg.