Business

SAP today launched its first location in Paris for SAP.iO Foundries. The Paris location is designed to help and support business-to-business startups build innovative software and deliver high value for SAP customers. The startup accelerator program from SAP is aimed to accelerate SAP’s fast growth in the cloud and advance a technology community focused on machine learning (ML), blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT) and software as a service (SaaS).

The location in Paris for SAP.iO Foundries is part of the intended €2 billion spend SAP has earmarked for France over five years. The location was first announced by Bill McDermott, CEO and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, at a summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron in January.

“It’s a hugely exciting time for tech in France,” said Brian Duffy, president, SAP EMEA North. “The launch of the Paris location of SAP.iO Foundries signals the next phase of SAP’s commitment to this dynamic startup ecosystem. It’s the responsibility of SAP and all global technology players to invest in nurturing future innovation, and I can’t wait to see what each of our first startups will do with the support of this program.”

The accelerator program provides tailored mentorship, access to data and technologies from SAP and opportunities for exposure to SAP executives and the SAP customer base of more than 400,000. It will run for 10 weeks and conclude with a “Demo Day” on December 6, 2018.

“The creation of the Paris location of SAP.iO Foundries demonstrates SAP’s commitment to supporting French B2B startups,” said Gerald Karsenti, managing director, SAP France. “As an industry leader, it makes sense to connect these startups to SAP to create innovations that will change everyone’s daily lives.”

The first group of six startups in 2018 is building B2B solutions focused on supply chain and digital core innovations and span many industries, including retail and e-commerce. The startups are:

Brennus Analytics has developed an SaaS solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a company’s sales data to predict a customer’s response to help a company find the best price for its offerings.
CITODI has developed an AI solution capable of deciding in real time the best assignment of deliveries to be made. It considers all the variables of a delivery – including package size and weight, eligibility of delivery personnel, routes, carbon dioxide emissions and traffic – to reduce delivery time and increase the profitability of each delivery.
Energiency is a cloud software startup that develops disruptive energy Big Data analytics solutions that allow industrial manufacturers to achieve, maintain and accelerate up to 20 percent energy savings without additional investments.
Scortex has designed a hardware and software solution that uses AI and machine learning to detect defective products as they roll off the assembly line.
Supervizor makes software that detects tax anomalies, providing a digitalized tax audit before a tax inspector does.
Wakeo provides traceability of transport operations by automating tracking and obtaining real-time location of goods. It helps anticipate delays and allows customers to build a reliable and objective database to accurately measure service level provided by forwarders and carriers.