Publicis Groupe, a multinational advertising and public relation company headquartered in Paris, has chosen to celebrate its 90th birthday by helping startups through its Publicis90 program. This is also good news for Polish startups.
Starcom Mediavest Group, ZenithOptimedia Group, Publicis, Leo Burnett, Saatchi&Saatchi, Sapient and Razorfish are among top marketing agencies that belong to Publicis Groupe, a global marketing holding founded by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet in 1926. Then a single man startup, Publicis Groupe has now grown to be a global leader in marketing, communication, and business transformation with close to 80,000 employees on board.
As the giant now turns 90, it has chosen celebrate its success story by launching Publicis90, an initiative that will let Publicis Groupe provide mentoring, support and funding to 90 entrepreneurial projects in the digital field.
“As we turn 90, we celebrate our story by looking to the future. We wish to celebrate the pioneers of tomorrow just as our founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, was a pioneer and we at Publicis Groupe continue to transform. Through Publicis90, we will support 90 digital projects and start-ups with the most business potential the Publicis Groupe though funding and mentoring. Are you a student, a start-up founder, an employee of Publicis Groupe or simply someone with a great idea? If you have what it takes to be a digital entrepreneur, we want to give you the opportunity to participate in Publicis90 and build the next 90 years with us,” reads the project’s website.
To take part, projects can be submitted via the Publicis90 platform which will be available online as of January 18th. Whether you are a student, a new start-up, a successful entrepreneur or a Publicis Groupe employee anywhere in the world, you are welcome to put forward your idea and apply for support from the Groupe. The goal is to provide entrepreneurs with the support they need to bring their projects to life or to take it to the next level.
“Publicis90 is very much in line with the philosophy of Publicis Groupe and its founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet. The idea is to help young entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Not just through investment but also by putting Groupe resources at their disposal for a year. Rather than look back and pat ourselves on the back for 90 years of history, we have taken the forward-looking approach of extending a helping hand to young entrepreneurs,” adds Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe.
The Publicis90 platform will be open for submissions until February 28. Projects will be pre-selected by region (the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe-Middle-East & Africa), with the first round of votes open to all Publicis Groupe employees (all projects submitted remain anonymous). A regional jury will then draw up a short-list from the pre-selected projects before the final selection is made by a prestigious global jury that will pick the 90 most promising projects or start-ups.
The selected projects will be mentored by Publicis Groupe experts in marketing, communications, management and technology. They will also receive funding in the form of an investment ranging from 10,000 euros for projects about to be launched to 500,000 euros for start-ups that are already ramping up. As for selected projects submitted by Publicis Groupe employees, they will have the benefit of a special internal incubation scheme.
The holders of the 90 selected projects will be invited to participate in Viva Technology Paris, the first forum in France to bring together the people who matter most in digital throughout the world with over 5,000 start-ups. This event – created by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos – will be held from June 30 to July 2, 2016 at the Paris Expo Exhibition Centre at Porte de Versailles. The 90 selected projects will be honored at an awards ceremony held during Viva Technology Paris
Emilia is an experienced editor, gifted wordsmith, a professional translator, but first of all, an avid reader.
