In an increasingly competitive and evolving ecosystem, large groups must meet the challenge of innovation in order to remain competitive. To accelerate their innovation initiatives and open up new creative horizons, more and more of them are looking outside to gather new ideas. This is called open innovation, a term popularized in 2003. For their part, start-ups are characterized by their agility, dynamism and capacity for innovation. Faced with this convergence of needs, collaborations with large groups and start-ups are becoming widespread in the territory.
This is for example the case with the La Poste group which launched, in 2015, “French IoT Impact x Technology”, its open innovation program which launched, this Thursday, March 3, four “Innovation Challenges” aimed at start-ups.
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In the space of 19 years, open innovation has become widespread in France. A phenomenon that is clearly illustrated in figures. According to the Village by CA and Capgemini barometer, 86% of start-ups have worked at least once with a large group. France is even at the top of the rankings in terms of collaboration between start-ups and large groups, with 92% of its largest companies involved in the process, according to a study by the 500 Startups investment fund in collaboration with the Institut European Business Administration (INSEAD). Among the latter, we can mention the La Poste group which launched, on Thursday March 3, the 8th edition of its French IoT Impact x Technology competition. The innovation program which collaborates with start-ups committed to responsible digital: that is to say ethical, inclusive, respectful of the environment and at the service of the transformation of society. Created in 2015, the La Poste group’s open innovation program can now boast of supporting 300 start-ups to date, with a particularly high rate of business continuity, at 92%, compared to 80% in national average (source: “Start-ups: the key figures of the ecosystem to know in 2020”, KPMG Pulse). This year, the candidates for the French IoT Impact x Technology competition – open to about fifteen start-ups according to the La Poste group – will have to propose projects to meet the 4 Challenges for the transformation of society defined by La Poste. Local services, services to businesses and professionals, e-health, services to the territories: each of these four challenges is carried out in partnership with public or private actors, such as Pôle Emploi, CFI Groupe, Malakoff Humanis or the FHF fund .
Open innovation involves many advantages for large groups. Start-ups first of all bring new organizational and managerial methods which constitute inspiring models of agility and responsiveness for large companies. Indeed, this observation allows them to adapt quickly to changes in their sector of activity. Supporting start-ups also reinforces the image of dynamism and innovation of large groups and enhances their attractiveness.
Start-ups also have every interest in working alongside a large group. Subject to a high “mortality rate”, start-ups most often need financial, commercial or even strategic support that large organizations are able to provide. In addition, a start-up joining the ecosystem of a large group sees its visibility broadened and its image made more credible. This association is also a marketing boost. Finally, start-ups have the possibility of entering into relations with customers and business partners of large groups. So many reciprocal benefits that encourage the development of these win-win ecosystems for all players.