Credit: BIL

Over 500 guests attended the fourth BIL Startuppers Night held on Tuesday 22 October 2019 at Technoport in Esch-Belval.

Tuesday’s sold-out event dedicated to innovative start-ups brought together more than 500 entrepreneurs, start-ups and members of business incubators and accelerators looking to discover the latest tech from the region’s start-ups and take part in the evening’s activities.

Throughout the evening, which celebrated the geeky side of the start-up ecosystem, guests were able to test out cutting-edge innovations from virtual reality experts Virtual Rangers, VR World One and VR-Land and take a sneak peek at Mu Design’s latest prototype “Lua”, a flowerpot that turns into a virtual pet. A little further along, Keymitt’s smart lock attracted the more curious minds, as did innovations from Lion Nano System, ARSPECTRA, Polaar Energy and Firis.

For the first time, a French Tech East space was also set up especially for start-ups from the east of France. Different companies were on show, such as CockpIT and its application for construction professionals, Gowork&Co and its coworking spaces in hotels and restaurants, Chrono-Caisse and its touch-screen cash register, Agoona and Fair&Smart, to name but a few.

Robots were in the spotlight this year, with a robotics competition, organised by Planète Sciences and PM-Robotix, showcasing a combination of technology and passion. An escape game orchestrated by 216K, simulation games, cosplay demonstrations and activities organised by LuxCon and 11F Gaming were also on the agenda.

In 2016, BIL organised the very first Startuppers Night. After a successful first few years, the bank decided to make it an annual event, dedicated to innovative companies and start-ups.

For Pierre-Olivier Rotheval, Head of Marketing and Innovation at BIL: “The evening offers the entire Luxembourgish start-up community the chance to celebrate their ecosystem in a completely different environment. While most events are centred around pitches and round tables, Startuppers Night takes a different approach. The idea is to get to know each other, relax and have fun. [...] The event is just like the community: innovative, fun, open and geeky!"

The annual BIL Startuppers Night supports the local innovation ecosystem, by helping business accelerators and incubators such as Technoport, Paul Wurth InCub, InnoHub, Nyuko and co-working space The Office.