“Welcoming students, engineers, developers, designers and entrepreneurs to our premises forms an important component of our strategy to engender open innovation, to innovate more quickly, with greater agility, in tune with our company culture. Orange Fab is absolutely part of that process,” explains Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange.
Orange Fab enables start-up entrepreneurs to focus on their growth, to launch their services on a global scale, and to create products and services that enhance the current world of telecommunications. To achieve this, Orange matches its experience in the telecoms industry with that of mentors from local technological ecosystems, while also providing funding and logistical support. Start-ups benefit from a genuine international network immersed within the ecosystem, as well as access to decision-makers who will help them develop their own market. They will also spend two weeks in the heart of Silicon Valley, meeting American experts and investors at Orange Fab Silicon Valley.
“Telecom operators like Orange are accelerating the roll-out of a new phase of digital convergence, thanks to super high-speed broadband on 4G mobile networks and fibre. We believe that this delivery framework will help new start-ups to emerge, offering new solutions that will make the most of our networks,” explains Vivek Badrinath, Executive Vice-President for innovation, marketing and technologies.
applications for the first Orange Fab France intake are being taken up to 31 December 2013
Orange Fab France is open to start-ups who are looking to reinvent the way people interact and communicate. Start-ups selected by the programme will be supported over 3 months in developing their product and business.
The first intake will comprise 4 to 6 start-ups and join the programme in February 2013, following the selection process.
Start-ups at Orange Fab France will benefit from invaluable mentoring from Orange business developers, engineers and designers, and will also receive high-level input from the management of Orange and other CAC 40 quoted companies and other French experts and entrepreneurs. They will also be able to make use of work spaces provided by Orange France and the Technocentre, the Group’s “product and design factory”, in the Paris area.
“If our ability to innovate is already conceived for and around the customer, our daily challenge must be to provide the tools, services, and advice to truly change our customers’ lives. Creating Orange Fab in France will help stimulate our ability to respond rapidly to our customers’ needs,” says Delphine Ernotte Cunci, Executive Director of Orange France.
On completion of the Orange Fab France programme, two demonstration days will be held: the first Demo Day will be in Paris in April 2014, the second in Silicon Valley in May 2014.
In order to apply, start-ups must present an existing product, already launched or in the advanced beta phase. Preferably they would not have raised their first round of investment from institutional investors yet. Start-ups are invited to present their applications via the orangefab.fr website before 31st December 2013.
All necessary information can be found on the www.orangefab.fr website or @OrangeFabFr Twitter account.
about Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 43.5 billion euros in 2012 and has 166,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2013, including 102,000 employees in France. Present in 32 countries, the Group has a total customer base of more than 232 million customers at 30 September 2013, including 175 million mobile customers and 15 million fixed broadband customers worldwide. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.
Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.