Estonian Business Centre opened in Paris
The Estonian Embassy in Paris opened a new business hub on its premises, aimed at supporting Estonian companies entering the French market. Similar hubs have already been opened in Washington DC, Seoul and Singapore.
“Estonia’s exports to France increased by 13% last year, our innovative companies, such as Skeleton Technologies and Bolt, have an active presence here – the new business hub aims at boosting closer business ties and helping more Estonian companies enter the French market,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said at the opening of the hub.
The Estonian Business Hub is established with European Union funding and it offers Estonian companies premises for business meetings as well as for product presentations and events. It also provides assistance in making contacts with investors.
The minister said that inviting potential partners to business meetings or events at the embassy would save on costs, and most importantly – it boosted trust. “I encourage all companies interested in the French market and the business hub to contact our embassy in Paris,” the minister said.
The opening event was attended by Estonian companies Bolt and Skeleton Technologies, both of whom are already operating successfully on the French market.
Bolt entered the French market as early as 2017 and operates in more than 60 cities, serving a million users each month. Bolt plans to open a driver centre near Paris in the near future, which will welcome 25 000 drivers per year. They also actively promote electric vehicles among drivers in partnership with French companies such as Electra.
“Currently, we only offer ride-hailing services in France, but our goal is to introduce new services such as shared scooters and ebikes. Expanding Bolt’s services is a natural step in fulfilling our mission to provide transportation solutions for every need,” Aurélien Pozzana, Bolt’s Head of Public Policy for Western Europe and the European Union, said. According to him, the newly opened business hub in the embassy is a great opportunity to connect French and Estonian companies and create new business opportunities. For Estonian companies considering the French market, Bolt’s representative advised them to familiarise themselves with the local reality. “Keep your Estonian DNA and highlight your European roots,” Pozzana said.
Skeleton Technologies serves a number of clients in France, in the electrical grid, mobility, defence and aerospace industries. “Our sales director for defence is French and based in Toulouse, where we will soon open a lab in partnership with the University. We are particularly keen on strengthening our cooperation in the defence industry and in critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence, such as data centres,” Arnaud Castaignet, Skeleton’s Vice President of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships, said.
France has seen significant investments in the field of artificial intelligence in recent months, including €110 billion from companies such as Amazon, Equinix, Mistral AI and MGX. France and the United Arab Emirates have announced plans to build Europe’s largest artificial intelligence data centre, with up to 50 billion euros allocated. “Since our solutions enable AI data centres to reduce electricity consumption and increase computing power, we see huge potential here,” Castaignet said.
Skeleton Technologies joined the Sustainable AI Coalition announced at the recent AI Action Summit, which also includes NVIDIA, Mistral AI, Schneider Electric and Thales. “We are working together to make AI more sustainable,” Castaignet explained.
According to him, the Estonian Business Hub was an important platform that helped to create connections between Estonian and French companies and introduce examples of cooperation. “In France, Estonia has a very positive image and is seen as an innovative country. It is important to take advantage of this and create even closer business relations,” Castaignet said.
He underlined the importance of a physical presence in France. “Online meetings are not as effective as face-to-face meetings, so it is important to invest in a local presence and regular meetings in France,” Skeleton’s representative said.
The Estonian Business Hub in Paris was financed with funds from the NextGenerationEU of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/albums/72177720324337163/with/54378779600
Additional information:
Public Relations Department, press@mfa.ee
www.vm.ee | @MFAestonia
