silicon valley

TheRefiners: Immediate take-off for 12 startups

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Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, twelve new European startups have taken flight to join the program. The Refinersfounded by entrepreneurs Carlos Diaz, Pierre Gaubil and Géraldine le Meur. Over the next three months, American and European cultures will mix with an entrepreneurial spirit to conquer the heart of Silicon Valley. 
 
The Refiners is a San Francisco-based accelerator aimed at helping foreign startups succeed in Silicon Valley. This third fleet of entrepreneurs is designed to serve the next industry leaders in tech and digital. The program connects startups, mentors, investors, coaches and potential partners in an intensive three-month program.
After the success of Fleets #1 and #2, The Refiners is bringing on board twelve new startups for a #3 Fleet full of promise. Monday, September 18 marked the arrival of entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, each with the fervent intention of understanding the culture of Silicon Valley in order to convince and develop their projects. The meter is running! They have until December to learn the recipe that will shape their success in an environment known worldwide for its competitive spirit.
 
There were 500 of them who wanted to join the program for only twelve places. This third edition is marked by projects particularly keen on new technologies and innovative ideas in the fields of retail, fashion, mobility, artificial intelligence and social networks. This Fleet #3 has what it takes to convince investors and partners.
"The aim is not to run away or forget what everyone has learned so far in Europe,"says Carlos Diaz, co-founder of The Refiners. “but to become global by subtly blending their culture with that of Silicon Valley. To achieve this, it is necessary to surround yourself with specialists who master both cultures, who anticipate and understand the obstacles they will encounter while giving them the keys to become world-renowned startups; this is exactly what we do in our The Refiners program."
 
Gaining these skills requires organization, which is why The Refiners' 240-hour program is divided into several stages: 40 master classes or workshops to learn from the best, 32 Mentoring sessions with more than 120 mentors to meet key people in Silicon Valley, and no less than 45 individual sessions with American and European investors. Thus, each startup will review its classics and adapt its strategy on a global scale. The objective is to master all the keys that will allow them to be ready the day they face their first potential VC! These three months of intense work will be marked by the "Pitch Night"This is the ultimate test where each entrepreneur will have to put on the table everything they have learned and everything they are part of the program for: to make a mark, convince investors and propel their project to success.
 
The last two years have allowed The Refiners to understand the needs and expectations of its participants in order to evolve and offer a constantly evolving program. "We care about the smallest details because we know they matter if we want to keep improving." adds Pierre Gaubil. "For example, we have noted that what sometimes blocks is not how entrepreneurs explain their ideas, but rather their English pronunciation and accent. To counteract this, we hired a voice coach!"
 
The strength of The Refiners also lies in its network of over 200 Mentors ready to turn theory into practice. After Fiji Simo and Rob Lebras Brown, this #3 Fleet welcomes Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit ; Christopher NorthPresident and CEO of Shutterfly; and many other prestigious figures from Silicon Valley.
 
The first month of the program entitledU.S. Reset Bootcamp." will be devoted to cultural immersion so that everyone integrates the social behaviours necessary to evolve in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thanks to this, they will be able to meet during the second month with investors such as Greylock Partners, Ignition PartnersPartech, Partech, ID-invest, Kima, Daphni or CrunchFund.
 
The third month will be entirely dedicated to the "partnering". The objective is to put the twelve startups in contact with essential partners in the development of their projects (developers, manufacturers, investors, etc.).
As Geraldine Le Meur points out, "From the beginning to the end of the internship, entrepreneurs can count on each other to help each other and solve the problems they face. This is a unique opportunity in an environment where people tend to work alone, not only because it requires particular expertise but also because of fear of competition".
 
Startups from the first two groups, Fleet#1 and Fleet#2, were 40% to raise funds in the United States and Europe, representing $15 million in investments.
Contrary to previous times, the Fleet #3 does not only consist of French startups, more than ten different nationalities are part of the program. The startupers of the Fleet #3 come from France, Tunisia, USA, Algeria, Romania, Belgium, Laos, Germany, Vietnam, England. The Refiners wishes to continue this trend of internationalisation.
 
The startups of Fleet #3 :
❖ AbeCMS: an Artificial Intelligence capable of creating websites 7 times faster than WordPress.
Comete A collaborative platform allowing users to exchange directly with product development teams.
Dresslife A solution of artificial intelligence capable of sorting out during your online purchases the clothes adapted to each one.
EarlyTab : a mobile payment platform for bars that also allows to manage automated marketing services.
Lovebox develops new generation connected objects capable of bringing people together and creating a link between them.
Merito a real-time and geolocalised recruitment platform dedicated to the fashion industry.
See Fashion : an artificial intelligence product recommendation solution for the fashion industry in retail and e-commerce.
❖ Shone: a solution to make merchant ships completely autonomous using remote control technologies.
Sundar : a social platform designed for users of cosmetic products (influencers, consumers, brands).
TimeFunding A professional network providing startups with expert skills around the world in exchange for equity.
❖ Tutti flirty: a new mobile dating application where people meet in videos.
Wisebatt the first SaaS tool that allows engineers to estimate and optimize the life of their battery.
 
Nice ideas, not necessarily revolutionary, in the panel of this third edition but will they be decisive for international success?

"It's not the idea that makes the difference in the market but the ability to execute it". As a reminder, according to INSEE, the failure rate of startups is 49% after five years ... Let's bet that this incubator will be able to train and support these startups over the long term ...
 
 

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