Luxembourg now has a private platform for reception and support for startups, Innohub Luxembourg.
Three companies - Exxus (consulting in marketing strategy and innovation strategy), INES MEDIA (communication consulting) and MindForest (change management consulting) have launched InnoHub which identifies, selects, convinces companies to come to Luxembourg and supports innovative companies from around the world that are in a situation of startup and acceleration. To do so, InnoHub builds on synergies that can be created with other players in the public and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Luxembourg.
21 startups supported - €9 million raised - 30 jobs created
InnoHub was initiated in 2015 and adopts a focused and entrepreneurial methodological approach. Less than a year after its creation, the platform already supports 21 startups coming from a dozen countries, according to Daniel Eischen, president of InnoHub. "Our customers come from neighbouring countries, as well as Israel, Singapore and the United States. So far we have raised €9 million and accompanied startups have already created 30 jobs in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the establishment of six innovation projects," added Daniel Eischen.
This success vindicates the Startup Nation Luxembourg
According to Francine Closener, Luxembourg's Secretary of State for the Economy, these figures give reason to the InnoHub model, as the Luxembourg national strategy: "Private actors, participating with their skills and entrepreneurial spirit of the collective effort as part of the creation of new companies, complement the work of our public stakeholders working in the areas of economy, research and innovation. Together, they form a dynamic ecosystem. A pillar of the Startup Nation Luxembourg is being established."
Customers benefit from easy access to the innovation ecosystem
Beyond the skills of its three founding members, InnoHub has the advantage of being able to create a network of preferred partners which brings together some of the most famous brands in Luxembourg. National and international clients benefit from a complete offering, which includes financial, legal and technological expertise ... and the services of recognised public sector actors. As a one-stop-shop, InnoHub offers startups access to all of the efforts undertaken over the years by public authorities and by contractors. InnoHub has also attracted the attention and interest of many national and international investors such as Foster Institute in Frankfurt.
"Slightly Mad Solutions": an early InnoHub success
One of the first successful InnoHub start-ups is the partial relocation of activities from "Slightly Mad Solutions" (SMS) in London and Singapore to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Ian Bell, founder and CEO, SMS will introduce a new eco-system of animation studios and game developers in Luxembourg, based on its technology platform and licensing system of technological bricks. The SMS development strategy is therefore based on one side on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg force as an international financial hub, but also offers innovative service bundles that will strengthen the anchoring in the countries of the global technological world of "Autonomous Driving".
Photo by Olivier Minaire
