Published by Gbaf News
Posted on September 14, 2018
6 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
FrenchFounders, a next generation Business Club, and BNP Paribas, a leading European Bank, will host the 2018 Startup TourGrand Final on September 26th at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.
Earlier this year, more than 180 startups applied to be part of the Tour, and 40 of them were shortlisted to pitch in front of the juries of six major business and innovation centers: Miami, Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris. In 2018, the competition became transatlantic by opening its doors not only to French entrepreneurs wishing to develop in North America, but also to American entrepreneurs wishing to establish themselves in France.
Last year, the winner was Thibault Duchemin, co-founder and CEO of AVA, an artificial Intelligence solution with the mission to make the world 100% accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Below are the 9 startups that will compete in the Grand Final:
French Finalists developing in North America
American Finalists establishing themselves in France
These startups will present in front of a jury composed of investors, decision-makers and experienced entrepreneurs, including:
In addition, the ceremony will open and close with two roundtables on Climate and Cybersecurity. This year’s Startup Tour has also received the CO2-Neutral certification by CO2logic. For more information on this certification, please visit: https://www.co2logic.com/en/co2-neutral%C2%AE-label
The Grand Final will see four awards presented to the most promising startups:
Benoit Buridant, Co-founder and CEO of FrenchFounders, said: “The startups have all been selected for their innovation and their potential to evolve or disrupt their sectors of activity. This year, the expectations were very strong and the motivation of the selected startups was significant. The access to a powerful and substantial business network is what makes this competition different.”
Geraud Haissat, Head of the Multinational Corporations Group at BNP Paribas, added: “BNP Paribas is delighted to co-host the Grand Final, and is excited to provide support, guidance and counsel to all the finalists. They will benefit from the bank’s international network, as well as our expertise in the development of startups.”
FrenchFounders, a next generation Business Club, and BNP Paribas, a leading European Bank, will host the 2018 Startup TourGrand Final on September 26th at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.
Earlier this year, more than 180 startups applied to be part of the Tour, and 40 of them were shortlisted to pitch in front of the juries of six major business and innovation centers: Miami, Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris. In 2018, the competition became transatlantic by opening its doors not only to French entrepreneurs wishing to develop in North America, but also to American entrepreneurs wishing to establish themselves in France.
Last year, the winner was Thibault Duchemin, co-founder and CEO of AVA, an artificial Intelligence solution with the mission to make the world 100% accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Below are the 9 startups that will compete in the Grand Final:
French Finalists developing in North America
American Finalists establishing themselves in France
These startups will present in front of a jury composed of investors, decision-makers and experienced entrepreneurs, including:
In addition, the ceremony will open and close with two roundtables on Climate and Cybersecurity. This year’s Startup Tour has also received the CO2-Neutral certification by CO2logic. For more information on this certification, please visit: https://www.co2logic.com/en/co2-neutral%C2%AE-label
The Grand Final will see four awards presented to the most promising startups:
Benoit Buridant, Co-founder and CEO of FrenchFounders, said: “The startups have all been selected for their innovation and their potential to evolve or disrupt their sectors of activity. This year, the expectations were very strong and the motivation of the selected startups was significant. The access to a powerful and substantial business network is what makes this competition different.”
Geraud Haissat, Head of the Multinational Corporations Group at BNP Paribas, added: “BNP Paribas is delighted to co-host the Grand Final, and is excited to provide support, guidance and counsel to all the finalists. They will benefit from the bank’s international network, as well as our expertise in the development of startups.”
Explore more articles in the Top Stories category
