AGT Groupe sets up a "green" mentoring program in Lozère, France
Are you a start-up manager looking for some peace and quiet to fine-tune your product or prepare your sales launch? Lozère invites you to share its fresh air. The Lozère-based management solutions provider AGT Groupe, the Lozère Développement and Creative Meeting agencies and the Cœur de Lozère intercommunalité are launching the Bloom'UP mentoring program. Office space, advice, self-catering accommodation and vehicle included...
It's an original acceleration and mentoring program, called Bloom'UP, that the Mendois-based publisher AGT Groupe, specialized for 20 years in solutions for managing and animating independent sales networks, has set up with the Lozère Développement economic development agency, Creative Meeting (founded by former SNCF Réseau communications director Lydie Dubernais) and the Coeur de Lozère community of municipalities.
ATTRACTING TALENT AND MIXING CULTURES
Laurent Dubernais, AGT's CEO, explains his objective: " This program responds to two issues that are brakes on growth: we're having trouble attracting talented people to Lozère, and I also wanted to expose my own employees - who have often spent 15 or 20 years at AGT - to the ideas and workings of young start-ups ."
For its part, Lozère Développement practices innovative and realistic territorial marketing: "We want to reach new targets," says Vincent Gatin, in charge of digital development, "It'snot so much a question of attracting new businesses to Lozère, but rather of creating lasting exchanges.
MENTORING, NETWORKING AND SELF-CATERING
AGT will host - for at least three months - two to three start-ups at its premises in the Mende technology park, near the Polen business incubator. The publisher will provide a full level of open space and fiber optics, and coordinate the weekly "animation and sharing" program designed by Creative Meeting. The Lozère Développement agency will provide access to the French Tech ecosystems of Montpellier and Toulouse, local seed funding schemes and regional clusters.
The Coeur de Lozère community of communes has added other very tangible benefits to the "package": teams from selected start-ups will be offered free accommodation in a nearby rural gîte (maximum 6 people), and a rental car will be loaned for travel.
PROFILE: SAAS AND BTOB MODE
Bloom'UP targets BtoB-oriented start-ups offering a SaaS-based service or product, and "in the seed and start-up phase", according to Laurent Dubernais. They will be able to discuss technological and commercial aspects, as well as internationalization, with AGT's experienced managers. AGT, which employs 32 people, has offices not only in Mende, but also in Paris, Montreal and, more recently, near Boston.
Start-ups can apply until June 30, with the selection process taking place in mid-July and the move-in in September. "We're hoping for around ten applications", says Vincent Gatin. "We've already received three really interesting ones", adds Laurent Dubernais in mid-June.
If the operation proves successful, it could be repeated every six months. In early June in Montpellier, the initiative was awarded1st prize at the connec'Sud Awards, a highly digital-oriented event bringing together 2,000 entrepreneurs from the Languedoc Roussillon Midi Pyrénées region.
Article published by Sylvie Brouillet on the L'Usine Digitale website
