The initiative is one of the six actions for web entrepreneurs defined in the Commission Communication "Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan". It has been conceived to accelerate some key recommendations included in the Startup Manifesto to help European startups develop and become key players on international markets.
Founding Partners include Orange, Telefónica, BBVA with the institutional support of the European Investment Bank Group/European Investment Fund, Cambridge University, IE Business School, and Humboldt University.
The work program, promoted by the European Commission, will be led by Mind the Bridge Foundation, a non-profit foundation based in Italy and the United States, with the support of Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation.
This new think tank will host an annual Digital Forum, bringing together leading web entrepreneurs with political leaders and policymakers. In addition, it will produce an annual European Digital Economy Index, providing a ranking of European countries' digital readiness and startup environment. The idea was put forward in the Startup Manifesto.
Founding partners include Orange, Telefónica, BBVA and the European Investment Bank.
The work program will be driven by The Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank, and Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation.
Orange is one of the founding members of both initiatives. The Group will be part of the Steering Committee of the Startup Europe Partnership. It will be an active contributor to the "Job Creator Tour" - a series of events across Europe to connect selected startups with large companies and the investment community - especially through Orange Fab, its worldwide accelerator.
"These bright new initiatives reflect our approach on open innovation and our commitment to support startups in becoming European leaders. Therefore, we also seek to contribute to economic growth in Europe, encourage job creation and help future talent", says Stephane Richard, Orange's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The Startup Europe Partnership, the European Digital Forum, as well as our recent global partnership with the Hello Tomorrow Challenge, are part of our open innovation approach, from research to the support of the worldwide ecosystem of innovative start-ups, SMEs and developers.
For instance, Orange is a major contributor to the Future Internet Public-Private Partnership, a European research programme aiming to accelerate the development and adoption of Future Internet technologies in Europe, advance the European market for smart infrastructures, and increase the effectiveness of business processes through the Internet.
Through its start-up accelerator Orange Fab - already deployed in Southeast Asia, France, Silicon Valley, and soon in Israel and Poland - the Orange Partner programme, its participation in NUMA (a Paris-based hotspot for innovation and digital technologies), and Iris Capital, a risk capital company in which Orange is shareholder, the Group has set up an overall package to help innovative entrepreneurs.
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