nyuko puts Luxembourg Startup Nation on the right track by appointing Martin Guérin as a the new CEO of the organisation. Mixing a training hub, a coworking space, a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, a funding support, a mentoring program, among other things, the hybrid infrastructure is now reaching new heights and moves up a gear.
Luxembourg Startup Nation has pretty much all it needs to do well in the world’s race to innovation – says new nyuko’s CEO Martin Guérin
An expert in entrepreneurial support
Martin Guérin has, over the last ten years, created and developed the entrepreneurial support programme created for use by 250 startups in the network of Paris&Co, the agency for economic development and innovation in Paris.
The head of cross-disciplinary projects in Paris&Co’s 12 incubators, Martin Guérin boasts an immaculate track record: the creation and development of the Paris Innovation incubator (2004-2007), of the Nouveaux Médias incubator (2007-2009), and then of the FinTech incubator (2010-2012). When working at Paris&Co, he helped it grow from accompanying 50 startups in 2004 to 250 in 2015. In figures, the startups that he has mentored himself have an accumulated turnover of €370 million per year.
He is also responsible for the organization of flagship events like Pitch Days (for investors), Demo Days (for potential clients) and Start Up! Meet Up!, aimed at the 3000 startups, investors and large accounts in the Ile-de-France region.
I see nyuko as a hub, a switching point, a transversal platform, a reference point in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Luxembourg.
A graduate of the Ecole de Management de Normandie (cursus HEC entrepreneurs), a certified professional coach – he has personally coached more than 200 entrepreneurs, including Jonathan Benassaya, Deezer’s founder – and a confirmed entrepreneur himself (he has 3 startups to his name already), he is also a teacher at ESSEC and the Ecole Centrale Paris (innovation, entrepreneurship and business development).
Martin Guérin, CEO, on the subject of nyuko and its mission: “nyuko is an intrinsically innovative organization like no other. It is neither an incubator nor an accelerator, even if it both incubates and accelerates many innovative projects indirectly. For all that, nyuko is not a rival or opponent to any of the similar existing enterprises. On the contrary, it attempts to prepare the ground, direct, create synergies, to make economies while optimizing the overall performance of the entire system for the common good. I see nyuko as a hub, a switching point, a transversal platform, a reference point in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Luxembourg. The beacon it offers is visible from afar by local innovators but also by all those from around the world who have the conquest of Europe in mind. Luxembourg offers plenty of advantages that place it among the most strategic territories to effectively address the entire continent. This is a chance for Luxembourg and an opportunity to be grasped by foreign startups”.
Powering the innovation of large companies
For Martin Guérin, nyuko has also set itself an educational mission which it directs at large local companies “which have much to gain by collaborating among themselves as well as with startups to innovate. nyuko’s goal is naturally also to develop Open Innovation in Luxembourg, to consolidate financing circuits, to create bridges between schools, laboratories, researchers and new or not-so-new companies. Luxembourg is bursting with fantastic schemes to encourage and aid talented young entrepreneurs. All the classic aids are already in place: coworking spaces, accelerators, incubators, public subsidies, capital investors, etc. Luxembourg Startup Nation has pretty much all it needs to do well in the world’s race to innovation”.
In addition to its mission to discover and mentor startups, nyuko’s primary vocation is to unite the ecosystem and bring the New to the forefront.
Nicolas Buck, the chairman of nyuko’s board, emphasizes the importance “of not being left behind when it comes to the third technological revolution represented by digital technology. All the countries and capitals of Europe are competing to attract the best minds. In Luxembourg we must accelerate the development of our ecosystem to welcome them. We have to move up a gear. With someone with as much field experience as Martin Guérin in charge, nyuko has the asset to achieve its ambition. It’s clear that the whole ecosystem will benefit. And that is fundamental: in addition to its mission to discover and mentor startups, nyuko’s primary vocation is to unite the ecosystem and bring the New to the forefront”.
