The Luxembourg Open Innovation Club, LOIC, was created in June 2016 under the initiative of nyuko, in collaboration with Lux Future Lab, the Technoport and Luxinnovation. Its goal: to encourage and develop open innovation at large companies and to put these companies in touch with startups. Within this framework, the LOIC offers a variety of activities to its members, such as innovation calls, workshops and innovation datings.
(Featured Image: The first innovation dating, organised by the LOIC (Luxembourg Open Innovation Club), was held at the Banque de Luxembourg. First of its kind in the Grand Duchy, the event was a great success / Image Credi © nyuko)
What is an innovation dating? The goal is to gather a number of upcoming startups in a particular field and let them pitch their ideas to an audience consisting of both members and special guests. The theme of this first event was on artificial intelligence, and ten startups were given the chance to demonstrate their expertise on this topic: Adapti, Aiva, Angel Assistance, CallDesk, DCBrain, Citymagine, Tetrao, TrackSens, Velocity and Yotako. These startups were able to showcase the advancements made possible by artificial intelligence.
These pitches were complemented by two speeches: Nicolas Meric of Dreamquark illustrated the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing artificial intelligence in a corporate setting, and Bénédikt Wilbertz of Talkwalker went over the possibilities that artificial intelligence presents when it comes to automating data processing and mining. Emilie Bechet, LOIC ambassador at nyuko, clarifies: “We believed that juxtaposing the startups and recognized experts would help us demonstrate the power and versatility of artificial intelligence to our members. I am delighted that the message was well received by our attendees.”
The event was concluded with a networking cocktail where the startups and the members were able to discuss the topic and possible collaborations in a casual setting. Christian Haltern, Head of Innovation at the Banque de Luxembourg, says: “The development of a dynamic, local ecosystem and the support of innovation in the Grand Duchy are very important to the Banque de Luxembourg. This is why we joined the LOIC and hosted this event. And I have to say – it has been a great success!”
The LOIC already incorporates more than twenty members, all of them large enterprises established in Luxembourg in a variety of fields, and remains open to other interested companies.
