IMPACT40 meets CAC40: A look back at this new format!

On August 28, the Universités d'été de l'économie de demain, on the theme of "Redirecting", kicked off with a meeting between major groups and impact companies.

From 8.30am, 18 teams from major corporations came to meet 29 leaders of impact start-ups. The 72 "speed-meetings" organized, thanks to the support of the European Commission, with the Buy Social Europe B2B Program*, aim to create innovative partnerships between large corporations and impact companies. 

The impact start-ups that took part in the event are winners of the IMPACT 40/120 index, the new index that values future unicorns with social and environmental impact. Revealed at ChangeNOW in early 2024 for its first edition, the IMPACT40/120 index has put the spotlight on the most mature impact companies in the ecosystem. They were selected on the basis of innovation, scalability and, above all, impact. Indeed, the success of these impact companies cannot be measured solely in terms of financial valuation and amounts raised: they must also take into account the positive impact generated by their core business. Thus, an impact unicorn is defined as an impact company that generates more than €50 million in avoided costs to society. Among the winners were start-ups such as La Vie, Cool Roof, InnovaYa and Ekwateur.

"It's a golden opportunity to propose our product to decision-makers in large groups, and to discuss directly whether or not it's relevant to them", explains Guillaume d'Ayguesvives, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of moka.care.

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The Mapping of impact startups, carried out by Mouvement Impact France, Bpifrance le Hub and France Digitale at the end of 2023, shows that the 3 main priorities of impact startups are : 

• Forging commercial partnerships (25%)
• Expanding in France (18%)
• Expand internationally (18%)

This event responds to the first of these priorities: to bring together impact start-ups and major corporations to forge business relationships. Among the major groups present are purchasing, innovation, CSR and human resources departments, ready to REDIRECT their purchasing or strategy. Among them were teams from Accor, l'Oréal, Suez and LCL.
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"This meeting between start-ups and major corporations enabled me to meet four companies carefully selected by Impact France, with whom the potential for partnership was clear," explains Roseline Klein, International Development Manager at Suez.

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Following these qualified meetings, major corporations and impact start-ups continue their exchanges in order to create innovative partnerships, which will enable the ecosystem's impact companies to structure and develop even further!

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Buy Social Europe B2B is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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BuBuy Social Europe B2B is also co-financed by SAP and the partners participating in the Buy Social Europe B2B consortium. 

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