AWS Startups Blog
Call for applications: AWS launches new startup program to support growth and innovation of French public sector startups
Startups are key to accelerating the digital transformation of Europe’s public sector. French citizens are adopting digital government services at an increasing rate. According to a report by Public First, 82% of French citizens currently use e-government services, and 72% of French consumers said they were confident they could find information or a service through their government’s websites or apps.
Yet, while many startups develop new products to continue solving pressing societal challenges, instruments and mechanisms to support them are few. While initiatives (Citizens’ Initiatives Accelerator, Gouv.Tech Catalogue, APProch’ platform, etc.) have been launched in France to support emerging public sector startups, in 2021, according to the French Procurement Observatory, only 231 public procurements of innovative products and services have been concluded.
Public sector entrepreneurs are still facing hurdles with getting public sector contracts and access to related investment opportunities. In honor of the 9th edition of the “Public Innovation Month” this November 2022, a series of events focused on sharing methods, best practices, and innovative solutions to design more effective public policies, headed by the French Interministerial Direction for Public Transformation (DITP), Amazon Web Services (AWS) is doubling its commitment to enhancing innovative ideas to support public sector transformation.
AWS is launching AWS Startup Ramp in France to accelerate the development of early stage startups in the public sector. This public sector tailored program will support startups in developing new products and services in government technology, healthcare, sustainability, smart cities, space technology, and more. AWS Startup Ramp provides technical mentoring, business development, marketing, networking support, and access to public sector-specific content to help the startups better understand public sector processes, such as preparing lengthy custom proposals and meeting intensive security requirements with vertical-specific certifications.
Initially launched in 2021 in India, Startup Ramp is also available to support startups in South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan. In Singapore, AWS Startup Ramp has supported NuSpace, a space tech company, navigate complex regulatory and security requirements, which has accelerated its development. Med247, a health tech startup in Vietnam, secured a $4.5M Series A funding round with the support of AWS Startup Ramp.
“Public Sector entrepreneurs, who have at heart a common interest, are building innovative solutions to help central, local governments, and citizens. They continuously inspire us to continue innovating along side them,” says Cameron Brooks, Europe leader for AWS worldwide public sector. “We are pleased that our AWS Startup Ramp will enable early-stage startups to turn their visions for change into disruptive technology to benefit public services. The program gives the great visionaries of today a path to becoming the future business brains of tomorrow – one we are excited to join them on.”
Katrin Dimitrova, co-founder of Vizzia, a French startup using artificial intelligence (AI) and video recognition to help local governments improve the way they manage waste, shared: “I’m excited to see AWS Startup Ramp being launched in France! We have received important support from AWS to grow our startup. We’re happy to see that it will benefit other startups like ours in the public sector sphere to continue building and offering essential services to communities, local administrations, and ultimately citizens.”
Roxanne Varza, director of Station F, the largest startup campus in the world, said “We don’t see enough startups trying to address the needs of the public sector – which could radically improve the lives of citizens. So happy to see this programme, which provides the additional support public sector innovation needs in France.”
Joining the program
How do I qualify?
AWS Startup Ramp will support startups in their earliest stages of development. To qualify, startups have to be founded within the last 10 years, have less than $10M in annual revenue, and plan to serve public sector customers. Startups building solutions in civic and government technology, smart cities, healthcare, sustainability, security, and space technology, are encouraged to apply to the program.
How do I apply?
Startup teams who are interested in participating in the first AWS Startup Ramp cohort with entrepreneurs across France will need to complete the following steps before applications close on 28 February 2023:
- Submit the AWS Startup Ramp Application Request online.
- Complete the AWS Startup Ramp application.
- Indicate on the AWS Startup Ramp application that you are interested in being a part of the AWS Startup Ramp France cohort by marking the cohort checkbox on the main application.
The first AWS Startup Ramp France cohort will commence virtually later in 2023 with technical and business training sessions. The cohort will have the opportunity to engage with other entrepreneurs and their teams while learning from domain experts and AWS executives who are former founders themselves.
Request an application and apply to be an AWS Startup Ramp member today. You can learn more about the program benefits here.
Follow #StartupRamp on Twitter to connect with the community. If you have any questions, please contact the AWS Startup Ramp team directly.