This year, the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region was ready to embrace its difference. Because despite the financial efforts requested of the communities in the 2025 finance project, the Auralpine community was the only one to maintain a delegation of 67 start-ups at the Las Vegas CES (39 exhibitors and 28 visitors) embodying half of the French. single delegation. And this, at a time when most other French regions have chosen to refocus their budgets on other subjects. Overall result: the French presence will be slightly reduced this year (110 start-ups, compared to 150 in 2024), even if France remains the 2nd foreign delegation behind the May embodied now by Korea of the South
On the political side, the new secretary of the French Tech mission, Julie Huguet, did not make the trip this year. Nor the president of the Southern Region, who was the only councilor to be represented last year. This time, it is Fabrice Pannekoucke, the successor of Laurent Wauquiez, who ticks a double box: confirming his first participation in the CES, while standing as the only French politician present for the 2025 edition.
” We are the only region that still has a pavilion, but also the only one that has sent its first vice-president for the economy, its president and a delegated council for digital, specifies the regional president. We did not come here to do tourism, but to offer our ecosystem a very well placed showcase in the Eureka Park, with the desire that these start-ups can be supported with us, then return later as exhibitors. »
The bet of the regional pavilion
While his visit also included meetings behind closed doors with foreign delegations (consul of France in Los Angeles, Quebec delegation, private investors, etc.), the boss of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region returned to the tradition, started by the his successor, to “take out.” in packs” in the colors of a turquoise region, which also colors the carpet of the pavilion. Also affirming their positions against the body centralizing the forces this year : : “ I said it clearly to the representatives of Business France: it is certainly working in complementarity, but we are going to stay with our flag because even here, this success, this movement, this strength at a given moment that is found behind the our colors , so we will return with an enthusiasm that has been shared. That of belonging to a large industrial region, of innovation “, adds Fabrice Pannekoucke.
A bet that seems to have already paid off: because if there are local personalities as the head of Michelin, Florent Ménégaux, made an incognito appearance to meet some of the companies in the pavilion, there were also major accounts such as Sony, CapGemini, Honda, Volvo, Lynred, Intermarché, who came to meet the exhibitor start-ups, whose place would also have given birth , behind the scenes, to the questions of some Asian actors.
” Some people asked us how we managed to be so well seated at the entrance of the show, when countries like South Korea came in large numbers. “, says a member of the delegation. The answer is not difficult to find: “ The CTA show organizer allocates booths based on seniority issues », underlines Kate Margetts, marketer of the Minalogic competitiveness cluster, who recalls that the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes celebrated this year its 12th anniversary at the CES.
A substantial investment
And if the community does not reveal the budget allocated to its presence at this show, the start-ups themselves will make the count and mention the advantageous conditions. ” Today, I don’t think we could afford to be in Las Vegas without regional help and support, which allows us to finance 50% of the registration fees on the stand, and 50% of the expenses of an employee to travel at the site “, he confirms Frederic Ifergan, ddevelopment director at GydTech, which develops a connected mirror for the beauty sector, associated with a microproduction station for personalized cosmetics. Because very often, traveling to the great mass of electronics has a price for start-ups: between 5,000 and 8,000 euros of investments to be made.
The start-up Netri, which received an Innovation Award for its organs on chips that promise time savings and efficiency for the pharmaceutical industry in the development of new drugs, is also drawn a positive initial evaluation. “ CES allowed us to meet customers that we thought we would not have to deal with at a consumer show, including many people from technology and pharma, and the particularity of having direct access to CEOs or senior positions who travel to the our booth emphasizes Serge Roux, head of design at Netri. After two days of the show, we already have dozens of qualified contacts. »
This is also the case for the young start-up Novostable which, by introducing AI in the connected cameras that allow monitoring and preventing the health of the horses, has already received a hundred contacts, and signed its first contract with an American ranch. ” We have received American investors interested in our concept, customer contacts, but also a combination of both with an investor who has horses and wants to invest, briefs Julien Cornouiller, co-founder. We have already been the subject of articles thanks to the CES Unveiled in many newspapers around the world and I also had, by chance, the opportunity to chat with the head of Zoom, whose best friend has horses. »
Recruit new prospects
At the heart of an economic context disturbed by inflation, the continuation of the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also the specter of the return of Donald Trump who promises a change of direction and the return of a form of protection of the American style. , Auvergne Rhône-Alpes was also there to prepare to establish new partnerships. ” Even if we are 10,000 kilometers from home, what happens here has an impact on the way we live and live in our territories. We are also here to watch what is happening in the world around us, how things are moving “, underlines the president of the Region.
Fabrice Pannekoucke sent, during the traditional networking evening at the top of the 110 floors of the Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas, a message of confidence. ” We are entering a moment of great turmoil. This is true here in North America, but also internationally. We’re going to have a bad time. But behind this, everyone we met here predicts that the acceleration will be strong. We don’t need to be afraid, but take our positions, because the improvement will come. There are already very significant business sources “, he estimated.
Also accompanied by the president of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Entreprises regional branch, Franck Colcombet, Fabrice Pannekoucke claims to have directed ” particularly interesting exchanges » with potential targets (investors or private companies, ed), positioned around robotics for example. ” But the idea is not always to look for what we don’t have, it is also to be able to amplify what we already have. “, notes the elected. A nod to the digital sector, of which the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region has made one of its workhorses with the creation of a dedicated campus, which it intends to further increase its power by investing 20 million euros in a expansion project.
