DIJON: Crédit Agricole opens its Village by CA of the Cité de la Gastronomie to “accelerate innovation”
Inaugurated on October 15 in Dijon, the Village by CA is the first structure to open on the CIGV site. Quite a “symbol” for Emmanuel Vey, Managing Director of the Champagne-Bourgogne regional bank of Crédit Agricole. Up to twelve startups can be hosted, not counting the Vitagora competitiveness cluster and Foodtech.
Coworking space, incubator, nursery … a Village by CA is all of these. After a first site in rue des Godrans, Crédit Agricole inaugurated on October 15 the brand new site of the cooperation space dedicated to young innovative companies located within the International City of Gastronomy and Wine.
The Champagne-Bourgogne regional bank of Crédit Agricole has invested 5 million euros for this construction: “a place at the service of the territory, its economy and its attractiveness”. This is also the first structure open to the CIGV, excluding residential buildings.
The CIGV’s Village by CA has 1,300 m² of offices, including 70 workstations. It can host up to twelve startups, whatever their field of work, even if Crédit Agricole intends to insist in the future on the themes of agrifood and health, in connection with the partners of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. and Grand-Est.
Support start-ups in a logic of growth
As the bank explains in a press release, the Village is a business incubator, it is a place of exchange and sharing of culture between partner companies and start-ups, in close connection with innovation. . A place that promotes synergy with local players. The objective is to support start-ups in a logic of growth and to welcome companies in a logic of sponsorship.
Concretely, at the Village by CA, all the partner companies are committed to young entrepreneurs. They provide assistance in setting up young companies, participate in the start-up, provide their expertise and experience …
In return, they benefit from a dynamic of innovation which can become a source of opportunities for their development.
“The Village by CA is a unique place to live in the region”
Brought to the national territory by Crédit Agricole and a panel of partners since 2014, the Village by CA, established in the heart of the territories, offers in a framework of open innovation, places of exchange, business meetings and development meeting the needs of entrepreneurs.
Opened in 2018, the historic premises of the Village by CACB located in Dijon, rue des Godrans, will be kept to maintain collaboration with resident start-ups and increase reception capacity.
Now boasting a surface area of 1,300 m², the Village by CA Champagne-Bourgogne offers its inhabitants start-ups:
– an optimal working environment: private offices, co-working spaces, meeting and catering areas,
– a flexible and adapted accommodation offer open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
– an event-based offer which will soon be available for hire to all companies wishing to have modern and equipped meeting rooms.
At the heart of this ensemble, “the Place du Village” is a 130 m² meeting and discussion place for residents and visitors. It can be fitted out for the organization of seminars, conferences, forums, taking into account the level of infrastructure …
“The Village by CA is a unique place to live in the region. It aims to identify and support projects with high potential led by innovative start-ups. He found at their disposal an ideal working environment. Joining the Village means benefiting from tailor-made support ”, indicates Thomas Dupont, mayor of the Village by the Champagne-Bourgogne Board of Directors.
“To serve the economic development of our territory”
Crédit Agricole sees the Village as a “new entrepreneurial adventure”. The Village by CACB aims to identify and support high potential projects led by innovative startups. In its new premises, up to 70 start-ups can rub shoulders with local businesses that want to innovate and transform.
This unique configuration should lead to the emergence of a dynamic ecosystem that creates value. The Village was designed as a place of sharing and creation organized around missions such as:
– promote the emergence of innovative projects and new talents,
– support young companies in the implementation of their solutions and in their commercial success,
– promote, accelerate and disseminate innovation in all its forms and in all companies,
– serve the economic development of the territories.
“Our raison d’être is to support entrepreneurship and innovation so that the projects of our regions shine at the national and international level, in order to serve the economic development of our territory. Our Villages by CA are places conducive to creativity, cooperation and growth, from start-ups to large groups. Thanks to our regional network and supported by the values of our Group, we provide all entrepreneurs with the same chances of success, whatever their Village of affiliation ”, declares Tristan Lamy, Director of Business Development, Agriculture and Specialized Markets.
Outsourcing of research and development for SMEs
Speaking to present the site ahead of the inauguration, on Friday October 15, 2021, Emmanuel Vey, Managing Director of the Champagne-Bourgogne regional bank of Crédit Agricole, recalls that, at the national level, Crédit Agricole is financing “a company out of three ”. Since the start of the Villages, throughout France, 1,500 startups have been supported, generating the creation of around 10,000 jobs.
The regional fund takes charge that it is in “its raison d’être” to intervene with young businesses in the region that need premises, support and meetings. “In each region, SMEs, medium-sized companies, come here [en tant que partenaires] to find a great opportunity to set up programs where they reflect with startups on developments, innovations, etc. ”, explains Emmanuel Vey.
The Village by CA receives applications from entrepreneurs through word of mouth, following thematic calls for applications – on agrifood and health in Dijon for example – or even specific – at the request of partners sometimes. This corresponds to a form of outsourcing of research and development on the part of SMEs and mid-cap companies. The contributing partners to the selection committee.
“It’s more than coworking”
With the CIGV site, the structure gains a “village square” that is much larger and more suitable than the multipurpose room on the Godrans site. The 550 m² of the rue des Godrans site being complete, the establishment of the site at the CIGV will soon allow to relaunch a wave of calls for applications. “We will be able to accelerate,” enthuses Emmanuel Vey.
“Until now, we accelerated startups because we had the premises for that; tomorrow, we will accelerate innovation. (…) It’s more than coworking, ”adds Tristan Lamy.
From 100 euros membership
The site has a total of 1,300 m² of offices: three levels in the old medical school and a new two-level building designed by Anthony Béchu, the architect of the CIGV, which has integrated an old stone arch in the facade.
The Vitagora agrifood competitiveness cluster occupies 350 m² and the Foodtech association has a 40 m² office. The latter will soon open a living lab, ie a demonstration space for innovative technologies applied to the food industry.
The Village offers a 100 m² coworking space as well as eight offices for startups plus a few residual locations. Different formulas apply to the occupants of the Village, from simple membership to residence. A simple membership costs 100 euros, the rental of offices varies from 300 to 400 euros. Note that it is not necessary to be a Crédit Agricole customer to be accommodated.
“On an office cost less expensive than the market with a whole environment that comes with you,” insists Emmanuel Vey, who does not communicate on the cost of operation of the structure. An employee has been recruited to assist Thomas Dupont, the first deputy of the Village in a way. A work-study student also participates in the team.
The ecosystem of the Cité de la Gastronomie
While the inauguration of the CIGV is now scheduled for spring 2022, the Village by CA is the first structure to launch its activity. “The symbol is that we start with companies, startups and innovation,” says Emmanuel Vey.
For his part, the mayor sees obvious synergies with Vitagora and hopes that links will be created with companies which set up in the heart of the CIGV or with companies which organize seminars in the neighboring hotel: “on the intends to be part of this ecosystem of the International City of Gastronomy and Wine ”.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
Village life by CA (communicated)
Partners & start-ups, actors of the Village by CACB
Today, around fifty residents, partners and start-ups are gathered within the Village itself, located in the heart of the city. All coordinated by the mayor of the Village by CA Champagne-Bourgogne, Thomas Dupont.
The partners
Large companies, mid-cap companies, SMEs, schools, universities or regional, national and international players constituting the strength of this ecosystem of partners. The Village opened from the start with 2 major partners / ambassadors who are residents of the territory, namely Vitagora and the FoodTech Dijon Bourgogne Franche-Comté association.
It currently has 14 partners:
CAPEC
Dijon Cereals
EDF
Lawyer Guiu
UI investment
SUNTEC
System U
BPI France
ARE BFC
CACB
CCI 21
VITAGORA
FOOD TECH
DECA BFC
Start-ups
Following the various calls for applications, 17 start-ups are now operating in this ecosystem.
Alexyia
Little finger tea club
Aveine
Dairy Company
Farmer’s Ice Cream
Coccoli
Etoh
Exoliom Biosciences
Soon baby
Good life
Green founders
Kwik Wink
The Large Glass
The Petit Bourguignon
Food that loves life
Datasol
sensual
Socrates Drinks
And 5 alumni: Morphée +, Cohesives, mYXpression, Four Data / Fuel-it and Domaine du Goût.
In France and Europe
The Village concept boosts the economy of the regions by accelerating the development of young businesses. Today, this national concept brings together 41 Villages, 730 partner companies and 1,260 start-ups in France.
Supported by the Crédit Agricole Regional Banks, the Villages boost the economy of the regions through their local support for innovation. Linked together, they multiply business opportunities for all stakeholders.
Today, the Village located in Dijon is attractive and complementary to the network of Limit Villages (Lyon, Paris, Besançon). It capitalizes on the growth drivers of our region: agrifood, health, housing and tourism.
In Champagne-Bourgogne, it now has 17 start-ups, 4 alumni and 14 partners and will soon launch a call for applications in connection with its installation at the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin.
In France and Europe
41 towns
1260 start
730 partners
In Champagne-Burgundy
1 village
17 start
14 partners