STYCH, an innovative startup from New-Zealand, sets up in Lille, France

Praveer Srivastava, founder of STYCH, chose to join EuraTechnologies to build its startup in a dynamic and innovation-friendly environment.

STYCH was created by Praveer Srivastava, a product designer and entrepreneur from New-Zealand. He is developing “STYCH”, a hand held 360 camera integrated with a 360 audio device which gives journalists the possibility to provide their audience with immersive experiences. The device is accompanied by a mobile application that simplifies the production process for journalists.

Following his participation in a contest organised by the French embassy in Wellington, New Zealand in June, 2017, Praveer Srivastava was one of 6 winners to be selected to go to Paris and showcase his project at Europe’s largest digital festival: Futur En Seine. The showcase gave Praveer the opportunity to present his idea to the European market and get feedback from technology leaders here in France.

The positive feedback he received convinced him to move his startup to France and find partners, suppliers and funders in a bigger ecosystem. Shortly after Futur En Seine he was selected by Usine.io, a hardware incubator in Paris to further develop his project in France. He worked with for 6 months before he was able to gain the French Tech Visa and relocate to France. During this time he visited France for 5 weeks to discover the french tech ecosystem further and after doing research online he found Setting up in France and connected with a project manager to help him discover the ecosystem in France.

"Getting to opportunity to present my idea in Paris was a surreal experience. To come across the world from New Zealand and have people appreciate your project is an amazing feeling”, he said. 

A personalised support to help STYCH set up and grow in Lille, France

Praveer Srivastava contacted Set Up In France in January 2018. He defined his search criteria with a project manager (legal needs, innovative business environment, proximity to university specialized in the media, presence of incubators, easy connection to technological hubs, etc.) and presented his key questions regarding the establishment of a startup in France.

The Set Up In France team was then able to select various French regions that could fit well with STYCH’s requirements. Praveer Srivastava had the opportunity to discuss with several economic development experts and to visit local facilities. Over a few weeks Praveer visited various different regions and saw multiple incubation spaces around France.

The support provided by Lille’s Agency, which organised several visits and meetings, and the appeal of EuraTechnologies’ services convinced Praveer Srivastava to locate STYCH to Lille.

"The team at Lille’s Agency was so helpful and friendly. They organised a very comprehensive visit to all the major incubators and co-working spaces in the region."

“In the end I choose Euratechnologies as they not only ticked all the boxes but also had an abundant offering of services to help startups from the very early stage to full grown companies.  Lille’s proximity to major European cities was also a major factor for me and the young and vibrant charm of the town meant that I would also enjoy living here.“

Additional information:

To get in touch with Praveer you can contact him on hello@stychstories.co

To find out more about Euratechnologies, visit its website: https://en.euratechnologies.com/  

Discover the services provided by Lille’s Agency: http://en.lillesagency.com/