[**My Smart City: Revolutionizing Urban Management with AppCity**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=video_id)
In this episode of SMART TECH, we sit down with Benjamin Wainstain, Partner at Innovacom, to discuss the innovation capital and the taste for risks in the tech industry. Innovacom is a pioneering independent company specializing in digital and deep tech sectors.
**Capital Innovation: Taking Risks for Groundbreaking Technologies**
Capital innovation involves investing in young companies with high growth potential that are focused on innovative and disruptive technologies. This approach carries a certain level of risk but also offers tremendous opportunities. Innovacom stands apart by investing not only in software solutions, but also in companies with hardware components, including those involved in industrialization.
According to a study, one in four companies dies within a decade of investment. However, just as often, there are companies that experience significant growth. Innovacom’s investment model aims for a balanced risk-reward ratio, unlike the traditional approach of relying on one outright success. This allows Innovacom to choose projects with varying degrees of risk.
**The Two Pillars: Technology and Management**
Investments in innovative companies heavily rely on two main pillars: technology and management. In a young company, the team is as crucial as the technology or market addressability. Innovacom benefits from a strong network of successful entrepreneurs, experts, and research laboratories. This extensive ecosystem provides Innovacom with qualified projects due to its long-standing presence in the market.
**Investing in AppCity: Revolutionizing Smart City Data Collection**
We discuss Innovacom’s recent investment in AppCity, a young company that specializes in providing real-time localized data for smart cities and their service operators. AppCity has developed sensors that will be installed on top of lighting poles, enabling real-time analysis of images without data storage or transmission. These sensors will empower urban services such as intelligent parking, traffic management, emergency prioritization, and energy-efficient lighting. These services currently face limitations due to the lack of access to collected data.
AppCity addresses the need for better urban traffic management and setting new standards for data collection. Innovacom only invests in companies that prioritize privacy and comply with relevant regulations. AppCity ensures data privacy by processing data locally and by anonymizing the collected information through sensor hardware limitations. The approval from CNIL, the French data privacy authority, reinforces AppCity’s commitment to privacy protection.
**Embracing Responsible Digital Innovation**
Innovacom goes beyond technological and business considerations. They also factor in extra-financial criteria, such as privacy, environment, and responsible finance. This year, there has been a significant acceleration of these themes, and Innovacom aligns with these concerns. They emphasize responsible use of digital technologies, for both purely digital solutions and those that contribute to environmental sectors.
**Data: The New Oil of the 21st Century**
A company’s value is increasingly measured by the amount of data it possesses. The focus lies not just in collecting data, but in deriving insights and intelligence from it. AppCity’s value proposition centers around being responsible and sharing data with other capable parties for analysis. Having a shared and responsible infrastructure provides immense value, as it differentiates them from competitors.
Investing in companies like AppCity is crucial for shaping the cities of the future. It is essential not only to provide financial support but also to promote and communicate these investments. This helps in positively influencing the perception and reputation of the fund.
Watch the full episode for a comprehensive understanding of Innovacom’s investment philosophy and its goal of revolutionizing urban management!
#### References
– [Video: SMART TECH – My Smart City: Revolutionizing Urban Management with AppCity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=video_id)
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*Disclaimer: The transcript may have been edited for clarity and coherence.*
Lundi 3 mai 2021, SMART TECH reçoit Benjamin Wainstain (Partner, Innovacom)
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