Open World Forum 2014

1. Federating a Regional Libre
Ecosystem ̶̶̵ The Case of Aquinetic
François Pellegrini, Chairman, Aquinetic

2. Analysis (1) [as of 2008]
● Players in the “Libre” ecosystem belong to
five distinct groups that interact too loosely
to create effective synergies
– Businesses
● Mostly VSMEs at the local scale
● Run after contracts and money
– Associations: LUGs, etc.
● Animate project- or vision-based communities
● Evangelize the general public
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3. Analysis (2)
– Research institutes
● Produce more and more software, either as means or
ends for research
● “Openness” is key to scientific reproducibility
– Higher education bodies: universities,
engineering schools, etc.
● Meddling with the code is a huge added value
● Considerable workforce: interns, tutored projects, etc.
● Hatchery for future entrepreneurs
– “Chick effect”: first image seen is “mommy”
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4. Analysis (3)
– Local administrations
● Have a lot more power than one thinks!
– Well, more precisely, not of the kind one thinks
● Data processing is a strategic activity
– In order to enlighten political decisions
● Everybody interacts with administrations
● Are software purchasing advisers
● Encourage industrial policies
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5. Vision (1)
● Create a new class of entity in the Libre
ecosystem that would:
– Serve as a catalyst between the five
aforementioned groups
– Foster the growth of the Libre ecosystem
● Through the economic perspective
– This is what matters so as to keep the ecosystem alive
● Enact the digital revolution at the regional scale
– Coopetitive work on non-rival goods, etc.
– Think global, act local
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6. Vision (2)
● Project-based strategy
– Gather expertise and lever effects from the five
groups to promote projects
– Further lever effect
● Specific resources offered to project leaders
● Aiming at turning “solutions” into “products”
● Structure inspired from the French
“competitiveness clusters”
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7. Aquinetic
● Non-profit
– “Loi 1901”
● Focusing on the Aquitaine area
– But we do not hesitate to:
● Bring projects from abroad
● Go abroad to push forward our projects
– Both urban, rurban and rural areas
● Member of CNLL
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8. Missions (1)
● Favor the creation and development of Libre
(pure-)player businesses
– Detect promising projects at very early stages
● Well before traditional business incubators
● Pro-active meshing of the whole Aquitaine territory
– Favor the settlement of existing companies in
Aquitaine
– Collaborate with existing business incubators
● It would be useless to duplicate existing structures!
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9. Missions (2)
● Assist projects in their growth
– Providing resources
● Servers, etc.
– Applying for grants
● The “Aquitaine Proto” is a great grant program !
– Accessing foreign markets
● Envisioning international development
● “OSA Export” label
– Booth at OSCON'2013 with UbiFrance
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10. Governance
● Board
– Executive steering
● Administration council
– Global strategy planning
● Scientific and strategic committee (COSS)
– Project selection and guidance
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11. Regional implantation
● Traditional innovation:
– “You have a great idea,
come to Bordeaux / Paris /
the SV / Aldebaran”
● Our view:
– “You have a great idea, stay
where you had it”
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12. Assessment (1)
● Over the 01/2012 ̶̶̵ 2014 time frame...
● Aquinetic has become a renowned local
player
– Specificity acknowledged with respect to
“traditional” business fostering structures
– Expertise acknowledged regarding software
licensing and coopetitive business models
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13. Assessment (2)
● 20+ projects already labeled by COSS
– Fields such as: brain-computer interaction, education
software, elderly safety, Internet website quality, IP
telephony, information system supervision, drone-based
Asian hornet nest destruction, etc.
● Some highlights
– “Shinken Solutions” was the first Libre project
awarded by the French Research Ministry in the
Innovative technology company creation contest
(2013)
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14. Assessment (3)
● Partnership agreements with official
“competitiveness clusters”
– Aerospace Valley
– System@tic (GTLL)
● Occasional joint workshops and mission
teams
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15. Assessment (4)
● Cooperation with local authorities on
economic development dossiers
– Participation to the definition of the activity
sectors of the Marsan technopole area
● Aquinetic opened an office at La Fabrik incubator
launched by Marsan Agglomération
– Participation to the architectural design
competition for the upcoming Nord-Béarn
technopole area
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16. Assessment (5)
● A dedicated accélérateur for Libre
businesses has been set-up in Pessac:
“La Banquiz”
– In collaboration with Bordeaux Unitec
– Can host 3 to 4 start-ups
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17. On-going tasks
● Favor connections with investors
– Investors most often work alone
– Need to promote a collaborative model
● Diversify funding
– Most of Aquinetic resources come from the
public sector
● Investors can pay to have access to projects
● More projects, more start-ups, more fun !
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