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PARIS, France -  Bloomflow, a leading innovation management platform for enterprises, is acquiring Agorize, a globally renowned provider of challenge & idea management solutions.

Together, they offer an AI-powered software suite covering every phase of the innovation process to fuel growth - from sourcing transformative ideas to scaling them globally and leveraging an ecosystem of startups, tech vendors, and academics.

This acquisition blends two decades of combined experience, a portfolio of over 300 corporate and institutional clients across 26 countries - including L’Oréal, Nestle, HSBC, Bayer, Capgemini, Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover, PepsiCo, and the Government of Singapore - and a team of over 100 people in offices in Paris, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Founded in 2016 in Paris, Bloomflow emerged as the leader of innovation ecosystem management, empowering corporates to scout and qualify startups and innovative partners, manage innovation portfolios, and gain actionable insights for informed decision-making. With robust growth, Bloomflow has successfully expanded its presence throughout Europe and the US.

Agorize, founded five years earlier, and also in Paris, set the standard for open innovation, connecting corporates and organizations with a global network of 10 million startups, students, developers, and researchers. After raising over $20 million, Agorize successfully scaled its business across Europe and Asia.

Thomas Girard, CEO of Bloomflow said:

“We are thrilled that Agorize is joining Bloomflow. Our visions and people are aligned and laser-focused on executing great synergies. We will benefit from similar and inspiring client bases, gain access to each other’s respective markets, build on each other’s strengths to deploy a solution across all phases of the innovation chain, and bring together two exceptional groups of people, all of whom believe in innovation as a force for good and for growth.”

Yohann Melamed, CEO of Agorize, added:

“Our ambition remains the same, just unified and strengthened: to build the global leader in innovation technology and to empower hundreds of companies to make innovation a real driver of growth, a catalyst for sustainable transformation, and a magnet for talent.”

The new company looks to leverage its competitive advantage and foothold in Europe, Asia, and the US to become the global leader in innovation technology, paving the way for a future where all companies worldwide make innovation a core driver of their business strategy. 

About the companies

Bloomflow develops a SaaS platform that empowers companies to drive innovation by identifying, developing, and deploying new business opportunities to fuel growth.

Agorize helps large companies and institutions transform themselves, thanks to its innovation management software fueled by the ideas of 10 million startups and innovators.

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PARIS, France - Bloomflow, plateforme leader de gestion de l'innovation pour les grandes entreprises, annonce l'acquisition d’Agorize, acteur mondialement reconnu des outils de gestion des challenges d’innovation et de la génération d’idées.

Complémentaires, les deux entreprises réunies seront en mesure de proposer une suite logicielle couvrant toutes les étapes du processus d'innovation pour accélérer la croissance des entreprises : de l'identification d'idées transformatrices à leur déploiement à grande échelle, avec l’appui d’un écosystème de partenaires innovants, de startups, de chercheurs,  d'universitaires et d’experts.

Cette acquisition combine 20 ans d'expérience, un portefeuille de plus de 300 clients corporate et institutionnels répartis dans 26 pays (dont L’Oréal, Nestlé, HSBC, Bayer, Capgemini, Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover, PepsiCo et le gouvernement de Singapour) et une équipe de plus de 100 collaborateurs basés à Paris, Londres, New York, Singapour, Hong Kong et Tokyo.

Fondée à Paris en 2016, Bloomflow s'est imposée comme le leader de la gestion d’écosystèmes d'innovation, permettant aux grandes entreprises d’identifier et d’évaluer des startups et des partenaires innovants, de gérer leurs portefeuilles d'innovation et de prendre des décisions motivées grâce à des analyses concrètes. Forte de sa croissance rapide, Bloomflow a étendu sa présence en Europe et aux États-Unis.

De son côté, Agorize, fondée cinq ans plus tôt également à Paris, a redéfini les standards de l'innovation ouverte en connectant entreprises et organisations à un réseau mondial de 10 millions de startups, étudiants, développeurs et chercheurs. Après avoir levé plus de 20 millions de dollars, Agorize s'est solidement implantée en Europe et en Asie.

La gestion de l'innovation dans les grandes entreprises, particulièrement en Europe, constitue un enjeu stratégique plus que jamais essentiel. Ces entreprises peinent souvent à transformer leurs initiatives innovantes en solutions concrètes et exploitables. Selon le rapport du Conseil de l'innovation intitulé Faire de la France une économie de rupture technologique, entre 2006 et 2018, 64 % des entreprises françaises, pourtant leaders dans leur secteur, ont perdu du terrain dans la hiérarchie mondiale. Ce recul s'explique en partie par des processus internes rigides et une faible adoption des technologies de rupture

Déclarations des dirigeants

Thomas Girard, DG de Bloomflow :

« Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Agorize au sein de Bloomflow. Nos visions et nos équipes sont parfaitement alignées pour créer de puissantes synergies. Ensemble, nous pourrons tirer parti de nos bases clients respectives, élargir notre accès aux marchés, et offrir une solution couvrant toutes les phases de la chaîne d'innovation. Ce rapprochement est aussi une opportunité unique de réunir des équipes exceptionnelles partageant une même conviction : l'innovation est une force de transformation positive et un levier de croissance. »

Yohann Melamed, DG d’Agorize :

« Notre ambition reste inchangée, mais elle est désormais unifiée et renforcée : bâtir le leader mondial des technologies d’innovation, et accompagner des centaines d’entreprises dans leur transformation durable, en faisant de l’innovation un moteur de croissance et un attracteur de talents. »

À propos de Bloomflow et Agorize

Bloomflow : Plateforme de gestion d'écosystèmes d'innovation permettant aux grandes entreprises de découvrir, qualifier et collaborer avec des partenaires innovants.

Agorize : Solution de gestion de l’innovation aidant les grandes entreprises et institutions à se transformer grâce aux idées issues d’un réseau de 10 millions d’innovateurs.

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PARIS, Frankreich  – Bloomflow, die führende Innovationsmanagement-Plattform für Unternehmen, übernimmt Agorize, einen weltweit anerkannten Anbieter von Lösungen für Ideen- und Innovation-Challenges.

Gemeinsam bieten Bloomflow und Agorize eine umfassende Software-Suite, die alle Phasen des Innovationsprozesses abdeckt und das Unternehmenswachstum beschleunigt: Von der Suche nach wegweisenden Ideen bis zur globalen Umsetzung und der Verwaltung eines Innovationsökosystems aus Start-ups, Technologieanbietern und wissenschaftlichen Partnern.

Diese Übernahme vereint zwei Jahrzehnte Erfahrung, ein Kundenportfolio von über 300 Unternehmen und Institutionen aus 26 Ländern – darunter L'Oréal, Nestlé, Michelin, HSBC, Bayer, BASF, Capgemini, Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover, PepsiCo und die Regierung von Singapur – sowie ein Team von über 100 Mitarbeitern in Büros in Paris, London, New York, Singapur, Hongkong und Tokio.

Bloomflow wurde 2016 in Paris gegründet und hat sich als Marktführer im Bereich des Managements von Innovationsökosystemen etabliert. Die Plattform ermöglicht Unternehmen, relevante Start-ups und innovative Partner zu entdecken und zu bewerten, Innovationsportfolios zu verwalten und dank relevanter Analysen fundierter zu entscheiden. Durch starkes Wachstum hat Bloomflow erfolgreich eine bedeutende Präsenz in Europa geschaffen.

Agorize, bereits fünf Jahre zuvor und ebenfalls in Paris gegründet, hat neue Standards für Open Innovation gesetzt, indem es Unternehmen mit einem globalen Netzwerk von 10 Millionen Start-ups, Studierenden, Entwicklern und Forschern verbindet. Nach einer Kapitalaufnahme von über 20 Millionen Euro konnte Agorize seine Aktivitäten erfolgreich in Europa und Asien ausweiten.

Thomas Girard, CEO von Bloomflow, sagt hierzu:

„Wir freuen uns sehr, dass Agorize Teil der Bloomflow-Familie wird. Unsere Visionen und Teams passen sehr gut zueinander und wir sehen Synergien in vielen Bereichen. Wir profitieren von ähnlichen Kundenportfolios mit innovativen Organisationen in allen Industrien. Agorize und Bloomflow erhalten Zugang zu neuen Märkten. Wir bauen auf unsere Stärken auf, um eine Lösung für alle Phasen des Innovationsprozesses bereitzustellen. Mit Agorize und Bloomflow kommen zwei außergewöhnliche Teams zusammen, die in Innovation eine Kraft für Verbesserung und Wachstum sehen. Ich freue mich sehr auf die gemeinsame Arbeit.“

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Yohann Melamed, CEO von Agorize, ergänzt:

„Unsere Ambition bleibt dieselbe, nur vereint und gestärkt: Wir wollen den globalen Marktführer für Innovationstechnologie schaffen und hunderten Unternehmen ermöglichen, Innovation als echten Wachstumstreiber, Katalysator für nachhaltige Transformation und als Magnet für Talente zu nutzen.“

Das neue Unternehmen plant, seinen Wettbewerbsvorteil und seine Standorte in Europa, Asien und Nordamerika zu nutzen, um zum weltweiten Marktführer im Bereich der Innovationstechnologie zu werden und eine Zukunft zu gestalten, in der Innovation für Unternehmen weltweit ein zentraler Bestandteil ihrer Geschäftsstrategie ist.

Über Bloomflow und Agorize

Bloomflow unterstützt Unternehmen, Innovationen voranzutreiben. Mit Bloomflow identifizieren Organisationen neue und wachstumsfördernde Geschäftsfelder und beschleunigen die Abstimmung und Umsetzung der richtigen Maßnahmen.

Agorize unterstützt große Unternehmen und Institutionen bei ihrer Transformation durch eine Innovationsmanagement-Software, die auf den Ideen von 10 Millionen Start-ups und Innovatoren basiert.

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Current generative AI has the potential to automate work activities that absorb 60-70% of employees’ time today according to McKinsey. Now, innovation scouts can save hours of manual research with the help of GenAI to identify potential partnerships and emerging trends.

These tools are so easy to use that any innovator can cut down on manual scouting time to source more relevant solutions for the needs of their business unit, faster. In this article we’ll cover a few best practices to accelerate preliminary scouting with AI, and more specifically, how to leverage Bloomflow’s AI Scout.

Best practice #1: Use AI as an assistant, not a replacement

It's essential to approach AI as a collaborative sidekick that enhances your scouting capabilities rather than treating it as a substitute for human input. AI can save you significant time by helping you quickly understand complex and technical topics you may not be familiar with. This preliminary understanding can help you interpret the request, converting the problem statement into a startup. Furthermore, it helps you cut through marketing jargon to quickly understand what the startup actually does.

When using an AI for scouting, remember it's the human touch, your industry knowledge, and your ability to interpret the context that brings true value to these insights. Once the first round of results starts coming in, take the time to research the solutions and evaluate their potential fit and impact on your goals. In your research, you’re likely to come across ideas to help you iterate on or refine your AI-enhanced search.

It's worth noting that AI models can occasionally produce unusual or fake results — this is known as 'hallucination.' To minimize this, be sure to check if the result is verified on Crunchbase or LinkedIn, in the verified results column. For any unverified results, be sure to click over to their website to conduct your own research before adding any leads to your portfolios.

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Best Practice #2: craft a clear and direct prompt tied to your goals

Ready to discover new potential partners? The first thing you need to do is to come up with a prompt that's tied to what you want to achieve. Are you trying to solve an operational problem that's holding your team back? Or maybe you're on the hunt for solutions that align with your corporate strategic axes?

When writing your prompt, make sure to keep it structured and precise. Think of it as giving directions - the clearer you are, the more likely you are to end up where you want to go. A well-thought-out prompt will help the AI understand what you're looking for and deliver results that are spot-on and truly useful.

Example prompts for Bloomflow’s AI Scout

• Give me a list of startups [using generative AI for health and wellness]
• Generate top startups [helping companies reduce their carbon footprint within the Retail industry]
• Give me startups revolutionizing [industry]
• Give me innovative companies in [industry]
• How can we solve [problem statement]
• Find startups similar to [company]

Best practice #3: curate results with follow-up questions and commands

Once you’ve got an interesting list of results from your AI Assistant, don’t stop there! Use prompts to hone in on the most relevant results.

Does your company or project have specific requirements for the partners you’re scouting? Tell it to add a column to display the information desired, or simply remove some results. For startups you might have requirements around the maturity or size. Ask the AI Scouting Assistant to narrow down results to startups at least 5 years old, or who have 50 or more employees. Or perhaps you only want to work with a partner local to your country or region for security requirements for ease of collaboration.

The more you drill down your results before adding them to your portfolio, the higher data quality you’ll have on your innovation management platform. When filtering results, we recommend feeding the AI one command at a time. For example, ask it to remove startups less than 5 years old. Once results are updated, tell it to add a column with last funding date.

Example prompts to drill down results

• Remove companies [less than 2 years old]
• Only show companies with [500 or more employees]
• Add a column with [latest round of funding]
• Add a column with [founding date]
• Only give me startups based in [country]

In conclusion, AI offers an invaluable tool for innovation scouting, streamlining the process and increasing efficiency. By using it as an assistant, crafting clear prompts tied to your goals, and thoroughly drilling down results, you can maximize its potential and elevate your scouting efforts. With Bloomflow's AI Scout, anyone can become a scout and discover innovative solutions that drive business growth.

Learn more about how Bloomflow can help you identify innovative solutions

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Paris - Bloomflow, a leading enterprise innovation management platform, announces the launch of AI Scout, a self-serve scouting solution available directly within its platform to drive efficiency. 

AI Scout is powered by generative AI to streamline scouting processes, enabling users to efficiently pinpoint startups that align with their specific business needs. By minimizing manual tasks such as startup verification and dreadful data entry, AI Scout lightens the load for innovation teams and others responsible for scouting activities, empowering them to concentrate on more strategic initiatives.

‍"We see this happening at every major event, from Vivatech to CES to London Tech Week, partnerships between large enterprises and startups continue to grow. Whether it’s for venture clienting, CVC investments, or simple B2B partnerships, finding the right solution can be very challenging in this noisy ecosystem," says Raphaël Guillet, CPO.

"With innovation becoming increasingly decentralized, teams often don’t have the expertise and frameworks to identify startups that can help solve their problems. When we created AI Scout, we wanted to empower these teams with guidance and a massive efficiency boost in their scouting work. They engage with AI Scout using natural language, get support to refine, rank, and qualify solutions and effortlessly add them to their partner portfolio."

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AI Scout is seamlessly integrated into the Bloomflow platform, offering users a user-friendly chat experience to initiate searches, receive curated results, and refine selections based on their needs.

"We're super excited to announce our first big launch driven by AI. We've been experimenting with different models, making sure they're just right in terms of performance and usefulness while ensuring that our clients can safely use them,” says Ghislain de Juvigny, CTO at Bloomflow.

‍“Introducing AI Scout—we're really proud of it. And guess what? It's just the start! We've got a whole bunch of AI powered features lined up, all built on the solid technical base we've been working on with LLMs over the past few months.”

Key Benefits:

• Streamlined Scouting: Cut through the noise of the bustling startup ecosystem with tailored results based on complex queries, facilitating swift decision-making.
• Time Savings: Liberate yourself from manual tasks like sifting through marketing websites and blogs, verifying the legitimacy of startups, and cross-referencing your existing partner portfolio, redirecting your focus towards building impactful partnerships.
• Automated Data Entry: Ensure data accuracy and reliability with automatic pre-filling of relevant fields, reducing the time needed to create new startup profiles.‍
• Enhanced Collaboration: Foster innovation by empowering internal subject matter experts to contribute to scouting efforts, amplifying the search for innovative solutions.
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Schedule a demo to experience the power of AI Scout

Looking to boost user involvement on your innovation platform? We know engaging users is vital, but getting them to use the platform effectively is what truly drives innovation and growth.To enhance user engagement on your innovation platform, consider hosting strategic events.

These events allow users to experience the platform's benefits firsthand, build awareness, and provide training. They foster collaboration and a sense of community, driving adoption and innovation.

At Bloomflow, our objective is to cultivate an innovative community where everyone actively participates and collaborates. We understand the importance of incentives in engaging people, so we're committed to motivating and recognizing outstanding ideas that drive progress and creativity. Based on our clients' experiences, rewards have proven to attract more users to their platforms, and we're excited to pass on some of their effective strategies.

In our upcoming infographic, we offer practical advice on how to establish a stimulating environment where rewards play a significant role in fostering innovation, facilitating knowledge-sharing, and fostering collective success.
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Effective communication strategies are key to elevating user experience, fostering collaboration, and ultimately driving adoption of our platform. In this infographic, we will explore actionable steps to optimize both internal and external communication to unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth.

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, it’s not only innovation teams who are using idea management solutions to find new solutions and encourage fresh thinking among employees. If you're considering implementing an idea management platform in your business unit, here are three key features you need to look out for:

1. Design that drives user engagement

Have you ever started filling out a form just to quit halfway through because it’s not worth the headache? Design and usability of your idea management platform is crucial for employee engagement. If your team finds it hard to use or navigate, they'll soon lose interest.

So, when choosing your platform, make sure it's simple to use and has a user-friendly design. The experience should feel as easy as using any modern website and beloved b2c app. That means users can easily find what they're looking, functionalities are intuitive, and visual elements bring the page or app to life. Remember, this is a place where your team should inspire and feel inspired!

Finally, a great design isn't static. It should evolve based on user feedback and needs. Therefore, choose a vendor committed to continuously improving the platform based on users' experiences and suggestions.

2. Best-practice templates to hit the ground running

With the plethora of idea management literature out there, it can be overwhelming to set up your first campaign. That’s why guidance should be included in your idea management platform with off-the-shelf templates so you can hit the ground running.

Templates give you a head start by providing a structure for generating and managing ideas. They should match your goals and needs, including defining submission forms and idea stages. Plus, they should be flexible enough for you to change the wording to fit your company. For example, do you want to ask for “ideas,” “feedback,” or “best practices?”

Finally, these tried-and-true templates ensure you follow industry best practices. They’re based on the most common processes being followed by thousands of companies across sectors. Forget about re-inventing the wheel - unless you’re running an idea campaign on the future of mobility!

3. Connectivity to your innovation management platform to streamline implementation

Once your campaign is over and winning ideas have been selected, what next? Your idea management platform should easily connect to your innovation management platform to avoid falling into the idea sandbox syndrome where ideas accumulate but lack concrete follow-up.

Having both platforms integrated speeds up the process of turning an idea into action. This connectivity also allows you to better leverage existing partners in your portfolio who could help implement the idea, saving even more time.

Finally, having your entire innovation funnel managed on a single platform means more accurate and holistic analytics from idea to implementation. You should also be able to track topics such as your most engaged internal innovators, hot innovation topics, and innovation ROI.

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Remember, these three features - simplicity, ready-to-use templates, and connectivity - are crucial for any idea management platform. They'll help to ensure the successful creation and management of innovative ideas within your department.