Open Innovation & Startup Manager (H/F)

Expertise France; Paris; Sur place; EUR 50 000 - 70 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A public technical cooperation agency in Paris is seeking a Manager of Open Innovation Start-up to lead projects supporting innovation across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This role will focus on connecting companies with relevant start-ups, managing pipelines, and contributing to digital transformation initiatives. Candidates should have experience in corporate venturing and innovation projects, with a strong understanding of tech start-ups. The position offers a stimulating opportunity with potential travel.

Qualifications

• Experience in Corporate Venturing and innovation projects.
• Proficiency in evaluating tech start-ups.
• Strong understanding of digital transformation and value creation.

Responsabilités

• Support companies throughout the acceleration process.
• Identify and evaluate relevant start-ups.
• Manage a pipeline of leads for Business Development.

Connaissances

Corporate Venturing

Innovation projects

Tech Start-up evaluation

B2B portfolio management

Description du poste

Expertise France is the public agency responsible for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities:

• democratic, economic, and financial governance;
• peace, stability, and security;
• climate, agriculture, and sustainable development;
• health and human development;

Within these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.

Expertise France is recruiting a dynamic and proactive individual to join our team as a Manager of Open Innovation Start-up for the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator project.

Required expertise includes:

• Corporate Venturing, Innovation projects, and Tech Start-up evaluation experience: the candidate will serve as a senior expert in Corporate Venturing, demonstrating the ability to proactively propose initiatives, lead process improvements, and formulate strategic and operational recommendations.

With experience supporting innovation projects and Open Innovation mechanisms, the Open Innovation & Start-up Manager will play a key role in supporting partnerships (between a challenge-bearing company and a solution-providing start-up) across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, ensuring they fully benefit from the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator program.

The main objective once a company expresses a need for a digital technological solution is to support it throughout the acceleration process: from sourcing the right partner (start-up sourcing) to defining and monitoring the acceleration services (acceleration journey roadmap).

This involves supporting companies with expressed challenges through the following steps, known as Account Management:

• Identify - scouting relevant start-ups capable of addressing the challenge;
• Evaluate solutions and capacities of these start-ups (Due Diligence: analyzing proposed solutions and selection);
• Facilitate connections between companies and start-ups (matching meeting coordination);
• Assist the company in the final selection of a start-up for a POC (Proof of Concept);
• Co-develop the acceleration roadmap (business case, POC, investment services) based on identified needs, adopting a role similar to a mentor/consultant, selecting appropriate modules from the acceleration services catalog.

While Account Management is central to this role, activities in prospecting or Business Development will also be necessary to maintain the pipeline of challenges and projects in Open Innovation.

This involves:

• Managing a pipeline of leads from generation to conversion, using classic B2B portfolio management skills: prospecting, discovery, solution proposal — targeting mainly Chief Innovation Officers (CIOs);
• Engaging with Innovation Directors to identify Open Innovation challenges that the Manager can then address through sourcing start-ups.

Main Missions

• Identify and select relevant start-ups to meet expressed challenges, requiring a good understanding of digital transformation and the value creation capacity of tech start-ups (from databases like Crunchbase). Ensuring a successful Venture Clienting partnership, with a well-conducted POC within 6 months.
• Transition from initial contact to formal partnership, leading to contractual collaboration around a clearly defined POC.
• Co-construct the acceleration roadmap (business case, POC, investment services) aligned with ambitions and needs, acting as a specialized Corporate Venturing consultant.

This position offers a stimulating opportunity to contribute to digital innovation development and interregional cooperation, actively supporting sustainable economic development in Latin America & the Caribbean.

Detailed Responsibilities:

• Understand the Open Innovation ecosystem: activate the right levers with stakeholders (companies, start-ups, innovation actors) involved in the program or identified as relevant leads.
• Engage a portfolio of actors at each stage of the process:
• Expressing needs / challenges
• Finding solution providers
• Defining tailored acceleration service pathways

Account Management: aligning needs and solutions, guaranteeing each company at least 3 pre-selected start-ups matching their challenge, and analyzing and presenting quality shortlists.

• Develop business activity by generating new partnerships, identifying and integrating new companies into the program.
• Ensure rigorous traceability of exchanges, provide regular updates on progress, challenges, and successes.

This role is based in Paris at Expertise France’s headquarters, with a 12-month renewable contract, and involves travel to Latin America and Europe approximately twice a year. Expected start date: October 1, 2025.