France-headquartered marketing and public relations firm Publicis Groupe has launched an initiative called #Publicis90 that will invest in and mentor 90 startups across the globe.
The successful applicants will receive between €10,000 and €500,000 ($11,000 to $550,000) in funding from Publicis as well as a mentor drawn from the firm’s pool of digital, marketing and communications experts.
The company was sent more than 3,500 applications from entrepreneurs, students and Publicis employees spanning 130 countries, after launching a call for entries in January this year. It employed the help of venture capital firm Iris Capital to choose the most promising projects.
Publicis said marketing and communications was the most highly represented area for the successful startups, but other sectors included healthcare, fintech, retail technology, big data, virtual reality and the internet of things.
Maurice Lévy, chairman & CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: “Rather than celebrating the past, we wanted to celebrate Publicis’ 90th anniversary in a manner consistent with the Groupe’s DNA, by looking to the future. And so, we will be funding and supporting entrepreneurial projects led by people inside and outside of the Groupe.
“I have been highly impressed by the quality of the projects which exceeded my hopes and expectations by far, thus demonstrating how vibrant the sector is, how energetic and entrepreneurial young people continue to be and what huge potential there is in this sector.”