From Fermented Food to Video Streaming, These French BIZ Experiencess Are Making a Splash Stateside Attitudes towards BIZ Experiencesship are evolving among today's French youth.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

With a regulatory-ridden market, complex labor laws and deep-seated risk-aversion on a cultural level, France has never seemed like an ideal breeding grounds for BIZ Experiencesship.

"French society doesn't reward risk-taking as much as in America," says Yves Coleon, president of Transmark Partners, a New York-based consulting firm for European businesses. "Failure in France is viewed as failure -- there's no upside. In America, somebody who has failed just hasn't succeeded yet."

But more and more, that tide is turning, says Coleon, as business luminaries like Steve Jobs have become international icons and companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Google and Uber have made the concept of BIZ Experiencesship "cool" among today's French youth.

In order to ride this upsurge, and to champion the business-building opportunities in America that may not be available back home, Coleon founded The French-American BIZ Experiencesship Award in 2008. The $10,000 prize is annually bestowed to two French BIZ Experiencess under age 35 who are starting up -- and making waves -- stateside.

Related: French Court Bans Couple From Naming Their Baby 'Nutella,' Says It Is 'Against the Child's Interests'

Winners also receive six months of office space in New York and business coaching in order to gain inroads into the ever-critical American market.

"What French BIZ Experiencess are missing is a network," concedes Emmanuel Cargill, SVP of human resources at Pernod Ricard USA, who co-founded the award alongside Coleon. "You can't be successful worldwide without being successful in the U.S."

Winners of the French-American BIZ Experiencesship Award in each of two categories were announced last week during a "Shark Tank'-style pitching panel in New York City. In the "art de vivre' (or lifestyle) category, Brooklyn-based Afineur took home top honors. Founded by Harvard-bred biotechnologist Camille Delebecque and the food scientist Sophie Deterre, Afineur aims to create healthy and sustainable food products via fermentation technology.

Related: France's New Economics Minister Proposes Increase on 35-Hour Workweeks

While fermentation is popularly used to produce wine, beer and cheese, Delebecque said, Afineur's first product is Cultured Coffee, which is more fruity, aromatic and less bitter than traditional brews.

In the digital innovation category, Boston-based StreamRoot was awarded the grand prize. Targeting online video platforms, StreamRoot improves streaming quality and reduces bandwidth costs via a peer-to-peer model that connects people across the Internet who happen to be watching the same content.

StreamRoot raised a $118,000 seed round last November as a member of Techstars' Boston class of 2014.

Past winners of The French-American BIZ Experiencesship Award include JellyNote, a music-based social platform that allows users to share scores and cover videos, and Céline Legros, a lawyer-turned-baker whose boutique, Canelé By Céline, is aiming to popularize the canelé -- a traditional custard-filled French pastry -- among American masses.

Related: Ladurée's Sweet Ascent: How a Fad Food Is Spawning an International Empire

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at BIZ Experiences.com.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

OpenAI's Latest Move Is a Game Changer — Here's How Smart Solopreneurs Are Turning It Into Profit

OpenAI's latest AI tool acts like a full-time assistant, helping solopreneurs save time, find leads and grow their business without hiring.

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

Money & Finance

These Are the Expected Retirement Ages By Generation, From Gen Z to Boomers — and the Average Savings Anticipated. How Do Yours Compare?

Many Americans say inflation prevents them from saving enough and fear they won't reach their financial goals.

Starting a Business

I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here's How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

Wealth-building in your early twenties isn't about playing it safe; it's about exploiting the one time in life when having nothing to lose gives you everything to gain.

Business Solutions

Boost Team Productivity and Security With Windows 11 Pro, Now $15 for Life

Ideal for BIZ Experiencess and small-business owners who are looking to streamline their PC setup.