Attendees pose for a photo after the "French Tech Meets LICC" event held at the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) on Thursday night. Courtesy of LICC
Around 20 Chinese and expats gathered at the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) for a French technology exchange session — French Tech Meets LICC — on Thursday night.
The event included a presentation about the LICC and another centered on French technology, given by Ludovic Krundel, vice president of La French Tech Hong Kong-Shenzhen.
During his presentation, Krundel introduced the technology ecosystem in France, support available for startups in French territories, and discussed French technology businesses and international trading within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
La French Tech is a global network of French tech communities and La French Tech Hong Kong-Shenzhen aims to help French startups establish and expand in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and the GBA as a primary destination on their growth journey.
The presentation sparked an interest in many participants, who discussed related topics such as artificial intelligence, ongoing projects, and collaboration with local educational institutions.
Caius Wojcik from France, who is currently conducting a research project for the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, found the exchange session very informative and engaging. Although currently working in mathematics, Wojcik expressed a keen interest in moving into technology in the future, noting that Shenzhen provides an environment for innovation and experimentation with new technologies.
He described Shenzhen as a technology playground where people try out new ideas to see what is viable.
Giancarlo Di Rovasenda from Italy, a student at the Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, appreciated the work of the network and expressed a desire to see events hosted at his university. Rovasenda also highlighted the city's geographical advantages, which allow for easy connectivity with other cities within the GBA for co-development.
The participants were given a tour around the LICC before the event.