nam.R, a data-driven start-up based in Paris, embarked on an ambitious plan to contribute to address global warming using open data. From its launch in 2017, using open-data sources augmented by sophisticated data analytics, nam.R has constructed a “digital twin” of every single building in France by early 2020.

HelloZack is a young entrepreneurial firm based in Paris focused on the purchase and resale of second-hand Apple products, part of a broader ecosystem that supports ongoing use of Apple products.

Scortex, a young start-up based in Paris, has developed an applied artificial intelligent (AI) solution for an industrial setting, combining hardware and machine learning. Its CEO is wondering how best to deploy the €1.8 million C-round financing it has raised.

PopChef is a start-up foodtech business in the lunchtime food delivery market in Paris. The case centres on the period from launch in 2015 to 2017. PopChef is the first to enter the market with a new business model in France. As other well-funded domestic and international entrants arrive, the market becomes highly competitive market.

Monkey Tie, an entrepreneurial firm based in Paris, focuses on innovative digital HR solutions related to ‘affinity matching’ of people to positions. It represents a major change in the approach to recruitment, using online tools to find a ‘fit’ between the job requirements and the skills and personality of the candidate.

The case tells the story of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, which was made public in September 2015. At the time, Volkswagen was a much-loved brand, praised for its environmental credentials and on target to become the world’s largest car manufacturer.

When a Greenpeace campaign to boycott PVC products seemed to spell disaster for Hydro Polymers, it embraced the challenge and embarked on a drive for sustainability using The Natural Step framework. The strategy was maintained after Hydro was acquired by INEOS, and ultimately led to significant changes throughout Europe's PVC industry.

QlikTech, with its disruptive technology and business model, seems to have found a market niche in the mid-market business-to-business software segment. The big 5 market participants are now starting to offer the in-memory technology that QlikTech has built its business upon. In the light of the traditional vendors’ encroachment, can QlikTech’s growth be sustained?