London tech startups head on Brexit trade mission to France with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan

The Mayor of London is leading a delegation of top tech startups to Paris to rustle up investment interest from across the channel and bolster innovation ties between the two cities.

Entrepeneurs from Smartzer, a platform which can make online video shoppable, pregnancy health app Baby2Body and Realeyes, which uses technology to read emotional reactions to advertising, will all travel to France as part of the Mayor’s Business Programme, supported by KPMG and Eurostar.

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“London and Paris are both leading centres for business built on strong foundations of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Sadiq Khan.

It comes as new figures show London attracted more than £2bn in capital investment over the past decade creating nearly 6,000 jobs. And London firms, including the likes Asos, have invested nearly £6bn into France.

“With Brexit now under negotiation it’s important that our city looks to strengthen the corridors of trade and working relationships with other successful European centres.,” said KPMG London regional chairman Kevin Smith.

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“London boasts an army of entrepreneurs seeking to fuel the growth of our national economy by finding new ways to foster greater global collaboration on talent, innovation and investment with each other.”

French President Emmanuel Macron is working on building France’s reputation as a hub for tech, launching a new tech visa to attract talent over the summer and embarking on plans for labour reforms that should also help small firms. The world’s largest startup incubator, Station F, opened in Paris earlier this year with room for more than 1,000 startups.