In May 2018, I joined the second edition of the Paris Talent Summit, a two-day networking event and career fair dedicated to the technology industry. Organized by Talent Space, a career accelerator for all things digital, in collaboration with Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, the summit proved to be a great place to learn from the most promising startups in Europe. Participants could network with entrepreneurs and managers in the technology ecosystem, and possibly find a “dream” job or start a new venture.

During the first part, which lasted a day and a half, attendees participated in a trek of their choice. Each trek included up to three in-company workshops. Available treks covered trending technology topics such as Digital Platforms, FinTech, FoodTech, FrenchTech, Internet of Things (IoT), Media & Advertisement, Mobility & Logistics and Real Estate Tech.

I selected the IoT trek. In this context, I was invited to workshops by two fast-growing startups: Dreem – whose headbands bring together the best of technology and neuroscience to improve sleep quality – and Sigfox – a leading IoT service provider. Each workshop featured a company presentation followed by a team assignment. We had to propose a solution to either improve the service currently on offer, or address a customer pain point. This was an excellent chance to present our ideas and connect with the startups’ employees.

The second part of the Summit consisted of a half-day career fair at Station F. A diverse group of companies participated, including fast-growing startups like ManoMano, accelerators and venture capital funds like Cathay Innovation, as well as more established players such as Uber Eats, Airbnb and Google. We had the chance to approach company representatives in an informal and relaxed setting. Recruiters shared useful information about their business and discussed possible employment opportunities.

For this part, participants could request up to five company engagements prior to the career fair. If selected, we were invited for a fifteen-minute, one-on-one interaction with a company representative. I secured a spot with Eleven, a rapidly growing consulting firm that supports high-potential startups in their scale-up process.

The event was very well-conceived because it brought together a diverse base of top-notch companies and highly-engaged attendees, as we were pre-selected through a brief application. This ensured the right fit with the companies and set an upper limit to the number of participants. Consequently, the interaction with companies, managers and other attendants was smooth and productive.

My experience at the Paris Talent Summit was very positive, therefore I encourage my fellow MBA candidates to join next year’s event!