Bind 4.0’s startup Hupi opens office in the Basque Country

“The Bind 4.0 program triggered this development and has been a tremendous accelerator for us. The diversity of the events organized gave us a precise view of the state of the market, as well as a idea of its appetite for these new technologies”, explains founders Romain Roquefère and Vincent Moreno, who are already searching local talents in San Sebastian.

Having its own office, Hupi expects sales processes to speed up, while having access to a larger spectrum of business problems that can expand its portfolio of solutions based on AI. Through Bind 4.0, the French company is already working for two of the largest Basque companies, including Maier.

– When did you open?

HUPI IBERICA officially opened on February 27th 2018 in Donostia, Gipuzkoa. We are extremely excited by this event and very pleased to join such a dynamic environment.

– What advantages have you found in this area?

HUPI is one of the laureates of the first edition of the Bind 4.0 program (2016). Our application to this program was not opportunistic.

It was a central component of our strategy. We have always wanted to develop our business in Basque Country and diversify our activity in the industrial sector. It was kind of obvious for a software company based in France and specialized in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. The Bind 4.0 program triggered this development and has been a tremendous accelerator for us. The diversity of the events organized gave us a precise view of the state of the market, as well as a idea of its appetite for these new technologies. The program was intense but we never missed an event ?.

The dynamic in Basque Country with regard to the “Industry 4.0 framework” is incredible. It is no longer a vague concept. It is already a burning reality and becomes a necessity for a lot of industrial companies. The willingness to experiment new solutions, including those based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), is clear and motivated by the fantastic dynamic fuelled by the entire ecosystem. Sales cycle is much shorter.

Expectations of our clients are clearly displayed. We will also have access to a larger spectrum of business problems faced by companies and will be able to expand more rapidly our portfolio of solutions based on AI.

HUPI will be using its new base to capture industrial customers for its big data and artificial intelligence solutions.

– What will be the goal of this new office?

First, we want to show our commitment to become, not only a technological player in Basque Country, but also an active member of the ecosystem of the Basque Country. We expect to be there for a very long time. So we want to build properly all the foundations of a solid business. This is our plan for the next 18 month: build the foundations. This means to adapt our brand to the local environment, to continue the acquisition of solid client references, and to develop strategic partnerships, like the ones we initiated with 2 other tech firms met during the Bind program. It also means to find the right channels to recruit talents locally. As a result, we will be able to identify the profile of the future collaborators and the assets in which we will need to invest locally going forward.

– What will be the challenges of the new office?

We are so enthusiastic about developing our business in the Basque country, and love so much to go there, that the main risk for us is to spend too much time there ?. More seriously, we have to spend the time to understand the business rules and feel their subtleties. We understand that we have to approach this environment with the humility of an outsider that need to be accepted by a community; a community that has its own way of collaborating and doing business. That is why we put some much attention, time and sensitivity in building the foundations of HUPI IBERICA.

+info: www.hupi.fr