Yuka, WeWard and Aspivix: winners of the 15th French American Entrepreneurship Award

The French American Entrepreneurship Award (FAEA) has concluded its 15th year by recognizing three exceptional early-stage startups led by French entrepreneurs in the US. Since 2008, the FAEA has supported innovation and growth for these businesses, helping them succeed in the American market.

A Jury, comprised of a Panel of Experts and FAEA Committee members, carefully evaluated a group of promising startups based on the innovative nature, viability, and scalability of each business model.

The Panel of Experts included:

• Frédéric Rossi, Directeur North America @Business France
• Géraldine Le Meur, Partner & Lead for Investment Practice @Frenchfounders
• Caroline Faucher-Winter, Co-President @LaFrenchTech NYC
• Polina Bogdanovitch, Managing Director @French American Chamber of Commerce - New York

The FAEA Committee was represented by French entrepreneurs and executives from Club600, the nonprofit organization behind the FAEA: Sylvain Ardiet, Guillaume Bouvard, Anne Busquet, Raphaël Camp, Yves Coléon, Eric Draghi, and David Horvilleur.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held on June 4th, 2024, at the Consulate General of France in New York. The event, attended by Deputy Consul General Damien Laban and supported by France's Delegate Minister for Foreign Trade, Franck Riester, was also streamed live for a wider audience.

2024 FAEA Winners:

• First Prize: WeWard (Health & Wellness) ? This innovative app uses gamification to encourage healthy habits, motivating users to walk more through rewards and charitable incentives. WeWard's CEO & founder, Yves Benchimol, highlighted the app's impact: "WeWard users increase their walking by an average of 24%, improving their health and reducing CO2 emissions while earning rewards."
• Second Prize: Aspivix (Medical Tech) ? Aspivix is transforming women's healthcare with advanced devices for gynecology. Their flagship product, Carevix, is the world's first FDA-cleared and CE marked suction cervical stabilizer, reducing pain and bleeding during procedures, including IUD insertion. Ikram Guerd, Aspivix's GM for the Americas and VP of Global Marketing, emphasized their mission: "It is time to replace the traumatic tenaculum used on women by OBGYNs that was created during the Civil War to remove bullets. Let's stop inflicting unnecessary pain on women across the world!"
• Third Prize: Yuka (Consumer Empowerment) ? Yuka empowers consumers to make informed choices with their mobile app. By scanning barcodes on food and cosmetics, users gain insights into a product's health and environmental impact. Yuka's CEO and co-founder, Julie Chapon, highlighted the app's influence: "A recent survey showed 94% of US Yuka users put down a product with a red rating in the Yuka app. We strive to influence manufacturers towards healthier options too."

The FAEA equips winning entrepreneurs with valuable prizes, access to a network of influential contacts, and significant media exposure ? a powerful combination to propel their ventures forward. Details on the prizes can be found on the FAEA website: https://faea-us.com/.

FAEA: A Collaborative Effort from Team France in New York

The FAEA extends its sincere gratitude to the Experts Panel for their partnership and to the generous sponsors who make this initiative possible every year:

• Gold Sponsors: Corporate Suites, Frenchfounders
• Silver Sponsors: Air France, Ernst & Linder, Gardyn, Jade Fiducial, Pressario
• Bronze Sponsors: Angelina Paris, Comexposium, Dolce Brooklyn, Extend, Loop Seven, LR Paris, Noovo, Saint James

Photos upon request