Paris Changes: 3 Favorite Startups du Jour
As a journalist in Paris, I am lucky enough to
meet a lot of people, both locals and otherwise. I get to become a specialist
for a day in all sorts of topics, like eco-friendly sex toys or frozen yogurt –
far more eclectic than I ever imagined back at NYU as a journalism undergrad.
Sometimes I think to myself, “How am I ever going to find a new topic to
cover?” But Paris is far more dynamic than a lot of people give it credit
for, despite what a lot of people write. Much of the English-speaking press
about the city focuses on food, a decaying quality of life that apparently has
always existed, or how globalization is ruining the city. Thinking with our
stomachs and looking behind us – well, neither has ever been an entirely wise
choice.
Like it or not, Paris is changing, but it’s not
all in in the direction of “doom” or “Americanization.” Three of my favorite
start-ups have been bringing some fresh air to Paris in ways that neither mar
the postcard image that most people hold nor threaten the age-old traditions
that people imagine have always, and will always, be so utterly “French.”
Jogg.in
Sure, people here eat fatty foods and cheese
while smoking more than most cultures should – but a Sunday morning at the Parc
Buttes Chaumont or along the Canal tells the story of another culture –
runners. Maybe you don’t run, but thousands of French people do. Record numbers
of marathon sign-ups and weekly group runs indicate that the French are running
and keeping fit, despite the waif-like stereotype of the Frenchman we often
envision, with a cigarette tilted from the lips.
Jogg.in is a new social network that
is looking to help runners meet up and enjoy the sport together. I scheduled my
first event this past weekend and four of us spent an hour talking, laughing,
and running along the Canal St-Martin. Call it a new sort of flânerie, but running is certainly in and this French-run website is on my
list for favorite websites. It doesn’t hurt that it kills a lot more calories
than browsing my Facebook newsfeed.
 |
| Jogg.in session 1... |
Qarnot
Paris gets cold, and we all complain about the
winter as if it were a surprise every January that we need hats and scarves –
we’re all guilty of it. But Qarnot is
doing something about it. This tech start-up, based in Paris, is creating
electric heaters that double as computing processors. Essentially, they take
the processors from a data center (the part of your computer that burns your lap)
and they put them in people’s homes, connecting them via the Web.
They have recently installed the heaters in a
housing project, offering free heating to inhabitants generated by the
computing of other people – a really innovative concept that could change the
way computing services are provided. Read more about it here, if you’re interested,
but don’t let anyone tell you that Paris is just food, fashion, and art. There
are a few smarty pants here as well, and they’re doing some amazing work.
AMT Paris Live!
People complain about cupcakes and hamburgers “taking
over” the Parisian food scene, but these people clearly don’t go to see much
French theater. Sister Act, Beauty and
the Beast, and My Fair Lady are
just some of the Anglo-inspired productions that have embarked in Parisian
theaters, musical version of the cupcake and hamburger that are stealing the
shine from locally-produced French productions (NB I am not complaining).
I speak French. I understand French (usually).
But I don’t always want to sit through a Molière play or an Opera. High culture
is just fine, but let’s not pretend that every Parisian wants a night out the
Opera.
AMT Live! Paris is a start-up theater troupe made up of American and French actors
who are looking to inject the Paris theater scene with a little bit of musical
fun. They are adapting off-Broadway shows (thinkThe Last 5 Years, Edges, Songs for a New World) by lesser-known
composers who do well for themselves in New York, but less-so abroad. Entirely niche,
their productions are still chockfull with energy and entertainment, as well as
a few tears, which woo both Anglo and French-speaking audiences.
 |
| AMT behind the scenes at rehearsal... |
Change isn’t the end of the world, unless you
want it to be, but a few revolutions have proven that, all things considered,
this culture isn’t quite as stuck as outsiders would like to think…