CES, the world’s largest tech trade show, was held in Las Vegas from 5 to 8 January. While it wasn’t a full crowd due to Covid, the French village brought together no less than 130 start-ups. Among the participants was Othman Benmansour.

 Currently CEO of Paladax, this NEOMA graduate came to present Umbra, a tool that protects sensitive meetings from spyware. “It’s exciting to create something and be able to show it in a place as exhilarating as La Vegas,” he said. Upon returning to France, he talked about what he learned from the trip.

• Credibility

“I never thought that I could go to Las Vegas, but I answered a call for applications launched by the Ile-de-France region, and I was selected. The region and Chèque Relance Export paid for all the exhibition fees. It’s the momentum of the French ecosystem that make these trips possible. This selection by the Europe’s main economic region and the validation received from such an important tech event offers a great deal of credibility when looking for partners. Because the sense of validation given by the CES is great for confirming promising, impactful, future technologies.”

• Visibility  

“The Ile-de-France region chose 16 start-ups to represent it, including Paladax. I benefited from its connections and presence on social media and in the press. I even participated in a television show broadcast on the Franco-Moroccan channel. Euronews did a small story about my stand. NEOMA also played a major role by distributing information on the Alumni networks. This visibility is crucial. When you’re a start-up company and you have a new product that introduces a new activity, marketing and communication take on a nearly vital role. You need to be visible to be adopted.”

• Feedback from the public  

“You design a product and its uses to respond to needs identified in certain market segments, and then you verify it all again out in the field. At CES in Las Vegas, I was able to talk not only with various local and international companies, but also with French, German and American military representatives. All these people came with usage needs that I had not really thought about. They gave a view of their field. It’s really a great opportunity for engaging with the market. The public substantiates the need, the format and the technology. It brings forward changes and upgrades.”

“It’s an influential international event where you are sure to come in contact with a very large and diverse audience. For companies like ours that want to make very advanced military-grade protection available to everyone, it’s very worthwhile.”

Learn more about PALADAX

Paladax was incubated by NEOMA Startup Lab. Paladax has developed Umbra, a case that people participating in sensitive meetings put their telephones and connected watches into. Inside the Umbra, these devices are blocked from recording, filming or transmitting anything while remaining under the eyes of their owners.

https://get-umbra.com/