What BivwAK! does

BivwAk! is the internal open innovation hub of BNP Paribas Group, founded in 2017 and headquartered at 3 Rue Rossini, Paris. It operates as a wholly-owned entity within BNP Paribas, providing open innovation services to the bank's 20+ business divisions and subsidiaries — including retail banking, CIB, Asset Management, Wealth Management, Personal Finance, Real Estate, Insurance (Cardif), Nickel, Arval, BGL, BNL, Axepta, Factor, Securities Services, and the BNP Paribas Foundation — through four integrated levers: Product Acceleration, Startups & Partnerships (B! UP Accelerate and the Act for Impact incubator), Adoption & Change Implementation, and Basecamp #3Rossini (an 850+ sqm physical and digital collaboration space hosting 850+ events per year). Since inception, BivwAk! has sourced 2,100+ startups, accelerated 100+, completed 95+ pilots with a 42% pilot-to-production conversion rate, and its alumni have collectively raised €1.7 billion in funding.

The hub's technology stack includes a proprietary Cloud Innovation Platform (DMZR environment), Low-Code/No-Code development tools (Xano, WeWeb), AI/GenAI starter kits (Chatbot, multi-agent LLM, RAG templates), access to BNP Paribas APIs, and a 7-step Innovation Cycle methodology. Since 2023 it has built out generative AI capabilities through the Gen AI Journey program, training 400+ collaborators, deploying the COMMS GPT MVP targeting 900 users, and supporting AI-assisted internal assistants and audio AI integrations (Ekoo). It partners strategically with Plug and Play (since 2017), Station F, and EDHEC Entrepreneurs to operate the B! UP Accelerate (6-12 month, scale-up startups) and Act for Impact (12-month, impact startups) programs.

BivwAk! does not generate external revenue; it operates as a cost center of BNP Paribas, providing services at no charge to internal entities and participating startups. Its primary customers are internal BNP Paribas divisions seeking faster product time-to-market (1-6 months via the Product Acceleration lever), structured change management (Project Path, Sherpa for Change, Facilitator Track), and startup collaboration. Secondary beneficiaries are scale-up and impact-mission startups seeking enterprise pilot opportunities, BNP Paribas association, and ecosystem access. Management includes Marie Guillaume (Director of Publication), Laurène Kiene (COO and lead AI), Vincent Bourdel (Head of New Business & Startup Ecosystems), and Guillaume Viala (PMO and Lead Accessibility).

Name

BivwAK!

Legal name

BNP Paribas S.A.

Website

https://bivwak.bnpparibas

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BivwAk! is the wholly-owned internal open innovation hub of BNP Paribas, accelerating product launches (1-6 months), running startup programs (B! UP Accelerate, Act for Impact), and training 400+ employees in GenAI across the bank's 20+ business divisions from Paris.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Open Innovation Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Software Engineering & Application Modernization (BPAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Open innovation services
• Startup acceleration programs
• Corporate innovation hub
• Product development acceleration
• Internal venture building

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Internal Innovation Services (No External Revenue): BivwAk! is an internal operational unit of BNP Paribas providing open innovation services at no charge to the bank's entities and subsidiaries. It operates as a cost center funded by the BNP Paribas Group, not as a revenue-generating entity. There are no external customers paying for services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BivwAK! is the internal Open Innovation Hub of BNP Paribas, delivering four integrated levers: (1) Product Acceleration — taking innovative concepts from ideation to operational deployment within 1–6 months for BNP Paribas teams; (2) Startups & Partnerships — running the B! UP Accelerate (6–12 month scale-up program at Station F) and B! UP Impact / Act for Impact Incubator (12-month impact-startup program co-run with EDHEC Entrepreneurs); (3) Adoption & Change Implementation — diffusing new skills and change-management practices through Project Path, Sherpa for Change, and Facilitator Track programs; and (4) Basecamp #3Rossini — an 850+ sqm physical and digital co-creation space at 3 Rue Rossini, Paris, hosting 850+ events per year. All services are provided at no charge to BNP Paribas internal entities and participating startups.

Product overview

BivwAK! is the Open Innovation Hub of BNP Paribas offering a portfolio of four complementary levers: Product Acceleration (accelerating product development from idea to deployment in 1-6 months), Startups & Partnerships (B! UP Accelerate and B! UP Impact/Act for Impact incubator programs), Adoption & Change Implementation (transformation programs including Project Path, Sherpa for Change, and Facilitator Track), and Basecamp #3 Rossini (850+ sqm physical/digital collaboration space). The hub provides AI and technology assets including Cloud Innovation Platform, Low-Code/No-Code tools (Xano, WeWeb), AI Starter Kits (Chatbot, LLM, RAG), and BNP Paribas APIs. Content offerings include the Xploration BivwAk! podcast series covering Gen AI, sustainable finance, and innovation topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• B! UP Accelerate: A 6-12 month acceleration program for scale-up startups, based at Station F in Paris, run in partnership with Plug and Play.
• B! UP Impact (Incubateur Act for Impact)
• Basecamp
• Product Acceleration
• Adoption & Change Implementation
• Xploration BivwAk!

Products and services

• Product Acceleration (Accélération Produit) Accelerates the launch of innovative products and services for BNP Paribas teams, combining agile methodologies, technological expertise (IA, cloud, UX, Lean Startup, OKR), and business knowledge. Delivers solutions from idea to market in 1–6 months with multidisciplinary teams, including MVPs, POCs, GenAI applications, and sustainability-focused solutions.
• B! UP Accelerate 6–12 month acceleration program for scale-up startups, based at Station F in Paris and run in partnership with Plug and Play. Connects startups with BNP Paribas entities to test and industrialize their solutions within the group, offering mentorship, pilot implementation, industrialization support, and access to the BNP Paribas investor ecosystem.
• B! UP Impact (Incubateur Act for Impact) 12-month incubator for French impact startups whose primary mission is positive social or environmental impact. Co-created with EDHEC Entrepreneurs and hosted at Station F. Provides impact thesis development, growth & impact diagnostic, business acceleration, access to funding (including Paris Innovation Fund fellowship of €30K), co-working space at Station F, and connection to 300+ experts, business angels, and investors.
• Adoption & Change Implementation Lever focused on improving collective performance, diffusing new skills, and creating transformation dynamics across BNP Paribas. Includes structured programs (Project Path, Sherpa for Change, Facilitator Track) covering topics such as generative AI, sustainable finance, design thinking, agile mindset, and digital accessibility. Has trained 100+ facilitators across 18 BNP Paribas entities and 900+ alumni.
• Basecamp #3Rossini 850+ sqm physical and digital collaboration hub at 3 Rue Rossini, Paris. Designed for teamwork, experimentation, and transformation with high-tech modular facilities and collaborative tools. Hosts 850+ events per year for BNP Paribas internal teams, startups, and ecosystem partners, and serves as a showcase for employer brand and open innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products reach market in 1–6 months through Product Acceleration lever
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Plug and PlayflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Plug and Play, described as the world's most active venture capital fund, partnered with BNP Paribas to launch B! UP in 2017. Plug and Play provides the global startup network, investor connections, and cross-industry ecosystem that complements BNP Paribas' corporate reach. The partnership enables B! UP alumni to scale beyond BNP Paribas into other sectors via Plug and Play's global platform.
• Station FcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStation F, the world's largest startup campus based in Paris, hosts the B! UP Accelerate program. BivwAk! runs its acceleration program from Station F facilities, providing startups with co-working space, access to the broader Station F ecosystem, and a high-profile location for BNP Paribas' open innovation activities.
• EDHEC EntrepreneurscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDHEC Entrepreneurs, the incubator network of EDHEC Business School, co-creates and co-runs the Act for Impact incubator alongside BivwAk! and Act For Impact. EDHEC provides academic expertise, the 400+ entrepreneur network, 300+ experts and investors, and access to the GENERATIONS fund (in partnership with RING Capital). The program is hosted at Station F.
• France DigitaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance Digitale is referenced as part of the BivwAk! ecosystem network, supporting the connection between French digital startups and corporate partners.
• Finance InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinance Innovation (Finance Innovation cluster) is referenced as part of the BivwAk! global network ecosystem, contributing to the startup and fintech collaboration environment.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anthemis Group: Fintech-focused venture platform combining investment, advisory, and ecosystem programs for financial institutions. Comparable as a fintech innovation intermediary connecting startups with major banks, though operating from a more venture-oriented model.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris; hosts B! UP Accelerate and Act for Impact programs. Comparable as the physical and ecosystem infrastructure layer on which BivwAK!'s startup programs run.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Silicon Valley-based global accelerator and venture fund; BivwAK!'s flagship partner for the B! UP program since 2017. Directly comparable as a corporate-startup matchmaking platform operating at scale across verticals.
• BBVA Innovation Center: Internal innovation function of BBVA bank running corporate-startup programs across fintech and sustainability. Directly comparable as a major European bank's in-house open innovation hub, similar scale and mandate to BivwAK!.
• EDHEC Entrepreneurs: Business school incubator co-running the Act for Impact program with BivwAK!. Comparable as a French startup incubator with corporate partnership model and impact focus.
• NUMA Paris: Paris-based digital startup accelerator and innovation consultancy running corporate programs across Europe. Highly comparable as a European innovation hub operator with similar corporate-startup matchmaking model.

Emerging players

• Level39: UK-based fintech accelerator originally launched by Canary Wharf Group with corporate-bank backing. Comparable as a corporate-supported fintech startup hub, though more regionally concentrated than BivwAK!.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator with fintech-focused programs and corporate partnerships. Comparable as a scaled startup accelerator with corporate-vertical expertise, though broader in scope than BivwAK!'s bank-centric model.

Others

• Sopra Steria Consulting (Innovation Practice): Large European IT services firm with a digital transformation and innovation consulting practice serving major banks. Comparable as a corporate IT/innovation services provider to BNP Paribas's peer banks, though commercially focused where BivwAK! is internal.

Regional players

• Swedbank Fintech Hub: Internal innovation function of Swedbank running fintech startup programs in the Nordics. Comparable as a European bank's in-house innovation hub, though geographically distinct from BivwAK!'s France-centric model.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/bivwak
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bivwak-by-bnpparibas
• Xx.com/bivwakbnpp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BivwAK!