Leyla Kikukawa

I help 15+ early-stage startups in the cultural and creative industries (edtech, entertainment, tourism etc.) turn novel ideas into profitable businesses through business-modeling, biz dev, fund raising, network activation... The incubation program at 104factory offers, among other things, the possibility to carry out on-site experiments with artists in residence at Centquatre-Paris and to tap into the technological expertise and network of partner incubator, Agoranov.

- Fostered understanding of customers’ needs for house-related IOT through use case analyses and prototyping - Coordinated 5+ operational teams developing innovative solutions for home improvement - Reduced time-to-market through methodological help (design thinking, lean startup), in-depth exploration of customer needs and external partnerships (research centers, fablabs, design schools...) Leroy Merlin is Europe’s leading home improvement retailer.

I took part in the definition of business model and benchmarking for 3 entrepreneurial projects: - a serious game improving average knowledge on air pollution caused by human activity and nudging citizens to lessen their carbon footprint - a solution for multiplying energy savings in the residential sector, along with the scaling up of smart electricity networks - a smartphone app that allows mobile players to translate real-world actions with environmental benefit into in-game virtual currency

Along side my master's in innovation management, I led R&D efforts prior to the launch of a new mobility service: - Applied an “ecosystem approach” to an electric vehicle rental service (calculation of extra-financial value received by different stakeholders: local authorities, customers, residents, the State...) - Recommended adaptations to optimize the positive externalities as well as the ROI of the new mobility service

German philosophy, Philosophy of Biology, History of Science

Dual Degree with Ecole Polytechnique (engineering college)