This Friday, April 25, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis welcomed 47 new companies at the Chéret Hall of the City Hall. They are expected to generate nearly 580 jobs in the metropolitan area.
“We must be worthy of the trust you place in us,” stressed Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Metropolis. Jacques Richier, President of the Team Nice Côte d’Azur agency, and Jean-Pierre Savarino, President of the Nice Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the importance of inspiring entrepreneurs to invest within the metropolis.
This allows it to face increased international competition. Particularly in tourism. “The Côte d’Azur can now offer a range of accommodations from standard to very high-end,” says the mayor of Nice. Like the Palais Ségurane and the Iconic project, located a few meters from Nice’s Thiers Station. This attracts fewer but more willing clientele to invest in exceptional stays.
Innovation and Industrial Recovery
Beyond tourism, the Metropolis is strengthening its strategic sectors. Particularly health, artificial intelligence, the ocean economy, and the metaverse by betting on local and international companies. Christian Estrosi is reassuring: “No new tax has been imposed on companies since 2008.” And it is paying off; in 2008, the industry weighed 1 billion euros. By December 31, 2024, this sector posted a record turnover of 3 billion.
To remain competitive against other regions and countries and prevent brain drain, Nice is multiplying initiatives: digital campus, establishment of engineering schools, metaverse projects, and inauguration of a branch of Ecole 42.
During this ceremony, three leaders of new companies spoke. “The logistics between the ports of Marseille and Genoa, as well as direct tramway access to France’s second airport, are strategic points for our exports,” declares Amir Messaoudi, CEO of MEDpack (a Tunisian pharmaceutical leader). His family-run company chose Nice for its 10 million locally sold packages and aims for 50 million by 2025.
For Mariem Farhat, founder of Solaya, it is important to stay close to developers, especially in Sophia Antipolis. They developed a 3D reconstruction using artificial intelligence, driven by 15 collaborators: “Few actors in France master this technology, invented 18 months ago in Sophia Antipolis,” she notes.
Victor Robalo, head of Novetech Surgery, designs orthopedic implants for animals. After an initial hosting at Monaco Tech, the company now benefits from Nice’s airport to boost its export sales.
A Talent Pool and International Accessibility
Nice hosts 54,000 students, almost as many as the population of Cannes, positioning itself as an academic and technological attraction hub. The second French airport, just after Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, also attracts an American clientele disillusioned by the political situation across the Atlantic, investing heavily in local real estate.
Less than five years from the 2030 Olympic Games, Christian Estrosi and Jacques Richier highlighted the mobilization of Team Nice Côte d’Azur to support each project leader. “Do not hesitate to contact our team: you are not just addressing a tourist region,” concluded the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A promise of future for a metropolis resolutely turned towards high-end and innovation.
