Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

Back2Back @ B2B Rocks

Let’s start with a brief overview of B2B Rocks for those who might not be familiar with your annual event; what’s the story?

B2B Rocks’ is a SaaS centric B2B networking event. During Covid, the event
went purely digital. To celebrate B2B Rocks’ 10th anniversary last year, we
reimagined the entire event; holding it in Montpellier on a country estate. With well-over 2, 000 attendees from 30+ countries it was a smashing success encouraging us to continue building our community and holding events.

The irony is that in an era where digitization dominates almost every aspect of our
lives, from how we work and socialize, there is a real thirst for events and
human interaction.

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B2B Rocks

B2B Rocks has a reputation for focusing on actionable insights and practical knowledge. How does the conference ensure attendees walk away with valuable takeaways they can implement in their own ventures?

B2B Rocks is a platform. We want a world where anybody anywhere can
create a startup. Our raison d’être is to allow the different actors of the B2B
SaaS ecosystem to shine and inspire. If B2B rocks, then the different actors
are the rock stars and why people come to these events.

The event is human sized fomenting interaction between the speakers and
attendees. It is hard to scale personal human interaction.

Finally our platform helps attendees identify interests and interesting people
to optimize the opportunity–never go to an event without a detailed plan.

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B2B Rocks

The event features a diverse lineup of speakers and topics. Can you highlight a few of the key speakers or sessions that attendees should be especially excited about?

All our speakers are passionate and actual thought leaders. They’re
international, have been in leadership positions for years and/or are
co-founders and CEOs.

Given the importance of cloud computing, networking and working remotely
three speakers stand out. Particularly:

  • Xavier Perret, Managing Director Azure Cloud France at Microsoft
    France
  • Lisa Gunnarsson, VP LSS EMEAL at LinkedIn
  • Marcelo Lebre, Co-Founder & COO at Remote
  • See all other speakers here

As for topics a key focal point is sharing growth opportunities based on
successful companies’ and leaders’ experience. We want to inspire our
audience, but also give them actionable insights and practical knowledge as
mentioned before.

A few examples of topics addressed:

  • Revolutionizing SaaS Models with Generative AI  Daniela Burbano, Aive + Itxaso Araque Barriuso, AWS + Anais Monlong, IRIS + Philippe Guillaud, MatchTune
  • Lessons from $1 Billion in SaaS Acquisitions – Valuation and Process
    Insights Thomas Smale, FE International
  • Creating a Culture of Alignment: Operation’s Role in Fostering
    Sales-Marketing Unity Lorna Miller, Scaleway
  • How to Build AI Products that are More Than Just Wrappers ⚡ Aaron
    Goldsmid, Deel
  • Successful Funding Strategies for SaaSes in 2023 Matthieu
    Vaxelaire, Hexa + Adrien Chaltiel, Eldorado + Augustin Sayer, OVNI
    Capital + Chloe Allan, Octopus Ventures

Networking is a crucial aspect of any conference. How does B2B Rocks 2023 facilitate networking opportunities for attendees? Are there any unique networking formats or activities that participants can look forward to?

The B2B Rocks platform allows attendees to target networking opportunities
by interest, subject, job type, type of company (startup, scale up, VC, etc..) and verticals. Networking spaces at Station F specifically designed for these opportunities will also be available.

La French Tech put in place their “Je Choisis French Tech” matching system to put different SaaS and strategic corporate actors together. Finally, there is a closing social event allowing everybody a final opportunity to network in a fun, informal setting.

The startup and Tech events landscape can be quite competitive. What sets B2B Rocks apart from other conferences, and what value does it bring to both startups and established tech companies?

We prefer to believe these events are more complimentary than competitive. B2B Rocks while international with many American and international is
currently centered on France and southern Europe.

Startup culture is “same-same but different.” You cannot attend an event in
Scandinavia and expect to understand what is happening in France and
southern Europe.

Local startups get airtime and see what is happening internationally. Big companies get to spend quality time with the next generation of thought leaders. It is a perfect synergistic opportunity for both parties.

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B2B Rocks

B2B Rocks 2023 is set to take place in a unique venue. How will Station F complement the conference’s atmosphere and goals?

Internally-recognized Station F is the biggest startup campus in the world. It is also served by an international airport and Paris isn’t half bad as a city. Most importantly the facilities are excellent and varied allowing our speakers
to share there ideas and network with attendees in a setting designed for
those endeavors.

Startup founders, tech enthusiasts, and professionals attend conferences for various reasons. How does B2B Rocks cater to this diverse audience and ensure that each participant finds value in attending?

Mostly by getting out of the way and letting the attendees do their thing–We
live in a digital world. Ironically increasing thirst for authentic human
experiences.

Our job is to facilitate these opportunities and a great experience. We all win
when there is a minimum of disturbances and lots of attendees.

Last year after the show I had the opportunity to speak with founders who told
me they had a great show and added substantially to their networks.

Lastly, for those considering attending B2B Rocks 2023, what would be your key message to convey why this conference is a must-attend event on their calendars?

Saas and entrepreneurial culture continue to grow. Expanding from the
Silicon Valley to the four corners of the globe in just a few short decades. The
ecosystems continues to expand, enrich & diversify.

More specifically:

  • The French and southern Europe tech scene continues to boom
    supported by education and startup friendly ecosystems.
  • Investment in French startups bucked the downward trend in 2022
    and lead Europe.
  • Many companies from the French Tech two categories French tech
    next 40 and French Tech 120 will be there not to mention
    representatives from startups from Spain, Italy, Germany, and Austria
    to name just a few

Last year we had people from over 25 countries. If you are looking for investment opportunities or next-gen growth strategies then come be a part of B2B Rocks.


But wait, there’s more! Here’s our special code to get 20% off your pass to B2B Rocks 2023 so you can join us at Station F in Paris on September 19th PBKMF5Y

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Events 2 days ago

Last week, I spent three days at Bits and Pretzels in Munich — a startup-focused event with a distinctly Bavarian flavor. Think Oktoberfest meets startup conference, complete with dirndls, lederhosen, and more beer than you might expect. As someone building an AI-powered event platform, I went in with a specific mission: Observe how startups actually market themselves at events. Here’s what I discovered: GoodBytz: The power of good demos What they did: Robotics startup GoodBytz set up a booth where its robots prepared kaiserschmarrn (a traditional German dessert) all day long. Why it worked: Nothing beats seeing a product in action. While other booths had brochures and demos, GoodBytz’s robots were actually cooking. The smell, the movement and the end result stirred together an experience that people will remember and talk about. The lesson: If you have a physical product, show it in action. The old writing adage generalizes well: Show, don’t tell.  Let people see, hear and touch the product. WeRoad: The bathroom hack What they did: Posted “Missing Investor” flyers in bathroom stalls with QR codes pointing to their website. Why it worked: Pure genius. Every startup at the event was looking for investors, but the “Missing Investor” headline, while a bit on the nose, proved irresistible. Plus, bathroom stalls are one of the few places where people have 30 seconds to actually read something. The lesson: Think about where your target audience’s attention will remain undivided. Sometimes, the most effective marketing leverages the most unexpected places. Emqopter: Visual impact matters What they did: Designed a bright orange booth that displayed their drone prominently. Why it worked: In a sea of grey, white, beige and brown, Emqopter’s bright orange booth was impossible to overlook. The drone was real, too, and proved a real conversation starter. The lesson: Your booth is competing with hundreds of others. Make it visually distinctive and ensure your product is the hero. Quests: Community building using the product What they did: Created a busy, branded booth with accessories (toy car, traffic cones, a bulletin board) and used their anti-loneliness app to build communities among founders at the event. Why it worked: Quests used their product to solve a real problem right at the event, and the busy booth design generated energy and curiosity. The lesson: Use your product to solve a problem at the event — if it’s possible, of course. Demonstrate your value in real time. Dyno: Event-themed marketing What they did: Distributed branded electrolyte packs with the tagline “Your hangover ends. Your pension lasts – with Dyno.” Why it worked: Dyno aligned its messaging perfectly with the Oktoberfest theme. Every attendee was thinking about beer and hangovers, so Dyno’s goodies were quite relevant. The tagline was clever, memorable, and directly addressed a pain point most people at the event might have to deal with later. The lesson: Tailor your marketing to the event’s theme and culture. The more you tie your messaging and product to the context, the more memorable you become. So, what did I learn? Event marketing is about more than just showing up and setting up a booth; you have to understand your audience and create experiences that people will remember. Here’s what really struck me: most startups and even big companies don’t know how to leverage events properly. They book the booth, show up and hope for the best; maybe they bring some branded pens and a pop-up banner. Then they’ll go back home and wonder why they spent €5,000 in exchange for 50 business cards that never convert. The startups that stood out at Bits and Pretzels understand something fundamental: event ROI isn’t about booth size or location; it’s about strategy, creativity and planning. None of the startups above improvised on-site, or planned something the night before the event in their hotel rooms. They laid everything out 4-6 weeks before the event. A solid pre-event strategy is what separates successful event marketing from expensive booth rental.  But what matters most for early-stage startups is that you don’t need a massive budget to stand out. WeRoad’s bathroom stall hack probably cost €50 to print the flyers. A standard booth package at Bits and Pretzels would go for €3,000 to €5,500. The ROI difference is staggering when you compare the cost per meaningful conversation. That’s the difference between simply spending money and investing smartly. Building Sesamers has taught me that helping startups find the right events is only half the equation. The other half is helping them understand how to maximize ROI once they’re there. Good props aren’t a marketing expense; they’re opportunities to meet customers, investors and partners, and strike up engaging conversations.

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