Lessons from the Creative Coast

Nantes' evolution from industrial decline to creative tech leadership offers unique insights:

1. Culture drives economics: Investing in culture created the mindset and talent pool for creative tech success.

2. Hybridity is strength: Blending art and technology creates distinctive value harder to replicate than pure tech plays.

3. Small can be beautiful: Human scale enables collaboration and experimentation harder in massive hubs.

4. Values matter: Companies reflecting local values—creativity, sustainability, collaboration—outperform those that don't.

5. Permission to fail: Celebrating experimentation, even failed experiments, drives innovation.