Nick Clements, CEO of BPG Bates is leaving the agency to join MCG Group as chief operating officer effective January 2017.

Since the close of entries on February 29, 2016, two juries have evaluated the 3,555 eligible projects submitted: The first being the over 76,000 Publicis Groupe employees, and the second, a jury composed of digital experts from around the world, including Publicis Groupe executives, clients, and media professionals.

After the exhaustive analysis of all submissions, 320 applications from 34 different countries have been shortlisted. Publicis Groupe employee submissions amount to 20 percent of the total shortlist.

To continue on to the next round of evaluation, each shortlisted candidate must now submit a business plan and a pitch video, which will be analyzed by Iris Capital. A global jury, whose members will be announced shortly, will then make the selection of 90 final projects. Each of the 90 finalists selected will benefit from a capital contribution of between 10,000€ and 500,000€, one year of mentoring by a Publicis Groupe executive, and will be invited to Viva Technology Paris, the largest global tech event dedicated to fostering collaboration between large companies and startups, sponsored by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos.

They will also benefit from the support of the Henner Group, an insurance expert and a partner of Publicis90.

Maxime Baffert, CEO of Proximedia and in-charge of the Publicis90 initiative, says in a press statement: “The quality of the 3,555 submitted projects is very impressive. This shortlist reflects the large diversity of applications, from both a geographical and an industry standpoint, and will lead to a final selection of very promising projects and startups. What is clear is that the final selection will not be easy!”