99designs launches its crowdsourced design marketplace in France

Innovation
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We’ve got a contest down below for startups to win free designs courtesy of 99designs!

US Startup 99deisgns has launched a French localized version of its site, 99designs.fr, today. Originally annoucned by TheNextWeb, the site is reported active in the UK as well as Germany, after an acquisition of berlin-based startup 12designer earlier this year. With the launch in France, 99designs will add to its European team, currently headed up by 12designer founder Eva Misling, by adding a French country Manager, who will be based in Paris, according to their official statement. It is unclear in the statement, but it seems they have not yet hired a country manager so far. They have, however, hired Siham Belouadheh, a former marketing executive at Kaplan, as their marketing maanger in Paris. ( Update: Siham will be assuming the role of Country Manager in France)
The startup allows businesses to crowdsource their design elements, meaning that designers work for free to create the best logo, and are paid if and only if they get chosen. 99designs has already provided more than 175,000 ‘contests’, as they refer to them, and have brought over $43 million to its community of 190,000 designers in the US.

European Manager (Eva Missling) and French country Manager (Siham Beloudheh)

We’ve spoken in the past about how design is often a problem for startups in France – I just spoke with a startup founder who is hiring outside of France after spending three years trying to find a designer who was interested in the more practical side of design – conversion rates, UX, etc. It will be interesting to see how 99designs plans to animate the business community in Pars, as it has in the US, and hopefully bring a bit more respect to design than exists today.
Along with the announcement, 99designs is announcing a contest for French startups to receive free design contests. Applications are due December 23rd, and winners will be chosen by 99designs executives. Apply now!
Have you crowdsourced your design or any other part of your business? Let us know your experience below!