Marie Lacourie, City of Luxembourg

Meet Marie Lacourie – Nominated by the Luxembourg City Incubator

Supporting innovation in the heart of Luxembourg

Marie Lacourie has been working as a Startup Advisor at the Luxembourg City Incubator (LCI) since 2023, supporting startups and innovation projects.

The LCI plays an active role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across various sectors, including smart cities and urban technologies. As a city-sponsored incubator and part of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce group, LCI works closely with the City of Luxembourg and contributes to exploring innovative solutions that improve urban life, sustainability and the attractiveness of the city.

In her role, Marie supports the growth of startups by connecting them with relevant stakeholders, partners, investors and public institutions. She is also involved in ecosystem development, partnership building and the design of initiatives that strengthen innovation within Luxembourg and beyond.

Building stronger innovation ecosystems

One of the initiatives Marie and the LCI team are particularly proud of is the development of a co-living concept in collaboration with the City of Luxembourg.

Housing affordability is one of the major challenges facing Luxembourg, particularly for young professionals and startup employees. The project aims to create more accessible and community-oriented living solutions.

Although still under development, the initiative demonstrates how innovation, urban development and public-private collaboration can address concrete societal challenges.

Creating more connected and liveable cities

For Marie, one of Luxembourg's key urban challenges is balancing economic attractiveness with quality of life.

She believes mobility is closely linked to broader urban challenges such as housing affordability, commuting patterns and urban density. Reducing the need for long daily commutes through smarter urban planning and more integrated communities is, in her view, part of the solution.

Looking ahead, Marie would like to see a city where housing, mobility, work and community spaces are better integrated. She envisions more mixed-use neighbourhoods, collaborative living solutions and sustainable mobility options that create a more connected and inclusive urban environment.

Why the Emerging Leaders program?

Marie discovered the EIT Urban Mobility Emerging Leaders program through her manager.

She works daily with startups developing solutions for smart cities and urban challenges and was attracted by the program's multidisciplinary approach and the opportunity to better understand how leadership, innovation and urban transformation intersect.

She also sees the program as a unique opportunity to connect with talented professionals from across Europe who are shaping the future of cities.

Strengthening leadership to drive urban innovation

The program aligns closely with Marie's ambition to strengthen the connection between startups, public institutions and innovation ecosystems to help address urban challenges more effectively.

She hopes to further develop her leadership skills, particularly in strategic thinking, stakeholder management and leading collaborative initiatives involving multiple actors, while expanding her understanding of urban mobility challenges and learning from peers working directly in the field.

Marie believes the program will help her develop the leadership capabilities, network and perspectives needed to drive impactful collaborations and support the growth of innovative solutions that improve urban life.