Interview with Karen Jouve, CEO and Co-founder of Doors3
After beginning her career in digital transformation consulting, Karen Jouve specialized in blockchain technologies and Web3. At 27, she co-founded Doors3, a rapidly expanding company in the fields of Web3, digital assets, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse.
Doors3 has offices in France, Sweden, and Dubai, and supports over 40 major brands across various sectors. Their mission starts with awareness-building and extends to concrete implementation, offering 360° expertise throughout the project lifecycle, including strategy, marketing, design, and technical consulting.
Passionate about technology and its applications, Karen also speaks at numerous events (NFT NYC, SEG3 London, GITEX Dubai, PBWS, Davos, LEAP…). She also writes for specialized and mainstream media outlets (CB News, Journal du Luxe, Les Échos, Capital, BFM Business…) and teaches at several renowned institutions (Paris Dauphine, Sciences Po Aix, Paris School of Luxury…).
Can you explain your background to us?
Doors3 is a consulting firm that I founded in 2022 with two partners. Today, we support around fifty large corporations in their innovation projects. We use technologies such as blockchain, Web3, immersive worlds, and artificial intelligence. Our goal is to break away from sometimes overly rigid consulting practices and offer a unique approach that’s more connected to current challenges.
Our ambition is to create a relationship of trust with our clients, blending strategic consulting, technological expertise, and creativity. Before founding Doors3, I worked at Weston, a major consulting firm. I come from the south of France, which makes for a somewhat atypical background. We actually decided to base Doors3 in Marseille to embody a decentralized vision and show that you can succeed outside of Paris.
I wasn’t necessarily destined to work in tech. When I was younger, I was heavily involved in sports. But what attracted me was the opportunity to have a concrete impact on the future. The opportunities offered by technologies like Web3 fascinated me. We’re still at the beginning of their story, and I want to contribute to their development by supporting companies through this transition.
How is artificial intelligence integrated at Doors3?
We use it in several ways. First, we support our clients in understanding these technologies. We help them train, identify relevant use cases, and deploy their projects. For example, we’ve worked with major corporations to develop immersive experiences such as “virtual stores,” using AI to personalize recommendations. We’ve also supported an insurance group to create an AI academy. This program educates their teams and allows them to explore key innovations for the future of insurance. We primarily work with large CAC 40 companies, but also with “middle market” brands like Ami Paris, Alpine in Formula 1, and Team Vitality in esports. From time to time, we work with startups or government agencies.
We also employ artificial intelligence in our own processes. Our developers rely on AI tools for blockchain projects. In our design studio, we use AI applications to design mockups, generate visuals, and improve our productivity. This allows us to quickly present concepts to our clients.
Finally, we’re developing an AI solution that acts as an augmented consultant. It will automate tasks such as benchmarking or drafting requests for proposals, while optimizing our processes. Eventually, we plan to offer this solution to our clients.
What challenges do you encounter in AI integration?
The main challenge isn’t technical, but human. Introducing AI requires change management and team acculturation. Sometimes, tools like Copilot are deployed without sufficient support, leading to underutilization. Additionally, some people hesitate to use AI, fearing it might be perceived as a lack of skills. This fear of being replaced is a major obstacle.
On the technical side, challenges mainly concern integrating AI with internal databases and IT systems. However, we believe the main obstacles remain human, particularly in terms of training and adoption.
Certain industries, such as luxury, show resistance to AI adoption. In this sector, it’s sometimes perceived as a threat to creativity. Conversely, other fields like esports or automotive see it as an essential innovation lever.
What benefits do you observe from AI?
Artificial intelligence has a positive impact on several levels. It improves productivity, stimulates creativity, and fosters a learning culture within organizations. It saves time on repetitive tasks, thereby freeing up resources for higher-value missions.
It also represents an accelerator for innovation. For example, we recently implemented a tool that automatically transcribes interviews and generates summaries or key points. This significantly simplifies preparatory work without requiring specific human skills.
How do you see the future of AI and blockchain?
We strongly believe in the convergence of technologies to address current challenges. A major issue is verifying content authenticity in the face of rising deepfakes. Blockchain can offer robust solutions to guarantee the origin and traceability of digital creations.
We believe this convergence is essential for designing reliable and interconnected ecosystems. In the future, these technologies will continue to complement each other and profoundly transform businesses.
What advice would you give to SMEs hesitating to use AI?
It’s important not to wait. AI is already essential, and the question isn’t whether it should be adopted, but how it can serve concretely. SMEs must identify their needs, understand their pain points, and assess how AI can help them.
It’s essential not to skip steps. Training yourself, becoming familiar with the technologies, and defining a clear strategy are prerequisites. Finally, avoid a purely technical approach. AI must be integrated in response to concrete business needs, whether they concern core business functions or support services.
