On 27 February 2020, VEDECOM took part in TECHINNOV, a key event in the field of innovation. Organised by the Essonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it brought together start-ups, SMEs, major companies, research organisations and public institutions, including over 2,000 decision-makers, in La Défense, Paris. We look back at this day of B2B conferences, pitches and meetings, which allowed the Institute to assert its position on innovation and start-ups and strengthen its partnership with the Paris-Saclay ecosystem.
VEDECOM, partner of the event’s Startups Challenge
As the partner of this 14th edition of the event, VEDECOM became involved well in advance of the event itself. The Institute, represented by its Managing Director Philippe Watteau, was the partner of the Startup Challenge and a member of the committee selecting the candidate start-ups. Brought together several weeks before the event, the partners (Airbus Développement, AVL, Segula Technologies, Faurecia, Genopole, Kreaxi, Fidal, Early Metrics, Air Liquide Healthcare, the Paris Ouest La Défense Public Establishment, Novo Nordisk, CEA and Sanofi) chose the 31 start-ups they felt showed the most promise in innovation in the four areas selected this year: Health, the Factory of the Future, Deep Tech and Sustainable Mobility. The companies that were put in the spotlight earned the right to pitch at the event and had valuable time to appear before key accounts and investors, which are often difficult to gain access to, making it a special opportunity for these burgeoning young businesses. Awards were also handed out to the winners in each category at the event. In the Mobility Challenge, FinxMotors, a start-up that designed a boat engine without a propeller – but with a membrane, like the fin of a fish, to enable nautical propulsion – received an accolade.
VEDECOM: boosting new mobility through a start-up strategy
For VEDECOM, the event was also an opportunity to present its open innovation and start-up spin-off approach. Launched a year ago, this aims to foster the creation of spin-offs internally in order to value the technology components developed by the Institute’s teams. It also provides support for start-ups in mobility by making its experts, platforms, workshops and laboratories available to them. This co-innovation approach contributes to its mission of giving impetus to tomorrow’s mobility!
Presentation of Entropy, the first spin-off from VEDECOM, at the Techinnov Arena
Guilhem Sanmarty, co-founder of the start-up Entropy, was on stage to present the brand-new decision-support tool from this first VEDECOM spin-off. The solution enables operators and local authorities to determine, measure and analyse all mobility requirements in a given area. Using artificial intelligence that models the flows, Entropy enables users to gain in-depth knowledge of the mobility of an area, half-hour by half-hour, in order to make decisions on and assess the necessary adjustments or services without undertaking costly field surveys. The presentation allowed Entropy to make valuable contacts for its growth.