- 2 months ago
The VivaTech Female Founder Award, champions leading startups and breakthrough innovation built by women. Our main objective is to empower women entrepreneurs by facilitating networking opportunities and access to funding through experience-sharing and connecting them with venture capitalists. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, this initiative reaffirms VivaTech's commitment to increasing female representation in the sector.
This award is supported by Forvis Mazars (Sponsor and Knowledge Partner), IRIS (Knowledge Partner), JCDecaux (Sponsor), C'est Qui La Boss? (Media Partner), and SISTA (Ambassador).
This award is supported by Forvis Mazars (Sponsor and Knowledge Partner), IRIS (Knowledge Partner), JCDecaux (Sponsor), C'est Qui La Boss? (Media Partner), and SISTA (Ambassador).
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00:00VivaTech
00:01Reviewer
00:02Reviewer
00:03Reviewer
00:07Reviewer
00:08Reviewer
00:15Reviewer
00:22Good morning, everyone, and welcome to VivaTech's Female Founder Award AIDS Ceremony.
00:30I'm Jeremy Naven, and I'll be your host for this ceremony today.
00:36Today, you're going to hear about five outstanding female entrepreneurs.
00:42They are building companies going from climate to industry, AI, mobility, and healthcare.
00:49And to open this ceremony, please welcome VivaTech Chief Ecosystem Officer, Olivia Hervey.
01:05Thank you to my fan club.
01:07Only kidding.
01:09Good morning, or good afternoon.
01:11So it's really wonderful to be back to this very special moment.
01:16This year, VivaTech celebrates its 10th anniversary, and with it the 8th edition of the Female Founder Award.
01:25And year after year, women are really funding bold, world-changing companies, and they are doing it across every single
01:35sector of the economy.
01:37Deep tech, health tech, AI, mobility, climate, biotech, everywhere.
01:44Women entrepreneurs are everywhere.
01:46And they are also tackling the most complex challenges of our time.
01:52And yet, the funding gap remains striking.
01:57Companies funded by women only received 12% of the venture capital funding globally.
02:07And that's not a talent problem.
02:08That's a systemic one, and it's exactly why these awards exist.
02:15To really give visibility to those female founders, and also to amplify the visibility of this funding gap.
02:24And of course, to connect them with potential clients and international investors.
02:31So this year, 444 female founders from 85 countries answered the call, the call for entries.
02:41And very interesting, 75% of them are already in the process of raising funds.
02:49So it's global, it's here, and it's on this stage today.
02:55Last, but not least, I'd like to say a huge, huge thank you to our partners.
03:01Jissé Decaux, Forsyth Mazars, Iris, Sista, and Sekira Boss.
03:06And now, enjoy the pitches and Iris.
03:09Sorry, I forgot to mention Iris.
03:13Thank you, Olivia.
03:16As you mentioned, this even wouldn't be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors.
03:22Please welcome on stage, Isabelle Marie, Director of Strategic Project and User Innovation at Jissé Decaux France.
03:29And Sylvain Freon, Executive Committee Member and Partner at 4Biz Mazars.
03:40Welcome to you both.
03:42Lovely to be back.
03:45Yeah, glad to have you back.
03:48So, Isabelle, we're going to start with you.
03:50How do you support female founders at Jissé Decaux?
03:56First, I would like to say how happy I am to be here.
04:00And we've been supporting the Female Founder Challenge for a number of years.
04:04And I think it's one of the top challenges at VivaTech.
04:08So, very happy to be here.
04:09I would love for the room to be absolutely chock full of people.
04:14Unfortunately, it's not the case.
04:16Which reminds us that it's still a challenge to be a female founder and to get the funding.
04:23So, whenever there's an opportunity to give visibility to those female founders, you'll be sure to have Jissé Decaux on
04:32the team.
04:34And, of course, it's important to support female founders who have incredible projects.
04:40But we do this in our company also with our own engineers.
04:44And we have a lot of female engineers.
04:47They'll be here on Saturday for the 100 plus 100 speed mentoring thing.
04:57So, being a founder can be outside a company, but it can be inside also.
05:01And it's very, very important to make sure that the next generation is also onboarded.
05:08So, again, it's a shame that the room is not full.
05:14It just goes to show that there's still a lot of effort collectively that we need to do to support
05:22these incredible and outstanding entrepreneurs.
05:25And I'm really looking forward to hearing your pitches in just a few minutes.
05:32Thank you, Isabelle.
05:35Sylvain, you're back as well this year.
05:38Why is it important for this Mazar to support female founders?
05:43Thank you, Jérémie.
05:45Thank you, Jérémie.
05:45And I'm very pleased to be here today.
05:49It's a long time that for this Mazar support this award and why it's important for us.
05:57So, entrepreneurship is in our hearts.
06:00We are building things.
06:02We take risks.
06:03We back up people with conviction.
06:06And sponsoring founders, this is very important for us.
06:11And Olivia gave the number, so we talked about that.
06:15Women-led companies, they only received 12% of VC funding.
06:21It's not possible.
06:22And we decided to act for this Mazar.
06:27We created our own startup accelerator, the X Factories, which is free.
06:34Free for founders.
06:35We helped them on a five-month program, providing them support with all our capabilities, our network across 100 countries,
06:45and all our skills.
06:47And there is one non-negotiable commitment.
06:51One non-negotiable commitment is that 70% of the seats, at least of this accelerator, go to women-funded
06:59companies.
07:00Wow.
07:01And...
07:02Yeah.
07:02That deserve an applause.
07:05And as Isabelle said, so I hope next year, because we will be there next year, that the room will
07:13be full of people.
07:13Mm-hmm.
07:14And we are very pleased to see that 444 companies applied to this award.
07:21And we have amazing, talented companies who applied.
07:25Only five of them could be on stage today.
07:28And I'm very pleased.
07:31I'm waiting for this speech.
07:33And congratulations to all of you for being there today.
07:36It's a real pleasure for us.
07:37It's an honor for us to be here and to see your talented companies.
07:42Thank you, Sylvain.
07:44So I will let you take a seat just here.
07:48Keep your mic and grab your tablets.
07:53This is going to be able to evaluate you later on.
07:56But for now, we're going to invite the other jury member to join us on stage.
08:01Please welcome Caroline Ramat, General Manager at Q7 Leaders.
08:06Julien David Nizlech, Managing Partner at Iris.
08:09Tatiana Jamin, Founder and Managing Partner at SistaFund.
08:13And Lucille Cornet, Partner at H-Rose.
08:16Please.
08:18Come on stage.
08:35Hey.
08:36Wow.
08:37Now we have a full jury.
08:38That looks really, really good.
08:40Thank you all for being here.
08:41Glad to have you back for all of you.
08:44And welcome for newbies.
08:47As Olivia mentioned, we received more than 400 applications for the Female Founder Award this year.
08:55Next year, it's going to be close to 600 for sure.
08:59A knowledge partner for Wismazar and Iris shortlisted 30 amazing startups.
09:06And out of those 30, today, five finalists will take the stage to pitch their innovation to you, my dear
09:14Jerry.
09:15And obviously, there's a grand prize.
09:18The winner will receive a fundraising coaching from Iris.
09:21A five month business development mentoring program from For Wismazar's ex-factory.
09:26You talked about it, Sylvain.
09:28And a startup corner at Vivatech 2027.
09:31And extensive visibility across the Vivatech ecosystem.
09:36Okay.
09:37Now you know it's going to start.
09:39It's the time for a finalist.
09:41Our first finalist is helping companies adapt to climate risk.
09:46Please welcome Ruth Bosse, founder and CEO of ARK Climate.
09:54Welcome, Ruth.
10:05Okay, let's get started.
10:08So, hi, I'm Ruth, founder and CEO of ARK Climate.
10:11We are building the AI co-pilot for sustainable cities.
10:17About 10,000 European cities are legally required to reach net zero by 2050.
10:23They, for example, have to build cycling routes, solar panels and district heating.
10:30But barely any of those people working in the city halls know how to get to net zero.
10:36And they're managing this entire transition in spreadsheets and email chains.
10:42This leads to poor decisions and enormous delays.
10:50The AI co-pilot for sustainable cities.
10:54It combines, on one hand, climate intelligence.
10:58So, and the AI-powered insights to make the right decisions.
11:04With our one platform approach.
11:06Where we bring all the stakeholders and all data in one tool.
11:11Which helps them implement fast.
11:13This helps cities cut 100,000 in consulting and personal costs.
11:21After just one year, we're working with more than 50 cities.
11:26We have 98% retention.
11:29We made 800,000 euros.
11:31And, for example, our client in Berlin, she said that ARK tells her what really matters.
11:36And the things that used to take months, now only take days.
11:43We're not staying there.
11:45We are expanding.
11:46Once, we're expanding across the city hall.
11:51So, we're currently working with the climate departments.
11:54But, as you can imagine, long email chains, slow implementation is not only a problem in the climate departments of
12:03our city hall.
12:03So, we're starting to work with other departments in the cities as well.
12:07And then, second, we're going to expand geographically starting next year.
12:14And this is our leadership team.
12:16I myself have almost 20 years of experience in local politics.
12:21I led McKinsey City Climate Consulting across Europe.
12:24I did a PhD on climate politics.
12:26And I have a master's in mathematics and computer science.
12:30Alex is leading tech.
12:32He has more than 10 years of experience in B2B SaaS.
12:35And he's an expert in prompt engineering and gen AI.
12:39And Nick already scaled the product, ARK, for a similar company from day one to more than 100 employees.
12:46And now he joined ARK to be on this adventure with me and us.
12:52And let's build Cities of Tomorrow together.
12:57Thanks, Ruth.
12:59Let's give you a big round of applause.
13:05I hear your team, they're cheering for you.
13:08Dear jury, do you have any questions?
13:11Caroline.
13:13Hi, I'd like to congratulate you because I know what a challenge it is to be working with local governments
13:20in cities.
13:21So what you've already achieved is absolutely incredible.
13:25The only question I had was to know what type of data and where does the data come from to
13:31actually activate the ARK co-pilot?
13:35Yeah, so it's very different sources.
13:38We have a lot of energy data from, for example, the municipal utility providers.
13:43We use data from, actually a lot of data from the chimney sweepers because they know exactly which chimneys there
13:50are.
13:51And then we have a lot of data on mobility from the public transport companies, from the mobility departments, from,
13:58I only know the German word for now, but like the office which registers all the cars.
14:02So those are the different data points that we combine.
14:06Okay, Caroline.
14:08Julien David.
14:08And perhaps rebounding on that question, how long does it take you to convince these cities and how complex is
14:15it for them to use you,
14:17integrate you and make usage out of your solution?
14:21Yeah, so we have sales cycles of like three to four months.
14:24The market average is one to two years.
14:27And they use the tool after like four to six weeks.
14:32Also here, like our competitors usually takes more than a year for them to run.
14:36Okay.
14:38Caroline, let's go.
14:39That was my question initially, but you talked about the retention.
14:43So how did you make like, so they deployed and then why they stay?
14:47What do they stay?
14:49Why are they staying with you and with the solution?
14:51Because 89 is like retention number is very high.
14:55Thanks.
14:57I think on one hand, it's also because one, like they, they don't like to switch too much, like culturally,
15:06but also because like most of the offer in the market, because as you said, it's a hard market to
15:11enter is super old.
15:12So they're really basic things.
15:14Like they, they find it normal that it takes a year for a software to start running, right?
15:18They find it normal that you don't reach customer success.
15:20So to be honest, like the high retention isn't the hardest, hardest part.
15:26I'd say if you build like a great modern software that's easy to use and you have good people in
15:31your team.
15:31Okay. We'll take a last question from.
15:33Can you talk a bit about how you make the data actionable to make changes?
15:38Um, or maybe what plans you have in that, in that field for them to, to really make changes once
15:44they see the data, uh, what kind of actions or links can you make to changes for them?
15:50Yeah. So one thing, for example, that we have is so that we have a lot of data on the
15:55emissions.
15:55We have data on their goals and we have data on what they work on because they use it also
15:59for project management.
16:01So we have an AI in the tool that tells them, well, you need to, I don't know, you need
16:06to decrease your emissions from heating, but you only work on mobility stuff, for example.
16:13Right. So it suggests, it measures that other cities like neighboring cities have already implemented.
16:18It connects them with each other because we also see that like every city tries to solve this by themselves.
16:25So a lot of this kind of knowledge sharing is going on.
16:28We also have maybe another example of like a grant, a finder that says, Hey, by the way, there's this
16:33grant for your project because often it's a, like a funding issue why they can't implement something.
16:37Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks a lot.
16:39Thanks.
16:40Thank you, Ruth. Please.
16:47Our next family is transforming mining through biology.
16:52Please welcome Liz Dennett, founder and CEO of Endolith.
17:03For three and a half billion years, biology has been liberating metals from rocks.
17:10Long before humans ever came up and decided we had the picks and shovels that we needed for mining.
17:15Microbes were being put to work.
17:17They're the original miners.
17:18I'm Dr. Liz Dennett, founder of Endolith.
17:21And it was founded with one idea.
17:23And that is that the critical minerals we need for the energy transition are already here.
17:28We're just not extracting them very well.
17:30In fact, copper is going to be the critical bottleneck for human civilization.
17:36Every AI data center needs immense amount of copper, wind turbines, electric vehicles.
17:42It doesn't stop.
17:43Demand is doubling by 2030.
17:45And a new mine takes 16 years from discovery to first copper.
17:50That math doesn't math.
17:51We don't actually have 16 years to meet the needs.
17:54And part of it is that the current systems are just not very good.
17:57When we mine, about half of that copper gets left in the heap.
18:01We have no way to extract it.
18:04And the thing that mining companies are overlooking is that microbes are there.
18:09I do have a PhD in astrobiology where I studied this.
18:12But these microbes are already at scale.
18:14They're already being deployed.
18:15But they're not doing the right things.
18:18Some of them are actively helping.
18:20Some of them are actively hurting.
18:21But it's a black box.
18:22They're largely uncontrolled.
18:24And that is where Endolith steps in.
18:26Is we make these microbes from something that's very abstract into something very tactical.
18:31We have a genomics pipeline and capabilities to figure out what microbes are there.
18:36We've developed dozens of different microbial communities that are not genetically modified
18:41that we deploy on the heap in a plug-and-play way.
18:45We then monitor, use real-time data, and have a cloud platform that enables us to optimize
18:50the microbes that we're extracting at the right time.
18:53What this looks like in practice is we've done this on dozens of ore types
18:57and typically get almost double the amount of copper recovered.
19:00We are working with BHP, with Rio Tinto, with South 32, with five of the largest mining companies.
19:07And our team right now is split between Denver and Arizona where we are in the field.
19:13It's not enough just to have a new technology in mining.
19:16You have to make it safe and deployable and repeatable.
19:18And that's exactly what we're doing.
19:20We did just about $2 million US in revenue last year.
19:24And we continue to work with five of the largest companies in the field right now.
19:28The secret to our success is not just the microbes, it's also a team of operators.
19:33Our team has worked for decades to build and scale the largest heap leaches in the world,
19:39to build cloud platform systems at Illumina that take DNA from the subsurface to the cloud,
19:44and also have overseen a lot of copper M&A strategy.
19:47Our team is based in Denver, we're about 20 people, and we are 65% female
19:53in an industry that typically is less than 10% female.
19:57We don't actually need new mines.
19:59We need to get more from the mines that we have.
20:03And that's exactly what we're doing at Endolith.
20:05We are just taking those three and a half billion year old miners,
20:08those microbes, and putting them on the payroll.
20:11Thank you, Liz.
20:13Let's give her a big round of applause.
20:18Jerry, ask your questions.
20:23Sylvain.
20:23Congratulations.
20:25What you are doing is amazing.
20:28It's great for us.
20:30It's great for the planet.
20:31And on top of that, you have 65% of women in the company.
20:35So first of all, congratulations.
20:37My question was, could you please give us a bit more details on where do you stand in terms of
20:42operation?
20:43Are you already on the different sites, expedition?
20:47That is a great question.
20:48While we speak right now, our first team is on site in Arizona with our microbes,
20:53just getting ready to deploy them in the field.
20:56So we closed our Series A a few months ago.
20:59We raised about $20 million to date.
21:01And we anticipate getting our first field results here in the next few weeks.
21:06Okay.
21:06Impressive.
21:08Who's next?
21:09Lucille.
21:10Can you talk a little bit more about the business model?
21:13Absolutely.
21:14I do want to say that in mining and heavy technologies, it's not the best technology that wins.
21:20It's the best commercial, the best trust, the ability to deploy safely and scalably.
21:24And what we are doing is working with these large companies to provide essentially microbes as a service.
21:30They actually don't care about the data platform or the types of microbes.
21:35They just want to get 10% to 20% additional copper.
21:37So it sounds kind of hokey, but we deliver solutions.
21:41And we're able to build, grow, and deploy the microbes on site.
21:46Do you know David?
21:47Yeah.
21:47Just to make sure I understand, they already have all the infrastructures to deploy your microbes
21:52or do they require to adapt their processes?
21:55And then how do you price the microbes to their system?
21:58That is a great question.
21:59So the heaps already exist.
22:00We drive up our microbes in large connexes or flatbed trailers.
22:04And we essentially run a tube from where the microbes are coming in into the existing irrigation system.
22:11It's sulfuric acid.
22:12These bugs, these microbes love to live in sulfuric acid.
22:15And then we are priced depending on where we think and where we're able to show that we're getting the
22:22additional copper.
22:23So what that looks like, and I'm happy to run through CapEx and OpEx numbers and IRRs and things like
22:27that.
22:28But in general, we're charging around $10 to $20 million a year per deployment.
22:33If you're a mine and you get 10% additional copper, that is $80 to $200 or $300 million.
22:39So it really is a win-win.
22:41Okay.
22:42Tatiana, do you want to ask a question?
22:43Yes.
22:44Thanks.
22:45It's an amazing subject and so important to try to tackle it.
22:48A lot of companies are kind of positioning themselves on recycling.
22:53What is maybe the difference?
22:54And is there a difference at the end in terms of price that you're going to end up having on
23:01your final customer?
23:02Yeah.
23:03In order to meet the demands of all of the new technologies in a sustainable way, we need every single
23:09solution.
23:11We are not going into recycling because first off, there's a bunch of great people there.
23:15But also in America, most of our products are not designed to be infinitely recyclable.
23:21You look at the USB cables you get, they're coated in plastic.
23:24And so there are some really amazing startups in that space.
23:26But we are targeting the tip of the spear, mines that have already been discovered and that one day are
23:31going to turn into mine waste sites.
23:33Right now, half of that copper just turns into acid mine drainage.
23:37We want to minimize that.
23:38We want to make it as little as possible.
23:39And it's our way of playing into the economy.
23:42Okay.
23:43Isabel.
23:44In a nutshell.
23:44Super quick question.
23:45Congratulations.
23:46What you do with copper, can you do it with other types of materials?
23:51We can.
23:52And that is our vision.
23:53We've done work in lithium clays.
23:55We've done work on nickel.
23:57As an early stage startup, I always say cash is king, focus is queen, and we will earn the right
24:01to be a platform.
24:02Okay.
24:02Congrats.
24:04Thank you, Liz.
24:10Our next analyst uses AI to accelerate material discovery.
24:16Please welcome Barbara Abacus, co-founder of ExoMatter.
24:3210 to the power of 60.
24:3510 to the power of 60 are all the possible materials out there.
24:39So even larger than all the stars of the university.
24:44With that, welcome to ExoMatter.
24:47We are finding better materials away faster.
24:50Before we're going into the challenge, what have ExoMatter achieved so far?
24:56We closed within one year three DAX and one MDX customer.
25:00We grew from two to 17 team members, found five completely new battery materials, and have the first AI agent
25:11for materials discovery.
25:14Coming back to the number 10 to the power of 60.
25:17It is a huge opportunity for the customer out there to really find the best material for the needs.
25:25But on the other hand, this is a huge challenge.
25:29Materials development is based on trial and error.
25:31It takes more than 10 years, a lot of experiments in the lab.
25:36That's a waste of resources, not just human-wise, but also chemical-wise.
25:41And that's exactly what ExoMatter is solving.
25:44We developed a platform where the R&D user can develop their own material based on five dimensions.
25:52Chemical, engineering, physical, cost, and sustainability dimensions.
25:58We are simulating this material based on the molecular structure and provide them with the shortlist of the best material
26:05candidates.
26:06With that, they are able to find materials in seconds instead of 10 years.
26:13We already closed or got for our customer the value that we saved for Airbus Audi 80% of the
26:21cost of the R&D cycle.
26:23And as I mentioned, five completely new material and 90% less of the CO2 footprint.
26:31Who is we?
26:32We are a Munich-based team.
26:34I'm Barbara, co-founder and CEO of ExoMatter.
26:39ExoMatter is my second startup.
26:41I'm really an expert when it comes to technical startups into scale-up.
26:46I have Joshua on my side.
26:48He's a material scientist, came from Berkeley.
26:51That's the pioneer of material science there.
26:54And we have a great team.
26:55Not 60%, but almost 55% of female employees in the material science as well in the commercial part from
27:05more than 10 nationalities.
27:09And if we really want to make a change, then ExoMatter needs to be your choice.
27:16Thank you very much.
27:19Thank you, Barbara.
27:22Dear Jure, I'll ask you questions.
27:25What's your business model?
27:26Yeah.
27:28So we have a SaaS business model behind the buying credits because we have two layers.
27:34They can have a first easy search and then they can have a simulation part as well.
27:39So they can, it's a combination of seeds and usage based on ExoMatter approach.
27:46Okay.
27:47Lucille?
27:47Yeah.
27:48Any specific verticals where you're focusing on or where maybe the platform today is better at?
27:54Yes.
27:55So we are focusing on renewable energy, semiconductor, electronics.
28:00The reason for that is that we are very good in alloys, polymers and inorganic crystallines.
28:10Yeah, Sylvain.
28:12In terms of market, I understand that you are European based for the time being.
28:18Do you start to go to the US or to Asia?
28:21So in Europe, we have a already great industry.
28:26All manufacturing chemical companies are needing exactly the solution.
28:32But yes, we are targeting the Japanese market because they are head of the materials R&D.
28:38We have first reseller there and the next state would be the US.
28:43Isabel?
28:46Congratulations.
28:46I have just a quick question for you since I know nothing about your field.
28:53But who are your main competitors?
28:56Yeah.
28:57So it's great that we see the material science get spotlighted.
29:01And that's very important because we hear two other topics and one of them is also materials related.
29:08So materials are really the core.
29:11There are some competitors from the US periodic labs, for example.
29:16But they are really focused on building hardware, so building an automated lab.
29:23Our goal is to enable the employees, to enable the companies already to scale it.
29:31I want to give you an example because it shows really the power of material science in ExoMatter.
29:37BSH is one of our customers.
29:39They are developing refrigerators.
29:41Two years ago, the energy level AAA plus is now energy level D.
29:47So meaning that the need of them is increasing.
29:50What they found with ExoMatter is a material that fits perfectly for the properties what they're looking for.
29:57This material is used for hair coloring.
30:00So they can grab this material now and put it in the structure.
30:04So it doesn't need to be always a completely novel, crazy material.
30:08It can be a better, an alternative material that is already existing, for example.
30:15Thank you, Barbara.
30:21Our next analyst is giving EV batteries a second life.
30:26Please welcome Mathilde Giannico, co-founder and CEO of Revolti.
30:41Hi, everyone.
30:44So in the wake of the Iron War, energy resilience has become more key than ever.
30:51At Revolti, we believe that sun power is the energy and the key to our future.
30:55But for that, we need to be able to use it at every hour of the day and the night.
31:00How so?
31:01By storing it.
31:03In France, there are more than one million people that have installed solar panels on their rooftops.
31:09And in Europe, it's more than 20 million.
31:11And this is really quickly growing.
31:13But these people are all faced with a quite simple problem.
31:16At 1 or 2 p.m., when they are at work, the sun is shining and is producing energy that
31:20they cannot use.
31:21And when they come back at home at 6 p.m. to cook, to clean, they cannot benefit from this
31:26energy they produced in the middle of the day.
31:28The ideal solution for them is to store this energy.
31:32And our mission at Revolti is to democratize access to residential solar storage thanks to circular economy.
31:39We are building the first French battery that reuses lithium cells.
31:43This enables installers, our clients, to double their revenues by proposing a French and a green alternative at a better
31:51price.
31:51And it's also a no-brainer for them because this is a battery that we have designed to be very
31:56quick to install
31:56and with a strong local presence to help all maintenance issues.
32:01We position ourselves as a fabulous battery producer.
32:04So we internalize and we do in-house the whole complete electrical design of our system.
32:10We then test and diagnose batteries coming from all over Europe thanks to algorithms.
32:16We then assemble them through an industrial partner in the south of France
32:20and then distribute them directly to solar installers who put them in your homes.
32:27To build this project, we have a team that is full of energy.
32:30I met my co-founder during our last few of studies after working in the energy sector and the battery
32:34circularity.
32:35We were then joined by our CTO who has over 10 years of experience in second life batteries.
32:41And we're quite lucky to be mentored by brilliant energy founders such as the founder of Vercor or Electra.
32:49So where are we now?
32:50We have deployed our first four prototypes on the field in the homes of beta testers.
32:55We have secured over 2 million in order books which is about 600 batteries in units.
33:01And we have raised a pre-seed round at the end of last year.
33:05And our goal right now is to get to certification and bring our battery to market by the end of
33:10this year.
33:11So if you believe that lithium mines and resources are not only all over at the end of the world,
33:18the lithium resources are also in our vehicles, in our data centers, in our industries and we need to use
33:23it,
33:23then please contact me. Thank you.
33:25Thank you Mathilde.
33:27Let's give her a big round of applause.
33:30Yeah.
33:32Who wants to start?
33:33Caroline.
33:34So you are going to the market at the end of the year.
33:38What would be the strategy for the B2C strategy?
33:41Because that would be the key.
33:45So our distribution strategy is a B2B2C.
33:48So we target solo installers who is then actually counsel their clients and then install the material.
33:55So they're a very key partner in this whole distribution chain.
33:59So we target them first.
34:01But we will also have B2C marketing that is important for our clients.
34:05Our users actually to also ask for the battery themselves to their installers.
34:09Did you already secure like distributors?
34:12Yeah.
34:13The pre-order book I was talking about covers about 20 installers that have signed a letter of intent.
34:21Lucille.
34:21Am I right to understand that you're selling the batteries as one-off?
34:25Or is there some sort of long-term relationship where you keep operating them afterwards?
34:30So indeed the basic business model is to sell the hardware to the installers.
34:35But this battery is stackable.
34:36So actually what's interesting that you can first start by putting up a few modules and then decide to put
34:41some more in the system very easily.
34:44So that is also kind of something that is very important in our energy market where we will need more
34:49and more storage.
34:50But usually B2C start off with a small battery.
34:53And we are also working very quickly with closely with a lot of energy services like flexibility ones to be
35:00able to add this recurring revenue of virtual power plants.
35:07Congrats.
35:08It's amazing where you've been.
35:10I was just wondering, one of the huge challenges is the margin in that type of industry.
35:15All the way you get heated up.
35:18And how are you planning on having a final price that is acceptable for B2B, B2C and at the same
35:25time for you guys to be able to have a correct revenue and scale?
35:29Yes.
35:31That is actually why we decided to go Second Life to be able to build this kind of first French
35:36battery.
35:37Second Life enables us to get access to batteries at a much cheaper price, which is really important.
35:42It is highly competitive and dominated by the Chinese industry markets.
35:47So this is first of all the key for us to be able to get this battery at a better
35:51price than most of the markets.
35:52But we also believe very closely in the residential markets and the power of brand and the power of the
35:58solution, the service.
36:00As we see actors like Tesla and FaZe and a lot of these ones in this market because the service
36:06and the comfort for the B2C user is really key for them to have this battery in their home.
36:12Quick, quick question, Isabelle.
36:17Thank you and congrats.
36:20Whenever you're ready to communicate to sell your battery, please come and see me.
36:27But that's not the question.
36:30Do you think that your model can scale beyond France?
36:35Yes.
36:36Residential storage is a subject that is very developed all across Europe.
36:41We have Germany that is at the forefront of this issue.
36:44But we have many countries, especially surrounding France, like Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, that are also in this phase of
36:51acceleration, such as France, with much higher also electricity prices for B2C, which is the main argument for them to
36:59install batteries in their homes.
37:00Definitely.
37:01Thanks a lot, Mathilde.
37:08We're getting to the final finalists.
37:10Our final finalist is Advancing Precision Robotic for Healthcare.
37:15Please welcome Joanna Cartucci, co-founder and CEO of Robote.
37:26Hi.
37:29So, the brain is here.
37:33The brain is the ultimate frontier in medicine.
37:36For every other organ we have found safe ways in, but the brain has resisted.
37:40It has evolved over 500 million years to keep things out through the skull, the blood-brain barrier.
37:47And this means that when something goes wrong in the brain, and it does for 3 billion people around the
37:53world, there's not much that we can do about it.
37:56So, the paradox is that we have made incredible strides in medicine over the past decade.
38:02We understand disease and therapies like never before.
38:05But our ability to physically access and act within the brain and treat the brain has barely changed.
38:12So, there's a real gap that has emerged between what we can imagine with medicine and what medicine can actually
38:18do.
38:19My co-founder lost his mother to an inoperable brain tumor.
38:23He saw firsthand what it was to not be able to intervene meaningfully in the brain, and as a roboticist
38:29and an engineer, he decided to change that.
38:31I had been leading operations in deep tech for the better part of a decade, and so we joined forces.
38:37And with an incredible team, we have built the first micro-robotic platform for medicine.
38:42An infrastructure layer.
38:45An infrastructure layer to diagnose, treat, and monitor the brain.
38:49What you see behind me is a tiny micro-robot that comes together to move through brain tissue non-linearly
38:58to areas that are hard to reach,
39:00and close the loop on brain care with diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.
39:07So, it's modular, and we navigate not through the bloodstream but through the tissue itself.
39:11Modular means that by changing the extension, we can diagnose, collect biopsy samples, we can deliver treatment exactly where it's
39:20needed,
39:20and we can understand what's going on locally in real time.
39:28This is everything surgeons have dreamt of.
39:32We are unlocking the physical bottleneck that has stifled innovation in neuroscience for the past decade.
39:39And we're doing that with a technology that has 50 plus patents, over a decade of engineering, and that has
39:46been considered impossible for such a long time.
39:49But our preclinical results, our animal studies have proven differently.
39:53Today, we are a team of 40 across San Francisco and Paris, mainly Paris, and we have raised over 30
40:03million.
40:04And we are now, we now have our first in human studies well within reach.
40:09So, what excites me now is what's to come.
40:12Because we start with biopsy.
40:16Because biopsy, advanced tumor biopsy, unlocks the access to the brain.
40:20But then, every other application runs on that same infrastructure.
40:24Every procedure generates data.
40:27Every new application, every new extension expands the platform.
40:33And so, one billion people will be actually, thank you, one in three people in this room and in the
40:44world will be affected by a severe brain disease.
40:47And that does not sit well with us.
40:49So, we want to do something to help.
40:51Thank you very much.
40:52Thank you, Joanna.
40:53Let's give her a big round of applause.
40:58Jerry, any questions?
41:00So, who do you sell this to, at which price, and how advanced are you in actually deploying it in
41:07brains?
41:07Yeah.
41:08So, we are now in animal studies, which means that after you do your animal studies, you get authorization from
41:14regulators,
41:15based on the data that you have generated around safety, around efficacy, to then start your human trials.
41:20And after your human trials have terminated, then you can access the market.
41:26So, we are now in animal studies and we plan to be on the market by 2030, which is tomorrow
41:32in our world.
41:36What that means for clients, our clients are actually pharmaceutical companies that have been having a really hard time getting
41:42therapies into the brain because of the blood-brain barrier.
41:46Therapeutics inundate the body, destroying the immune system, and then don't actually make it to the brain where they want
41:51to treat pathology.
41:52So, we make sure that we deposit it exactly where it needs to go and to treat the patient.
41:57So, pharmaceutical companies, but also electrode companies, anyone that needs that access, that spatial access into the brain is our
42:05client.
42:06Caroline?
42:06Yeah.
42:07Do you have competition on this market?
42:10That's a good question.
42:12As I was mentioning earlier, as I mentioned earlier, this has been 10 years in the making from scratch.
42:21We're not a spin out of any academic lab.
42:23It would have taken five different labs working together for a long time.
42:26So, there are people doing wonderful things that are very specific to pathology.
42:32So, somebody will try to disrupt the blood-brain barrier to get therapies across.
42:37Some will do focused ultrasound to try to disrupt the blood-brain barrier.
42:40Others will implant electrodes with larger robots.
42:44Others will use, for biopsy for example, they will use needles moving in a straight line through the brain.
42:50But when it comes to these submillimetric devices, we're quite alone in the field.
42:57Impressive.
42:57Okay.
42:59Isabelle?
43:03Any other questions?
43:05Phoebe, can you talk a bit about the team?
43:06Yes.
43:07Pleasure.
43:11I can't say 65% women, unfortunately.
43:14But it's definitely a mandate for us where we aim to go even higher.
43:20And we aim to put women in decision positions, which is something that is at a different scale.
43:25So, the ability to not only have women in every sector, but also have them making decisions and running the
43:33calls.
43:34So, we're a team of 40.
43:37We just launched the US.
43:39We just opened a US office in San Francisco, but we're very much rooted in Paris.
43:44We're a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team.
43:48Multi-disciplinary because it takes different fundamental scientific fields around physics,
43:54around now AI, micro-robotics, micro-electronics, all of this coming together to create a system like this one.
44:04So, very diverse.
44:06And at the same time, diversity is also very multicultural for us.
44:10I think we have 12, 13 nationalities and a team of 40.
44:14So, that's good.
44:15Brazil's running the game, though.
44:17Thank you, Joanna.
44:18Thank you, guys.
44:24Before we close, one last piece of information.
44:28The winner of the Female Founder Award 2026 will be announced tomorrow during the VivaTech Startup Prize ceremony on Stage
44:381 at 2.15 PM.
44:41So, we look forward to see you there, all of you.
44:45But before we go, please give our founders another last round of applause.
44:51Congrats for the amazing features.
44:53Thank you, my dear Jerry.
44:56Thanks a lot.
44:56Thank you to the partners and sponsors.
44:58And thank you to the entire VivaTech team behind the scenes.
45:01You've done an amazing job.
45:05Thank you, everyone.
45:06Have a great day at VivaTech.
45:07And now, I invite the finalists, the jury members, the sponsors and the partners to join us on stage for
45:13the group picture.
45:17Well done.
45:21Yeah, let's do that.
45:32Maybe we're going to do two lines.
45:34What do you think?
45:36One line.
45:37Let's go for one line.
45:38Yeah.
45:39Get closer a little bit.
45:41Closer, closer.
45:45Closer.
45:46The poster's on your wall.
45:50The legends 87 album.
45:54You're always on call.
46:00Have a great day.
46:02Congrats.
46:03You've been wonderful.
46:05Great pitches.
46:15it's the Oscars congrats yeah yeah no keep it for you you can cut the mic
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