Greyn and INEN Robotics are the winners of the 13th Jean-Louis Gerondeau – Safran award

FRANCE – At the end of the final held on June, 17th at the Drahi-X Novation Center, École Polytechnique’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Greyn and INEN Robotics are the winning startups in the Jean-Louis Gerondeau – Safran 2024 award. The winners of this 13th edition were recognized for their innovative solutions in construction and healthcare. The two start-ups receive a prize of 15,000 euros.

The Gerondeau – Safran award was launched in memory of Jean-Louis Gerondeau (X 1962). It aims to support innovation and entrepreneurship at L’X, by encouraging the emergence or maturation of innovative projects led by teams from the entrepreneurial ecosystem of École Polytechnique and Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Furthermore, it reflects Polytechnique’s strategy, designed to nurture students’ initiatives in business creation, and especially in high-technology fields. Candidates’ projects are evaluated in terms of the innovative nature of the product or service being offered, its economic potential and its ability to result in the creation of a company. The award includes a total prize of 30,000 euros, to be divided among two projects.

For Eric Dalbiès, Safran’s EVP, Strategy and Chief Technology Officer: “Safran is a loyal supporter of this award as we believe that star-ups have a role to play in fostering innovation.  We are happy to discover these dynamic start-ups and to support the two winners as they address technological and strategic challenges in a wide range of sectors such as health and materials decarbonization. We are delighted to encourage them with this Jean-Louis Gerondeau – Safran award.”

Greyn: an innovative solution for optimising concrete production and reducing its environmental footprint

Limiting CO2 emissions and conserving resources is a major challenge for the construction industry. In this context, Damien Beaudou (École Centrale de Nantes – Master X-HEC Entrepreneurs) launched the Greyn project with the aim of providing a solution designed to monitor and manage the concrete delivery cycle using AI and data analysis, from its production in the concrete plant to the construction site where it is poured. “Today, nearly 7% of all concrete produced is unusable because its state of consistency does not allow the material to be used properly. To combat this waste, we have developed an innovative technology that combines a hardware sensor with a machine learning algorithm,” explains Damien Beaudou. Designed to be retrofitted to the mixer trucks used to transport the concrete, this sensor enables the concrete’s consistency to be continuously monitored, from production to placement, and any unsatisfactory concrete to be quickly rectified, even during delivery. Greyn could thus enable a 6% reduction in the use of resources allocated to concrete production in France, and an annual savings of more than €220 million for the sector.

“I’m delighted to win the Gerondeau – Safran award and to have my project validated by a panel of experts. The financial prize that goes with it will enable me to take the next steps in developing a physical prototype of the sensor and filing patents. While the first funds are the most difficult to obtain, this prize is a real boost for Greyn”, says Damien Beaudou.

INEN Robotics: the first interventional endoscopic robot to democratise minimally invasive treatments for gastrointestinal cancer

With INEN Robotics, Philippe Bencteux, radiologist and entrepreneur, and Constantin Krempp (X2014), engineer, aim to improve the treatment of patients with early cancers of the digestive tract by robotising endoluminal procedures. “Colorectal, gastric and esophageal cancers are among the most common and deadliest, but if detected early, they can be successfully treated using minimally invasive surgery. To facilitate those complex operations and support gastroenterologists, we are making the most of the research carried out at a world-renowned centre for medical robotics in Strasbourg (ICube Laboratory) by developing a robotic platform that interfaces with an endoscope equipped with two instruments: forceps and an electrosurgical knife.” explains Constantin Kremp. By providing doctors with optimised tools thanks to this patented technology, it should be possible to treat patients more effectively while limiting the risk of complications and reducing the overall cost of those cancer treatments.

“We are very honoured to receive this award, which recognises the academic work carried out by centres of scientific excellence. As we work on developing new prototypes, this award encourages us and is a first step on the long road that will take this technology to the patient’s bed”, concludes Constantin Krempp.

Since its creation, the Gerondeau – Safran prize has supported startups that today have a strong influence in France and internationally: SourceLAB (2011), Stilla Technologies, Wandercraft and Ynsect (2012), FeetMe and Sensome (2013), Airthium, Cardiologs and Dreem (2014), DeepColor, Ecov and Wingly (2015), Donecle and Forssea Robotics (2016), Seald, Vittascience and Zeta Technologies (2017), Hinfact, Poppins and Okomera (2018), InBolt, Néolithe and Omini (2019), Escape and Tarmac Technologies (2020), Beyond Aero, Manitty and PaIRe (2021), Amphitrite, Stratolia and Surge (2022).