Shell LiveWIRE France selects its 5 start-ups

Shell LiveWIRE France has held a special pitch event to select the five innovative start-ups that it will be working with over the next nine months.

In partnership with France’s largest business incubator Paris&Co, Shell LiveWIRE will provide each start-up with a customised package of business acceleration support, and the opportunity to including suitable alumni within Shell France’s value chain.

Ten tech businesses were chosen, from some 30 applicants, to take part in the pitch to an expert panel of Shell managers and partner representatives, and the successful five were selected on their strength in three main criteria: the viability of the business and the strength of the innovation; the synergy between the start-up and Shell; and, the perceived value of the potential mentoring relationship.

The five start-ups selected to receive business acceleration support from the programme are:

Paris&Co. An innovative energy storage company which uses a flywheel made from prestressed concrete called the VOSS. It is able to store energy from intermittent renewable energy sources at a tenth of the cost of current batteries.

Mathieu Chamiot & Victor Payan of Ermeo. Revolutionises the way large industrial companies run their operational processes. Ermeo offers a SaaS solution that helps optimize industrial equipments’ maintenance operations. The product allows clients to save between 25% and 75% of time on their rounds, and enhances the quality of the data entered.

François Roche & Morgan Lebaillif of Hello Garage. Provides all car maintenance services on demand at the home or workplace.

Olivier Pierre of Immersive Factory. Provides Virtual Reality training courses for HSE. They provide companies with a different way of addressing safety, health and environmental issues. Immersion, initiative-taking and evaluation become the keys to an innovative active learning experience that stimulates the mind and produces long-term influence on behaviour.

Olivier Maffrand of Singulair. Operates an aerial inspection management platform that enables wind turbine and solar farm operators to assess the operational condition of their assets and make decisions on maintenance tasks.

Highlighting the quality of the five start-ups, Alexis Licha, Innovation & Startups Manager, Shell France, said, “I was amazed by the quality of the start-ups and their enthusiasm when pitching to the Shell France staff. I am sure that the five selected have strong potential to create value for Shell.

Coaching the entrepreneurs is an excellent way to really get to know them, and will be invaluable in reaching any decisions about the development of commercial links with them.”

Each of the start-ups will benefit from a dedicated business coach, a personalised path and will have access to business experts according to their needs for help with, for example, strategic planning, finance, marketing, supply chain, logistics, purchasing, legal etc.. Start-ups may also have the opportunity to test their business solutions within the Shell value chain.

Commenting on the opportunity to accelerate his business through the Shell LiveWIRE France programme, André Gennesseaux of Energiestro, said, “To be selected by a leader in energy like Shell is important recognition for us. Shell LiveWIRE is a fantastic opportunity to benefit from top level expertise that we would not otherwise have been able to reach at this stage in our development.”

The other entrepreneurs were equally excited at the prospect of their involvement in the Shell LiveWIRE France programme:

Victor Payan of Ermeo said, “The Shell LiveWIRE France programme is a great opportunity for Ermeo to challenge its solution.”

Olivier Pierre of Immersive Factory said, “Being part of Shell LiveWIRE France is a great opportunity to benefit from the expertise of a worldwide leader in HSSE in order to create even more realistic, new, VR training simulations for the oil sector.”

François Roche of Hello Garage said, “The Shell LiveWIRE programme fits within the growth strategy of Hello Garage.”