Regarded as one of the most innovative cities in Europe, Lyon is second only to Paris when it comes to the startup life in France. The heavy student presence, coupled with a thriving digital community and government support, is helping Lyon rise up on the French startup map. Good news is already coming from the city, with startups attracting big investments and making headlines.
Here are 10 Lyon-based startups to watch out for in 2019 and beyond:
365talents – Launched at the end of 2015, 365 Talents offers an SaaS talent management platform, which provides HR departments with smart skills detection, insightful expertise and personalised career development opportunities – all based on AI. The idea behind it is to help HR teams to identify and unlock the potential of the employees aligned with the organisation’s operational needs and strategic goals. Société Générale, Allianz, Orange, EY and Crédit Agricole are already on their client list.
Agicap develops a cloud-based cash forecasting solution for SMEs, enabling them to visualise the cash available in real time, automate cash forecasts to medium or long-term, as well as assess the impact of different strategic scenarios on the cash flow. Founded in 2016, Agicap raised a €2.4 million seed round in September 2019 from BlackFin Capital and Kima Ventures. Montblanc, Cityscoot and Café Coton have already signed up for the product.
FasTeesH is the company behind Y-Brush, the chargeable auto-cleaning electric toothbrush. Y-Brush automatically cleans the teeth using the Bass method with sonic vibrating technology. Marketed to both medical professionals and home users, Y-Brush comes in four shapes, with three vibration modes and promises 15% less plaque on your teeth. Complete dental cleaning in just 10 minutes.
Ludocare is developing play or gaming-based solutions specifically designed to meet the needs of patients with chronic diseases and their families. So far they have introduced Joe, a connected companion robot that helps children with asthma, and Leo, for children with cystic fibrosis. The idea is that the robot reminds the children when and how to take their medication, and motivates them by triggering rewards. At the same time, it reassures parents by sending them notifications.
Matvisio uses computer vision to help prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace. It observes, identifies and visualises in real time the ‘professional postures at risk’ and notifies the employees in case of dangerous gestures and postures. At the same time, the data collected could empower managers to put in place better practices and security measures.
Meersens acts as the guardian of your health. They have developed an app and Msens – specialised environmental sensors placed in capsules that allow users to scan the environment for health threats when placed inside the MBox. Users can assess their exposure to UV rays or air pollution, for example, and adapt accordingly. The idea is that early detection of potential hazards enables people to limit the damage it can do to their health.
Miuros is a platform that turns customer support data into automated actions and actionable insights for a better customer experience. The Techstars alumni makes customer service more efficient and faster by improving agents’ productivity with task automation and recommendations, while delivering to management teams new actionable insights. Founded in 2016, Miuros is already backed by €2.1 million in funding.
Mojo Diagnostics has developed Mojo Pro, the first complete at-home diagnostic solution for male fertility monitoring & improvement. Mojo Pro is complemented by Mojo Diagnostics, a male fertility data platform that uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to make better assessments of male fertility and provide fertility clinics with data-based insights for improving the diagnostic process.
Navya is one of the French pioneers in autonomous driving systems, having produced so far two passenger transport vehicles: the ‘Autonom Cab’, and the ‘Autonom Shuttle’ with successful tests all over the world. sustainable future by improving traffic flow and reducing congestion in urban centres. The latest addition to their product portfolio is ‘Autonom Tract’ autonomous tractor to facilitate the transport of goods on industrial sites and airports on cooperation with Charlatte Manutention.
Osivax was founded in 2017 to translate its innovative oligoDOM technology platform into a vaccine pipeline. The biotech startups aims to establish proof-of-concept in influenza A, and then expand the pipeline to provide a universal flu vaccine, and just recently, in July 2019, it was boosted by €8 million of Series A financing round to further revolutionise influenza prevention with a universal flu vaccine.
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