With two green businesses winning the startup pitch Battle organised by La Boate during the 10th edition of Mediterranean Economic Week, Alert Gasoil and Sonora Labs’ visit to the Villa Méditerranée on Wednesday 3rd November 2016, proved that digital innovation and protecting the planet can go h and-in-h and.

A total of nine startups (Alert Gasoil, Cequoia, Friool, Kalizée, Rhinotenders, Smartwin, Sonora Labs, Synertic and Touchify) presented their innovative projects to a jury of five business leaders. On the agenda was a revolutionary tactile screen, an application for booking sports facilities and also a method for low-cost application production. The c andidates had a total of six minutes to convince the jury (three minutes to present and three minutes of Q&A). The public were also able to cast their votes for the winner using the Hashtag Trophy, naming their favourite pitches on Twitter, through tweets. With clear explanations and focused presentations, the nine (9) competitors proved that innovation is at the heart of today’s economic challenge.

Alertgasoil wows jury

First to present and first to the finish line was Eric Elkaim, President of Altergasoil. His idea is simple: inserting as much data as possible into fuel tanks in order to make the most efficient use of the data collected. These “connected tanks” produce data that is stored in the company’s own database, making it the owner of the data. Alertgasoil measures fuel supplies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The economic advantages are accompanied by ecological concerns, as the company aims to improve sustainable fuel regulation for international road haulage. The solution to these issues lies in the creation of a unique and patented tool that links high-tech products with a customer web application, capable of meeting the considerable economic needs of this business sector as well as the environmental challenges faced by this particular mode of transport.

Sonora Labs: another green winner

Represented by Julien Tournier, Sonora Labs is a startup from Aix-en-Provence offering innovative and eco-designed IT hosting solutions. Using a network of energy-efficient data centres, Sonora Labs is developing a new way of thinking about software eco-design through a hybrid technology making use of peer-to-peer systems. The processes involves creating lighter sites, enabling users to significantly lessen the economic and environmental impact of their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems. With 10% of global energy use due to internet activity, Sonora Labs aims to make data centres as green as possible. For example, the company uses a data centre in Grenoble that recycles energy to heat water in a boiler. The future’s bright - the future’s green!

Kalyzée and Twiins not leaving empty-h anded

With the aim of supporting young companies, the jury decided to give a thumbs-up to two companies: Kalyzée and Twiins. These two startups specialise in live video recording and business telephone services respectively. Kalyzée is looking towards a booming market for its intelligent camera system that films and broadcasts conferences live, representing a real opportunity for this young company founded by students at the university of Aix-Marseille. Twiins, meanwhile, is hoping to develop its business telephone service with a multifunction application.

With their solid project base and forward-looking approach, these young entrepreneurs are bound for an exciting future.

Back to the Newsletter N°18