ENSTARTUPS Business Incubator
Incubator-dedicated premises right on ENSTA Bretagne’s campus in Brest. The aim is twofold:
- welcome project leaders. The latter are able to seize the many opportunities open to them for developing their business plans under the very best conditions.
- inspire an entrepreneurial spirit in students and train them in entrepreneurship. This encompasses the discovery stages and taking their plans further.
- welcome project leaders. The latter are able to seize the many opportunities open to them for developing their business plans under the very best conditions.
- inspire an entrepreneurial spirit in students and train them in entrepreneurship. This encompasses the discovery stages and taking their plans further.
ENSTARTUPS’ strong points
Free access to the facilities
- Several offices and a meeting room are reserved for the incubator.
- Each office is fully equipped with IT equipment, a landline, a whiteboard, etc.
- A mailbox is also included in the services provided.
- Joining the incubator also includes access to the sports facilities on campus: weight room, soccer/rugby field, gym, sports hall…
Prototyping and testing facilities
All technical projects include a prototyping and testing phase. ENSTA Bretagne helps with designing and building prototypes on campus. To do so, it relies on the equipment available on campus and on the support of the mechanical, electronics and IT technical staff.
Numerous processes can be carried out such as 3D printing, machining and circuit board manufacturing.
In addition, the mechanics and ICST (Information and Communication Science and Technology) research centers located on campus provide a wide range of testing equipment.
Partnerships
- Technopôle Brest Iroise / French Tech Brest + : With this partnership, project owners have access to both advice suited to their needs and to conferences. It is also an open door to a large address book.
- Le Village by CA: As part of this partnership, project owners benefit from contacts with partners and startups in their network, and when the project is mature, they are supported in speeding up their company through the expertise of Village by CA.
Students projects to support budding businesses
Startups must often choose between various options, not only for the technical aspects of their products or services, but also in areas such as marketing or communication.
To help with their decision-making, they can challenge ENSTA Bretagne students with projects on which the students can work in teams, as part of their training.
In addition to the technical issues, ENSTA Bretagne students can also work on other aspects such as market analysis, target definition, pricing policy and funding options through the Engineering and Business Science major.
ENSTA Bretagne's business incubator is open to all business start-up projects subject to approval by ENSTA Bretagne's management team. To access the incubator, entrepreneurs must submit an application which is examined by a panel of judges.
Summary of the startups In incubation
[ARKHEES studio - BIOLITH] - Biomatériaux
Projet de recherche et développement d'un biomatériaux pour le renforcement des traits de côte du littoral.
[Cargomorphose] Reuse of old ships in building and public works
As an enthusiast of big ships, a building and public works architect wants to develop a sector involving taking parts and structures from ships at the end of their service life and re-using them in building and public works. In an low-carbon ecological context, this represents a new life for ships and a new process in designing buildings and cities of the future.
[GWEMON] - Le matériau aggloméré en algues bretonnes
Jeune entreprise, Gwemon, fabrique des objets décoratifs, de design à partir d'un matériau innovant et éco-responsable : un aggloméré d'algues, sans colle et utilisant un procédé low-tech.
[NAM Bike (NAtural Material)] Eco-designed bicycle
An ENSTA Bretagne doctor of engineering and an ENSAM Paris professor are pursuing the idea of an eco-designed bicycle made of biobased materials, including mechanical design to reduce weight as much as possible.
[OX-EYE] Naval architecture eco-design office
It is a naval architecture eco-design office aimed at designing ships out of new materials >> More info
[Sail on Bamboo] - Fabrication d'un bateau en contreplaqué de bamboo
Passionnés de voile et sensibles aux enjeux écologiques actuels, 2 anciens étudiants de l'ENSTA Bretagne, se lancent dans la construction du premier voilier habitable constitué de contreplaqué de Bambou.
[SEEDERAL technologies] Electric tractor
An initiative by a young engineer from Centrale Paris who is designing and developing an electric tractor which, beyond the environmental aspect, reduces the total cost of ownership for farmers by 30%.
Summary of the startups that have passed through ENSTARTUPS
[ARKANE] Sensors and AI
ARKANE led by two doctors of engineering is developing a project that combines a wireless sensor network and artificial intelligence that will manage communication between the two sensors
[EHM] moteur à hydrogène
Le projet porte sur la conception, le développement et l'industrialisation d’un moteur à hydrogène à combustion interne à haut rendement pour la mobilité lourde (bus, camion).
[FIL&FAB] using worn fishing nets
FIL&FAB emerged in 2020. Three young design graduates had the brilliant idea of using worn fishing nets as a new raw material, called Nylo®. These granules have clearly identified properties and are upcycled as new objects: spectacle frames, lamp bases, watch straps … several leading brands are already partners.
[GWILEN] Transformation of marine sediments
GWILEN aims to transform marine sediments into raw material for making architectural, interior design or decorative items. Yann and his friends are architects, civil engineers and founders of Gwilen. They had the idea of utilizing these sediments, which are extracted during harbor or estuary dredging operations or maritime works. This new, 100% mineral innovative material, which does not require added cement, resin or firing, is then tinted and molded, giving rise to a whole range of objects. “Millions of tons of sediment are discharged in the sea every year. In France, the figure is between 40 and 50 million cubic meters, which you could compare to the volume of a Tour Montparnasse skyscraper being discharged every three days.” www.gwilen.com
[IANIRA] Marine marker
IANIRA is being led by two retired French navy clearance divers and two ENSTA Bretagne engineers.
Together, they have created the ACTIUM system which was patented in 2020: an innovative marine marker for the extended marking and geo-location of an object or location on the seabed.
The marker activates and rises to the surface at the time set by the divers – whether amateurs or professionals – who then know where to resume their underwater mission or exploration. The Bluetooth-programmable electronic system, optical control and inductive battery charging make it an unprecedented and highly effective solution, which has been tested and validated in test tanks and at sea. More info
[INOBO] Transparent, scalable kiteboards
INOBO designs transparent, scalable kiteboards. This start-up, imagined and developed by Antonin Raffarin and Thomas Glawnoski, both graduates from ENSTA Bretagne, has taken off.
[ORPHIE] Improving the underwater vision of cameras
Improving the underwater vision of cameras. Two engineers specializing in optics have come up with a system for the automated processing of images from underwater robots to provide them with greater clarity.
[SKELENN] Plâtre en impression 3D
Trois chirurgiens du CHRU de Brest et un enseignant de l’ENSTA Bretagne ont l’idée d’inventer un nouveau type de plâtre fabriqué par impression 3D
[SKRAVIK] expéditions marine
SKRAVIK (sterne en breton) est portée par deux naturalistes, organisateurs de plusieurs expéditions d’observation en mer, désireux d’apporter une solution environnementale nouvelle aux expéditions marine (en incubation)
[TRASH SURFBOARDS] Surfboards made from recycled cardboard
Surfboards made from recycled cardboard
[UMOJA] 100% plant-based shoes
100% plant-based shoes made from African fabrics.
The two partners in this venture are harnessing traditional African know-how, helping these craftspeople – whose methods are environmentally-friendly – to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The project set the stage for the design of 100% plant-based sneakers.
[SPLASHELEC] Voile & Handicap
SPLASHELEC vise à rendre accessible la voile aux handicapés et à automatiser les foils.
Entrepreneurship: learning to build a business
At ENSTA Bretagne, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship training is delivered by Human and Social Sciences Department research professors through a variety of channels, including lectures by visiting professionals, role play, and participation in student competitions.
Mixing business with... study!
Support for entrepreneurs
Undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurs at ENSTA Bretagne are accompanied by an advisor who informs them of training opportunities and competitions, and offers guidance for their project.
When the time comes for them to make the transition from project to start-up, entrepreneurs can join ENSTA Bretagne's business incubator.
A status for student entrepreneurs
ENSTA Bretagne is a partner of Pépite Bretagne Loire, and upon request, eligible students can benefit from national étudiant entrepreneur (student entrepreneur) status.
This status entitles them to support for their project from a professor and an external advisor as well as to a wide range of once-weekly entrepreneurship classes (accounting, social media strategies, etc.), and also enables them to begin networking.
Thanks to this status, students have access to the tools required to move their project from the idea stage to business launch.
Training for PhD students
The CDEFI*-certified Business Skills program, open since September 2016 to ENSTA Bretagne PhD students, delivers 70 hours of theoretical Human and Social Science classes as well as a minimum of 30 hours of professional experience. Training is structured around 15 skills, including business operations, project management, innovation, English, etc. The validation of 8 of these skill sets earns participants a certificate (pending their dissertation defense).
*CDEFI: Conférences des Directeurs des Écoles Françaises d'Ingénieurs
Entrepreneurship competitions
Every year, ENSTA Bretagne offers students opportunities to voluntarily participate in competitions. One of these, the national Entrepreneuriales event, challenges groups of undergraduate and graduate students to create a real or fictitious company in 5 months.
The competition is based on the concept of learning through doing. Weekly evening conferences help aspiring entrepreneurs manage various project parameters such as market studies, financing, legal frameworks, pricing policy, distribution, etc.
Groups are accompanied by professionals who support them throughout the evolution of their project. The competition culminates in an evening event during which teams present their projects to a jury of experts. The 1st-prize winner from each region goes on to participate in the national finals.
ENSTA Bretagne students receive regular recognition at this event, winning the Grand Prix Bretagne in 2014 and 2016 and the Prix de l'Innovation Sociale in 2014, among others.
The Engineering and Business Science major: the right tools for building a business
Created in 2010 in response to the needs of businesses in the public and private sectors, the Engineering and Business Science major trains students to combine technical and managerial skills. Numerous visiting professional lecturers participate in courses on project and human resources management, business strategy, the innovation process, etc.
The program offers future entrepreneurs a wide array of practical techniques and methods and feedback from actual business owners, thanks to the participation of sector professionals (for example, the director of a crowd-funding platform and an innovation manager).