News Blue Ocean Awards winners since 2014
Find here all the latest news of the Blue Ocean Awards winners since 2014 (Alumni) - that we detected 3-4 years before they became unavoidable or even unicorns, i.e. almost inaccessible to investors
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Marlene Schiappa signs a contract worth nearly €4 million for Toopi Organics[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2019], January 26, 2023
"Secretary of State Marlène Schiappa visited the Toopi Organics company in Loupiac-de-La-Réole (Gironde) and Cap Solidaire in Langon on Thursday, January 26, 2023. "
Gironde: Start-up Toopi Organics markets the first human urine-based fertilizer[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2019], October 24, 2022
"The start-up based in Loupiac-de-la-Réole (Gironde), Toopi Organics, announced this Monday the marketing in France and Europe of Lactopi StartTM, "the world's first urino-sourced biostimulant for agriculture. By "urino-sourced", understand a product made from human urine. "
Space Constellation: startup Unseenlabs inexorably increases its firepower[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2021], May 3, 2022
"Unseenlabs is on the firing line of dizzying growth. The Galic brothers (Clement, Jonathan and Benjamin) are "unloading" aboard Unseenlabs, the Rennes-based startup they founded in 2015. After launching two radio frequency signal detection satellites BRO-5 (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter-5) last January and then BRO-7 in early April aboard two Falcon 9 launchers (SpaceX), Unseenlabs now has a seventh satellite put into orbit on Monday night by Electron from Rocket Lab (BRO-6). Launched a month apart, these two satellites will increase the firepower of Unseenlabs' satellite constellation dedicated so far to the maritime market. As of 2019, the French startup, which claims to be the European leader in radio frequency (RF) signal detection from space, is expanding the largest constellation of its kind. "
SUN Mobility and Terra Motors collaborate to accelerate EV Adoption in India[Michelin Mobility International - Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2021], April 22, 2022
"Terra Motors, a Japanese electric vehicle manufacturer with the vision of creating a new industry and sustainable society, has entered into a strategic partnership with Sun Mobility, the leading provider of battery swapping services for electric vehicles (EVs). Together, the two companies plan to integrate Terra Motors' 3W passenger vehicles and 2W platforms with SUN Mobility's swappable battery-based energy solution. "
Tutoring: startup Meet in Class opens its first branch in Paris[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2018], February 5, 2022
"Tutoring: Meet in Class start-up opens its first agency in ParisThe start-up specializing in tutoring, from primary to high school, has just opened its first agency on rue Charcot in Paris, to welcome students and teachers. "
Editis takes a stake in Meet in Class[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2018], September 3, 2021
"Thanks to this tie-up with the Editis group, Meet in Class will offer its support courses from CP to Terminale in 29 French departments from the start of the 2021 school year. Since its creation in 2017, the social start-up has grown rapidly by meeting the expectations of families from all social backgrounds. Editis is a leader in the education sector with Maisons Bordas, CLE International, Daesign, Le Robert, Éditions MDI, Nathan, Retz, Syros. "
'Wave Bumper': removable dikes to fight rising waters, from Biarritz to New York[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2019], May 31, 2021
"Demain l'éco. Created in 2017 in Bayonne, this start-up develops anti-submarine shields related to storms and cyclones. It is developing with the European Space Agency an application to predict the modification of the coastline. Called upon all over the world, its expertise has even convinced the American army. "
Virtuo finalizes €80 million fundraising round[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2018], May 20, 2021
"Virtuo has just raised 80 million euros in two stages, a 50 million euro round of financing led by Axa Venture Partners and a 30 million euro bank financing. This will ensure its expansion in Europe and the intensive electrification of its fleet.
La Banque Postale buys microDON[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2014], July 16, 2020
"Our subsidiary KissKissBankBank & Co, a specialist in participatory financing, has acquired the start-up microDON. Approved as a social utility company, microDON has been popularizing "on-board" generosity for more than 10 years in France, notably with L'ARRONDI solidaire, which allows everyone to support associations of general interest on a daily basis. "
Toopi Organics raises over €1 million to transform human urine into organic fertilizer[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2019], April 14, 2020
"The Gironde startup Toopi Organics, which transforms human urine into a highly effective organic agricultural fertilizer, has just raised more than a million euros in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic. By the end of the year, it will have built its first human urine enrichment unit in the South Gironde region. A low-tech, low-cost process for a product whose high efficacy has been measured. »
Okahina wants to ride her artificial wave at Futuroscope[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2016], April 2, 2019
"Futuroscope's next surf spot? The Vienne department has just signed a letter of intent with the company Waveriding Solution which has developed a very innovative concept of artificial wave called Okahina Wave. »
Predictice raises EUR 5 million [Blue Ocean Award Baby 2017], 26 November 2019
"Legaltech Predictice raises EUR 5 million to ensure the development of its predictive justice solution. »
Nickel Account: 1.2 million customers, and many more to come![Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2015], May 9, 2019
"The BNP Paribas Group reveals some figures on its Nickel service: 1.2 million customers and 4,800 partner tobacconists are creating an ecosystem that is conducive to the development of this alternative current account. »
Agorize raises $13 million to boost Open Innovation internationally[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2016 / Baby 2014], 1 April 2019
"The start-up is developing a platform on which online innovation challenges are organized. It is raising €13 million to gain international market share. »
Crowdfunding: how Glowee raised over €1.3 million[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2015], September 3, 2019
"Sandra Rey, founder of Glowee, an ecological light source based on bioluminescence, gives her tips for a successful crowdfunding campaign. She has already carried out two campaigns and is leading a third in the form of equity. »
Virtuo raises €20 million to shake up car rental[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2018], February 12, 2019
"Present in France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, this new-generation car rental company plans to develop its offer in new markets in Spain and Germany. Its credo: an autonomous rental process based on a mobile application. »
Finalcad raises $40 million to accelerate digital transformation in the construction industry[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2019 / Baby 2015], 13 December 2018
"The French company Finalcad, which specialises in the digital transformation of the construction sector, has completed a $40 million financing round. In addition to the historical investors, Serena Capital, Aster Capital and CapHorn Invest, Draper Esprit, Cathay Innovation and Salesforce Ventures, the investment vehicle of the world leader in CRM, also participated in the transaction. The transaction comes two years after a $20 million fund raising. »
BOLD, L'Oréal's new investment fund bets on Sillages Paris[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2018], 6 December 2018
"Sillages Paris, the French start-up that aims to transform the world of perfume with its online personalized creation service, is to receive the first investment from BOLD, L'Oréal's private equity fund designed to take minority stakes in innovative start-ups with high growth potential."
Advitam raises €1.8 million to simplify funeral arrangements[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2016], 15 October 2018
"French start-up Advitam, which is developing an online funeral service, has completed a €1.8 million financing round. For this operation, the company, which in 2017 joined the Ile-de-France-based accelerator Wilco for three years, surrounded itself with Newfund, the investment fund of François Véron and Patrick Malka endowed with 200 million euros, Bpifrance and business angels. »
Two years after its takeover, Nokia sold Withings to its founder[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2014], May 31, 2018
"It's now official, Nokia Health becomes Withings again! A long way from its dazzling form of a few years ago, the former three-coloured flagship of connected objects, transformed into the health division of Nokia, which designs health and well-being products, is going back to square one. Indeed, the Finnish group has made official the sale of Nokia Health to Eric Carreel, who is none other than one of the founders of Withings. The amount of the transaction has not been disclosed, but would not exceed 30 million euros, a far cry from the 170 million euros put on the table by Nokia in 2016 to buy Withings, a pioneering company in connected health co-founded in 2008 with Cédric Hutchings".
IA: Startup QuantCube raises $5 million from Moody's and Five Capital[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2016] , May 30, 2018
"The Paris-based startup, which has designed macroeconomic and financial forecasting algorithms, is completing its first round of funding. Its ambition is to become "a global leader in big data analysis for the financial sector."
Startups: French cloud specialist Scality raises $60 million[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2015], April 20, 2018
"This brings to $152 million the amount raised by this French nugget of cloud hosting since its creation in 2009. A future unicorn?"
Mobibam, 1 million euros to create custom-made furniture[Finalist Blue Ocean Awards 2017], April 6, 2018
"The French start-up Mobibam, which specialises in the design of made-to-measure furniture, has completed a €1 million financing round. The company benefited from the contribution of business angels and subsidies for this operation. The investors were not disclosed. »
Predictice won the WILCO 2018 Digital Grand Prix[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2017], April 3, 2018
"Louis Larret-Chahine, co-founder of Predictice, has won the WILCO Prize. Digital. Predictice calculates, in one click, the probabilities of resolving a dispute according to the most influential elements in previous decisions rendered. Louis was supported by Philippe EYMERIE, Bouygues Telecom, and was awarded the trophy by Myriam Beque, BNP PARIBAS".
Monbanquet.fr raises 2.5 million euros[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2017], March 15, 2018
"The French start-up Monbanquet.fr, which specialises in the delivery of buffets designed by craftsmen, has completed a €2.5 million financing round led by ISAI. By June 2016, ISAI's Seed Club, comprising Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet and Olivier Mathiot (PriceMinister), Éric La Bonnardière and Yvan Wibaux (Evaneos), and Thibault Viort (CityVox), had already injected €500,000 into the company. »
MIP robotics raises 500,000 euros for its collaborative robot[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2017], January 24, 2018
"Located in the Paris region, MIP robotics announced that it has completed a new fund raising of 500,000 euros to industrialize the production of its industrial robots and develop new functionalities, the French start-up said in a press release. MIP robotics has developed a (patented) technology that makes it possible to "offer a collaborative robot with a wide range of applications that can be programmed very easily by non-specialists. »
Mérieux NutriSciences acquires majority stake in traQ'food[Blue Ocean Award Baby 2016], January 10, 2018
Mérieux NutriSciences announces today the acquisition of a majority shareholding in traQ'food, a French start-up commercializing a digital application for restaurants and food service to manage their hygiene and sanitary control plan. traQ'food strategically complements Mérieux NutriSciences' already existing Digital Solutions portfolio.
BNP Paribas gets its hands on Compte-Nickel[Blue Ocean Award Mentor 2015], April 4, 2017
"It's a bit like the wedding of the year being prepared in France in the world of fintech. BNP Paribas and Compte-Nickel - the solution that allows you to open a current account in a tobacconist's shop - announced this Tuesday morning that they have signed an agreement for the purchase by Banque de la rue d'Antin of 95% of Financière des Paiements Electroniques, the company that carries Compte-Nickel. »
Nokia acquires Frenchman Withings[Blue Award Mentor 2014], April 26, 2016
"The Finn, a former mobile phone star, is going to get his hands on the French connected health specialist for 170 million euros. Will Nokia get back in shape thanks to Withings? The Finnish manufacturer announced Tuesday its intention to buy the French specialist in connected objects. Withings is going to integrate the Nokia Technologies division, Cédric Hutchings, CEO of Withings, will take over the head of the Finnish company's health division. »
What an achievement, nine months after the purchase of Leetchi[Blue Award Mentor 2014] by Crédit Mutuel-Arkéa, June 24, 2016
"In September 2015, the French online jackpot start-up Leetchi was acquired by Crédit-Mutuel Arkéa [...] The first nine months confirm the potential for synergies between Leetchi (via mangopay in particular) and Monext (distributor of the Payline solution). By combining the strengths of these two subsidiaries, we were able to win bids that were difficult for each player to win on its own. In addition, and this is fundamental, this entrepreneurial mindset, which is what makes Leetchi so valuable, has been maintained. »
Agorize[Blue Award Baby 2014] has been a very quick success, March 23, 2015
"Agorize became profitable in less than a year and enjoyed very rapid success, as evidenced by a €2 million fund-raising campaign at the end of 2014 and contracts signed with leading companies such as Michelin, Google UK and Crédit Agricole. The company now has around twenty employees and has built up a worldwide network of several thousand innovators (students, startups, developers, etc.) to which it connects its prestigious clients. »
Boco[Blue Award Baby 2014] launches its franchise internationally, October 8, 2015
"While the double-starred restaurateur Olivier Bellin and the pastry chef Philippe Urraca recently joined the "Bande à Boco" by signing 4 original recipes in sweet and savoury, the concept of chefs' cooking in jars created 5 years ago by the Ferniot brothers intends to give a new impetus to its development. After having inaugurated a sixth Parisian address, Boco has now moved to Brussels on Avenue Louise. "This first unit abroad could not be done without adapting the Boco recipes by calling on local chefs", Vincent Ferniot explains. »
Boco[Blue Award Baby 2014] is launching in Switzerland after Belgium, April 30, 2016
"Boulevard Georges-Favon. Number 10. In the arcade where the late Mamounia used to nestle, a new and intriguing sign was born yesterday. Her name is Boco. This is the Swiss franchise of a chain of concept restaurants that already has six addresses in France and Belgium. »
Sen.se[Blue Awards Baby 2014] presents Mother for Seniors at the CES in Las Vegas, January 5, 2016
"The French start-up Sen.se présente au CES a variation of its Mother system dedicated to the elderly, and will sell its sensors individually. 2016, the year of the real democratization of connected objects! The French start-up Sen.se, founded by Rafi Haladjian, a pioneer in the sector, believes in this and puts its money where its mouth is. It is presenting at CES a miniaturized and independent version of its Motion Cookies sensors, key elements of its Mother solution, presented two years ago in Las Vegas. »
MicroDon's Rounding[Blue Award Baby 2014] offered to Adidas customers, November 1, 2015
"At the beginning of November, customers of Adidas stores will have the opportunity to round up the amount to the next euro by paying by credit card and thus make a micro-donation to support the brand's solidarity approach alongside the Siel Bleu Foundation and the Unis Vers le Sport association. »
MicroDon[Blue Award Baby 2014] invited on France 2 by Frédéric Lopez, January 6, 2016
"On Wednesday, January 6th, we had the pleasure of being invited in Frédéric Lopez's new show: Folie passagère on France 2! Pierre-Emmanuel Grange, President and co-founder of microDON had the pleasure to participate to tell our beautiful adventure! »
Sage supports MicroDon's Payroll Round-Up [Blue Award Baby 2014], June 28, 2016
"Sage enables companies to offer their employees the option of making a payroll donation through Sage Payroll i7. [...] The donation on salary launched in 2011 by MicroDon is growing rapidly in France. Many French companies have already adopted it to unite their employees around a common solidarity action. The principle is simple: each month, the employees of a company have the possibility to donate from their net to pay a round-up or a fixed amount to one or more solidarity associations selected with the agreement of their employer. »
Unilend[Blue Award Baby 2014 & Mentor 2015]: the largest co-financing in France, 20 November 2015
"This is a record in France: 1,323 members of the Unilend platform, the French leader in loans to SMEs and VSEs, have responded to the call from the Var contemporary art gallery "Galerie des Lices" to co-finance a global project of one million euros with a view to its development abroad. »
Participatory financing: how Unilend[Blue Award Baby 2014 & Mentor 2015] became a leader, January 26, 2016
In its two years of existence, the platform for participatory financing of loans to businesses has enabled more than 200 projects to be financed for a total of 16 million euros.
Scality[Blue Award Mentor 2015]: The American giant HP invests 10 million dollars, January 12, 2016
"The group is investing $10 million and taking a largely minority stake in the cloud specialist, while strengthening the partnership set up in 2014. It has invested $10 million in the company, in addition to the last round of financing, and makes this French cloud specialist its preferred supplier for large-capacity storage: Scality works with customers with heavy cloud needs, ensuring continuity of service, at all times, and a fully secure system. Scality's valuation is not disclosed, but the transaction would value it on the same basis as its fund raising last August. At that time, Scality had raised $45 million and its price had doubled compared to its previous fund raising two years earlier. »
Nickel Account[Blue Award Mentor 2015]: 300,000 accounts opened in 27 months, May 25, 2016
"A new tobacconist equipped every 2 hours A new Nickel Account opened every minute. The 300,000th customer has just opened his Nickel Account, 27 months after the opening of the service on February 11, 2014. The opening rate is currently 20,000 accounts per month, a 110% increase compared to the same period in 2015. »
B.Sensory[Blue Award Baby 2015] wins the CES Innovation Award in Las Vegas, January 1, 2016
"Christel Le Coq is not yet very well known in France but she is a real celebrity in the United States and that's not surprising because her connected sextoy won the CES Innovation Award in the category of portable technologies, or wareables if you prefer. It should also be said that the Little Bird is unlike any other product of its kind and it should be a big hit with MILFs. »
E.Sensory[Blue Award Baby 2015] raises 450,000 euros to democratise SexTech with its Little Bird, 19 May 2016
"After several months of waiting and a CES Innovation Award, the product promised by the startup E.sensory will finally be released next June thanks to a €450,000 fund-raising campaign with Nestadio and private investors. »
Glowee[Blue Award Baby 2015] raises almost 700,000 euros on the crowdfunding Wiseed website, 10 June 2016
"The idea - brilliant! - Glowee's idea of producing light without electricity has just been a big hit at the Wiseed participatory financing platform, where the seedling has raised almost 700,000 euros in two weeks. »
Finalcad[Blue Award Baby 2015] is acclaimed for its 2nd fundraising campaign, 10 June 2016
"Aurélien Blaha, Marketing Director at Finalcad, meets us with a smile on his face at the Bpifrance Inno Génération. The concept of the startup is attracting investors and he seems very confident for its upcoming fundraising. Aurélien Blaha is not at his first attempt. His startup designs applications that improve productivity in the construction industry. And it has already raised funds. That was in June 2014, and it was for 2.1 million euros. »
Fretbay[Blue Award Baby 2015]: Ford's nice boost to a French Internet start-up, February 26, 2016
"The automotive giant integrates an application from the French company FretBay into its on-board multimedia system, managing delivery from person to person via the Internet. The next Ford models will be equipped with it. »
© BLUE OCEAN AWARDS- 2014
