Bercy-IMT Innovation Awards 2023 Winners
Each year, Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) organises the Bercy-IMT Innovation Awards in partnership with the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. The start-up contestants all come from Institut Mines-Télécom’s incubator network, France’s top academic network of DeepTech incubators. The competing companies are selected for their impact in relation to ecological, digital and industrial transition.
Economic and social development
For the 2023 awards, Institut Mines-Télécom sought to highlight the crucial role innovative startups play in the economic and social development of their regions. Thanks to award’s sponsor, Caisse des Dépôts, two new categories were introduced to recognise projects that contribute significantly to the development of local territories and the ecological and solidarity transition.
The 2023 winners
The Innovation Grand Prize – in partnership with Carnot Télécom Société et Numérique
This prestigious prize is awarded to the start-up that has demonstrated the highest level of technological innovation and the ability to positively transform its industry. The winning start-up receives a financial award of €15,000.
This prize went to DeepHawk, incubated at IMT Atlantique. DeepHawk develops frugal AI for visual quality control for industry. DeepHawk requires less data (only 30 to 50 images) to train the model and reduces the rate of false positives. Learning is done using compliant products, without any need to pre-learn all the possible defects for a part.
The Ecological and Solidarity Transition Award – in partnership with Caisse des Dépôts Group
This distinction is awarded to a start-up that has made a significant contribution towards protecting the environment, reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability. The winner receives a financial award of €7,500.
The prize was awarded to üMotion, incubated at Télécom Paris. The team is working to create a utility vehicle for urban and suburban last-mile logistics with an innovative propulsion system. Today, most utility vehicles run on diesel. The Vike is a “zero-emission” vehicle with low power consumption at half the price of an equivalent electric vehicle.
The Local Territory Impact Award – in partnership with Caisse des Dépôts
This award recognises a start-up whose activities have had a positive impact on local communities, thus contributing to the economic and social development of local territories. The winner receives a financial award of €7,500.
Carbon Blue Developpement incubated by IMT Starter (Télécom SudParis, Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, ENSIIE) won this award. Carbon Blue has innovated by creating the new trade of plastic cabinetmaking by using plastic waste for a craft industry carried out at local micro-factories that reuse 30 tonnes of waste per year.
“Institut Mines-Télécom plays a key role in research, innovation and education in the fields of frugal digital technology and responsible industry. With our network of DeepTech incubators supported by our schools’ laboratories, we actively contribute to the creating innovative start-ups that help shape the future of our society. This award reinforces our commitment to create start-ups with the potential to become industrial leaders in the country. We would like to thank our partners for their support in our pursuit of innovation and economic development: the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Carnot Télécom Société & Numérique, as well as the Caisse des Dépôts Group, which joined us in hosting the 2023 awards.”
Françoise Prêteux, Director of Research and Economic Development at Institut Mines-Télécom
