4 X-Novation start-ups at La Fabrique Défense 2022
Second edition of La Fabrique Défense
A unique and innovative concept, La Fabrique Défense was held from 28 to 30 January 2022 for its second edition. It is the only event at a European level that addresses the youth. More ambitious than ever, the exhibition brought together 250 French and European organizations such as the Ministry of the Armed Forces, companies, associations, universities, and think tanks.
In addition to introducing young people to the different defense professions and careers, La Fabrique Défense aims to consolidate the link between the Armed Forces and the Nation and to develop a common European strategic culture.
The exhibition was organized in 14 thematic areas:
- Aeromaritime
- Aerospace
- Airborne
- Cyber
- Nuclear deterrence
- Energy, climate and environment
- Europe
- Innovation
- Youth careers
- Research and training
- Historical reconstruction
- Intelligence
- Resilience
- Support
The participants were able to take part in round-table discussions and testimonies to understand the major issues of defense and to debate on themes such as innovation, the fight against terrorism, armed forces' capabilities, geopolitical threats, the Europe of defense, etc.
60 seconds video: La Fabrique Défense
What is Defense Tech?
Defense Tech refers to start-ups that offer products or services related to the defense sector. Defense covers many fields: cybersecurity, intelligence, energy, air, space, maritime, etc. The challenges and opportunities in each area are vast for startups diving into Defense Tech.
Gaining domestic competitive advantages: this is the lifeblood of the global age. A country's technological supremacy fuels the great power race for space, air, sea, land and cyber. French and European start-ups have a role to play in this quest.
If China, the United States or Russia are ahead of Europe, this does not prevent us from having a role to play and to promote our Defense Tech players. For several years now, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces has had its own defense investment fund: Definvest. It secures the capital of companies of strategic interest for the defense sector, supports their development and consolidates the players in the sector.
In conclusion, Defense Tech is one of the most important technological sectors to be developed today, in order to cultivate our soft power and obtain new competitive advantages against new powers.
X-Novation start-ups present at La Fabrique Défense
Amphitrite
Amphitrite is a start-up that produces innovative and accurate ocean data, necessary to make good decisions at sea. It was co-founded by Alexandre Stegner, Evangelos Moschos and Briac Le Vu. They all have extensive oceanographic and meteorological expertise. Their objective is to maintain the French technological expertise in the field of artificial intelligence applied to the maritime and oceanic environment.
Amphitrite fuses multiple satellite and in-situ data thanks to artificial intelligence, to provide reliable information adapted to the needs of maritime actors. If the applications of this technology are multiple (environment, trade, underwater acoustics), it is particularly useful for the needs of maritime defense.
For example, their AMEDA algorithm is used to detect, characterize and track the trajectories of oceanic eddies.
Hiperssys
Hiperssys is a start-up that develops nanomaterials for advanced electronics, created by Mariam Ezzedine and Fatme Jardali. It proposes a disruptive technology in the energy storage sector, thanks to the design of silicon-lithium-sulfur and lithium-sulfur batteries composed of hybrid nano-structured cathodes.
These new batteries have a lighter weight, higher energy density (5 times higher than current lithium-ion batteries), higher performance and lower costs. The materials used for their manufacture are abundant and environmentally friendly. The next step for Hiperssys: creating batteries for computers and cell phones! A highly strategic disruptive technology for the future of defense.
NavAlgo
NavAlgo is a deeptech start-up based on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and graph theory to meet the challenges of flow optimization, particularly for logistics and transportation. It was founded by Zuzanna Stamirowska.
NavAlgo provides a powerful, automated analytics engine that works with both big and small amounts of data. Users can extract valuable data on moving objects to address digital and sustainable transition challenges.
Highly versatile, NavAlgo's solution fits many industries that want to process and leverage their unstructured data for better resource management.
Flyinstinct
Flyinstinct is a startup that offers an innovative solution to transform the airport industry and enhance safety on airport runways. It was founded in 2017 by Arthur Ni. Its solution: a camera system with advanced artificial intelligence that detects the presence of FOD (Foreign Object Debris) on the runway. The inspector can then remove it and enhance the safety of planes and travelers. Indeed, FOD is capable of causing serious damage or even crashes, and generates very high financial losses.
The FODlocator solution is compatible with current regulations and inspection processes. It works as an intelligent mobile assistant to accompany the inspector. The inspection data is then stored in a secure cloud.