Advertisement

Eight French startups that may change your life

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
Eight French startups that may change your life
Photo: Immersit

Could these eight French startups, chosen by the government to represent France, be the next big thing? The Local takes a closer look at their tech products. Would you invest?

Advertisement

The French government has selected the startups that it thinks has the greatest chance of succeeding on a global scale.

The 22 blossoming companies have been chosen to represent the best of French tech at the world's biggest consumer technology trade show in Las Vegas in January.

Business France and French Tech, organisations that come under the government's wing, are taking advantage of the buzz around French startups to make sure the country's best and brightest new companies are represented in Vegas.

With some 22 firms taking their new ideas and gadgets to show off at January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the official French Tech contingent will be four times bigger than it was last year.

The chosen ones were selected by a jury out of a total of 130 candidates, that compares with 50 startups that applied for a ticket to Las Vegas for last year's CES show.


(The D-Vine wine machine that could change the way you drink plonk. Photo: 10-Vins)

One of the chosen 22 was 10-Vins, which specialises in "Wine by the glass". The company has created a machine named D-Vine that claims to serve a glass of wine to the perfect temperature (for more info see video below).

Thibaut Jarrousse, who co-founded 10-Vins, told The Local the trade show will give them the chance to test the American market.

"From a business perspective, going to Las Vegas will help because we'll get some feedback from the US market.

"When we are talking about wine by the glass, there's no better place to test the market than the US."

Jarrousse says being chosen by Business France also looks good for their investors and the 30 or so French winemakers who are stakeholders for the company.

"It's great because only 22 out of 130 were selected. It was important for us to be among the 22," Jarrousse said.

"It's a sign to investors that we are going to test the international scene."

Thibaut says when it comes to startups, the "Made in France" brand is a strong selling point, especially in the wine and luxury industries.

10-Vins and the other 21 chosen startups were selected on the gadgets they have come up with, which is traditionally the way to woo visitors to the CES trade show.

There will of course be other French startups on show at the fair, but they won't be given the exposure of the 22 chosen
by Business France to line up on the French Tech Pavillion.

They will also be given guidance and coaching before the show to perfect their pitch to investors and the media.

The only snag is that they'll have to pay their way there, but those air fares could be long forgotten if their products impress global investors.

Here at The Local we've focused on eight of the 22 startups and profiled their products, which might just be the next big thing.

10-Vins

With their new Nespresso-like machine called "D-Vine", French startup 10-Vins is promising to serve up the perfect glass of fine wine. The D-Vine machine can claim to be a Hi-Tech sommelier that can serve up the perfect Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc in less than a minute.

Each vial of wine contains an electronic chip which transmits information to the machine that will create the correct temperature for the wine to be served as well as sending a quick description of the wine to your smartphone. 

Drust

There’ll be plenty of foreigners who will be hoping Drust can take off in France, because it promises to make you a better driver. Perhaps you already consider yourself to be as good as Lewis Hamilton, but for those of us less confident of our driving skills, Drust can supposedly help.

This car gadget analyses your driving by alerting you to things like unnecessary sudden braking, over accelerating and erratic steering and of course CO2 emissions. Let’s hope it becomes compulsory in France.

Bluemint Labs

The startup Bluemint Labs plans to make the touchscreen a thing of the past with the device named Bixi, your new touch free companion. It allows you to interact with a number of electronic devices: smartphones, tablets or cameras. It basically allows you to put your finger or thumb to rest and instead just wave or gesture your hand sideways when you need to turn a page on your Kindle fire.

Immersit

Immersit allows film, TV or game lovers to sit back, relax and enjoy the full 4D experience at home on their sofa. The French startup has come up with a plug-and-play device that sits directly underneath any ordinary sofa and literally brings what you are watching to life, so you can physically feel what is happening in the film. It will vibrate and move in line with whatever is happening on the screen and promises to transform your living room into the ultimate movie experience. 

L-see

Are those celebrity diets finally taking their toll? If you’ve always struggled with your weight then French firm L-See might have the answer for you. This smartphone app allows you to monitor all of your physical activities, and works out loss of fat and muscle mass, not forgetting your dietary habits and metabolism levels.

Prizm

Prizm is marketing its pyramid shaped "smart player" as the brains behind your choice of music, given its ability to choose a genre of music that best suits the room’s ambiance. For example, you come home tired and all you want to listen to is Frank Sinatra over a glass of wine without having to think about it.

Prizm says it can make that a reality by telling your stereo what to play. It can identify how many people are in the room and adjust the choice of music to suit the atmosphere. It claims it can work out what kind of social event is taking place, whether it’s a few friends round for an aperitif or a romantic meal. It essentially offers to become your very own personal DJ.

Sensorwake

This gadget is clearly aimed at those who have a problem getting up in the morning (which would be most French people given how late the majority of them start work). Instead of waking up to the annoying beeping of your alarm, your day could start with the sweet smell of fresh croissants or even coffee.

Bluefrog robotics

France’s Bluefrog Robotics has created what could soon become the indispensable robot, Buddy. This “friendly” companion can use its facial recognition technology to give personal messages. Also, Buddy can apparently take care of your home when you and your family set off on holiday, because it can communicate with you through its multi-media functions. Although it might be too small to tackle burglars.

 
 
 
by Adam Stefan Jones/Ben McPartland
  1.  

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also