On Wednesday, March 25th, the 10th regional final of the CIC Start Innovation Awards was held. Organized by CIC Lyonnaise de Banque, this tenth edition brought together entrepreneurs, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders with a common goal: to showcase innovative gems from the southeastern region of France. For this edition, 20 innovative startups were selected out of 308 applications. Eight were chosen by a jury of executives from large companies and institutions in the area.
At the end of the presentations, the jury awarded the Marseille-based company Ventio (specializing in sensitive health data processing and biomedical imaging) with the “Disruptive Innovation” award.
A Vourles-based company was honored in the “Impact” category. Maltivor, an agri-food producer located south of Lyon, won the “Impact” award. This innovative company valorizes malt waste to produce sustainable substitutes that can partially replace wheat flour, ranging from 5% to 30% in flour blends.
Lastly, with over 350 public votes, the Aix-based company VB Tech clinched the “Growth” award for its digital twin technology designed for the brain to test therapeutic strategies before intervention.
In addition, this anniversary edition also highlighted the next generation with a dedicated competition for students: CIC Start Innovation Awards At School. The jury awarded Asma Benyahia and Kaïs Bourdache, incubated at Team at the Ecole des Mines in Saint-Étienne, for their research project “Defuse”: a portable device for better detecting, anticipating, and supporting stress states in autistic individuals and their caregivers.
