A look back at Start-me up 2024: a hugely successful 9th edition!

On July 1st and July 2nd, 2024, The Startup team, the Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship office (STTE), and the Department of Research Application and Industrial Relations (DARRI) organized the 9th edition of the Start-me up 2024. The goal was to inspire our Pasteurians and acquaint them with the dynamic realm of startups and the supportive system within the French/EU innovation ecosystem. Throughout the two days, we hosted expert talks and pitching sessions.

This year’s highlight was undoubtedly the pitching session, where young researchers showcased their groundbreaking ideas and scientific results, setting the stage for potential startup projects.

(Expert talk session on July 1st, 2024 at the CFJ Auditorium)

The journey began with 10 submitted projects, culminating in 9 exciting presentations. For these young scientists, it was their first attempt to explore the world of business and turn their scientific research into business.

To prepare for the pitch, a one-day workshop was held on either the 24th or 28th of June. The workshop was organized by JongEun IHM, the Startup Awareness manager, and supported by Sierra PARKER, the Startup Program manager. Five projects were defined and developed during these workshops. The remaining four projects were prepared through individual meetings and several iterations of pitching slides.

(Workshop on June 24 & 28, 2024 at the Education center)

These are the pitching ideas/projects:

1. Macabre (Kelvin Kho): Antibiotic discovery by using Machine Learning (ML) high content screening to prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

2. Protein Alchemy (Catherin Fan & Elena Lopéz Rodriguez): A service/platform for protein diversification using a patented in vivo genetic tool refactored from nature and enhanced with AI.

3. ProGeroScreen (Marin Biliskov): Screening platform for antiaging products by using a rapid aging model.

4. Connectome (Valbhav Sahu): A platform for studying brain connectivity as a biomarker for pre-clinical studies.

5. iMirror (Kama Atrekhany and Hiba Merjri): AI-powered smart mirror enhancing self-awareness and well-being through facial expression analysis.

6. DemSol (Oregeta Zejneli): Application on collecting data from high dementia risk people, through entertainment and exercise to improve their cognitive impairment.

7. PACATIS (Personalised Assistive Care and Therapeutics Intelligence System) (Alexa Buck & Rajeev Mylapalli) : Produit et service pour soutenir la communication entre les personnes atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs et leurs soignants.

8. AWDC (Andrey Aristov): Product and service to support communication between individuals with neurocognitive disorders and their caregivers.

9. AI.Nature (Mahdi Rajabizadeh): Risk map of environmental diseases for international travelers.

The pitching session culminated in the presentation of three awards: PACATIS (Gold), Macabre (Silver), and AI.Nature (Bronze).
Kama Atrekhany (iMirror) and Orgeta Zejneli (Demsol) presented their original idea, different from other projects that are the result of scientific research in a lab. The jury was very enthusiastic about these ideas and looked forward to their further development. If you're interested in these projects, please feel free to join the teams and build them together.

The participants’ testimonials are available here (please adjust video quality to 1080p when viewing)

If you have any ideas/projects to create a startup, please feel free to contact startup@pasteur.fr anytime.