The Made in 92 competition allows us to attract applications from young start-ups in the department and enable them to benefit from financial grants, open doors for them and make them known.
For this edition, The Phone, GusNgo et Sovage House, three Boulogne startups were distinguished during the semi-final, Thursday September 19, in the presence of Sandy Vétillart, deputy mayor in charge of Economic Affairs.
The Made in 92 competition includes 10 prizes awarded, distributed according to the following categories: the Health, sport or well-being prize, the Tech for 92 prize, the Social and Solidarity Creation prize, the Successful and Sustainable Growth prize, the Energy Transition prize, the Gastronomy, culture and tourism prize. And 4 special prices : the Made in 92 grand prize, the Public prize, the Internet user prize, the Coup de coeur prize for female entrepreneurship.
Each territory of the department organizes a territorial semi-final, distinguishing winning companies, which will participate in the grand departmental final in December.
That of the GPSO cities took place on Thursday September 19 in Issy-les-Moulineaux. That evening, 24 semi-finalists selected from nearly 140 applications competed. The jury rewarded six startups, including three from Boulogne, illustrating innovation and excellence in their fields. The City thus once again confirms its ability to stimulate entrepreneurial creativity and is therefore well represented by these future gems, which will defend its colors during the final, in December, covering the entire department.
Health, sport and well-being prize
The Phone, just a phone
The startup The Phone responds to a crucial issue: avoiding the overexposure of young people to screens. With its touchscreen phone as attractive as a classic smartphone, but without access to the internet and, therefore, to social networks, The Phone protects adolescents against the risks of addiction, cyberharassment and misinformation, at an affordable cost: 100 euros . In February 2023, the project was born thanks to a mother, Maïlys Cantzler – already known for her Lilote application – and her eldest son, Viktor Bach, who noticed the addiction of the youngest in the family, Tom, 12, to his cell phone. They have the idea of creating a phone that only offers call and SMS functions. During a discussion with friends, their son, Marius Colomb, immediately agreed with the idea and decided to join Viktor (who is passing his baccalaureate this year!) and his mother to make the project a reality. The three partners submit the company's statutes in June 2023. Marius explains: “Today, the negative impact of smartphones is scientifically proven. A 14-year-old spends an average of 4 hours and 13 minutes per day on their phone. Our primary target is young people in 6th grade. We are a company with a mission and ours , is to save all children from the dangers of over-consumption of screens.” With sales opening on the internet last May, the phone was delivered in September to nearly 3,000 people. “The objective is to bring our solution to all colleges in France. We want to go through parent-teacher associations as much as possible, to be able to come and talk about it during fairs, for example, underlines Marius. We have sold more than 40 phones in Boulogne-Billancourt. We are already thinking about expanding. We would like to hire at least six or seven permanent employees by the end of 2025.” They also have an international reach since the phone has already been sold in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium. “Since he has had the telephone, Tom, Maïlys' son, has been doing more sport, sleeping better and getting better grades. For the moment, the feedback from parents is very positive and the children realize that it is is a phone that feels good” concludes Marius, satisfied.
Laureate Prix Tech for 92
GusNGo, a revolutionary French armchair for people with reduced mobility
The genesis of the “Gus” armchair dates back to 2014. “Following an accident, my father-in-law, Pascal Malvezin, could no longer move around alone because of his shoulder pain, says Philippe Cardoso, co-founder of GusNGo. Manual or electric chair, none matched. All the furniture in the house had to be moved in order to move around. A house is never suitable for the use of a wheelchair. Pascal and I therefore thought of a wheelchair suitable for use at home and outside.” From there, everything comes together for the ingenious duo. He improvises by adapting a mower seat on a Segway. “Gus” was born, a response to the challenge of mobility. What followed were years of testing, in collaboration with Jean-Marc Imbert, an equestrian virtuoso but also an electronics engineer. The idea arouses the interest of hospital staff and patients… Today, this seated electric self-balancing scooter is a success. Maneuverable thanks to its 63 cm width, its two wheels allow it to turn 360°. Autonomous up to 30 km and equipped with an anti-tip protection system and connected after-sales service, it allows you to move effortlessly by tilting your body alone. 100% French in design, it is manufactured in Allier using elements mainly from French distributors. Already, more than 40 “Gus” have been manufactured and 50 are in production. In France, they are the only ones to occupy this commercial niche. “We offer this quality armchair with an intelligent design so that mobility is no longer a luxury, neither financial nor physical. We are proud to manufacture it in France and sell it at an affordable price, because it is in our DNA.”
Gastronomy, Culture and Tourism Prize
Maison Sovage, exceptional non-alcoholic cocktails
Emmanuelle Beck and Étienne Bodel, two aces of French know-how, co-founded Maison Sovage at the end of 2023. This couple of Boulogne epicureans self-financed their company dedicated to the production of non-alcoholic cocktails. “We want to please ourselves, while doing ourselves good, with something good, something beautiful and lasting,” they assure. Attached to “French heritage, gastronomy and well-being”they have created an elegant and all-natural collection made from 100% organic and French ingredients. “After two years of research and development, alongside mixologists, agronomists and naturopaths, we have achieved the perfect, low-sweet balance. Our collection is made from distillates and hydrosols of flowers, aromatics, spices and fruitsthey detail. Bottled in a workshop near Cognac and adorned with their labels printed in Beaune, their beverages are called French Kiss, French Touch and French Cancan. This couple who have three children, happy in their city, greet “the effective support given to us by the City, its elected officials and the Department in the creation of our company“.
Already available on the site, the cocktails are at the Cave du Point-du-Jour in Boulogne-Billancourt, also at La Grande Épicerie and at Lafayette Gourmet, in Paris, but also at specialized wine merchants, caterers and, soon, on starred tables. Maison Sovage intends to conquer the most beautiful places to “toast” France…
