The ESSEC Start-ups to Invest in for 2022, According to Challenges Magazine

The renowned French magazine Challenges has published its 2022 ranking of 100 start-ups to invest in. 9 ESSEC nuggets feature in the ranking! 

A jury panel, composed of professionals from the start-up ecosystem and journalists from Challenges, made its selection following a call for applications which received 800 candidates and requests from incubators, investment funds and specialised merchant banks. The criteria for inclusion were to have created a business less than 4 years ago, to be headquartered in France, privately owned and independent of a major group, not to have featured in previous editions, have generated a turnover (except for biotech, deeptech and industry) and to be seeking funding by March 2023. 

9 ESSEC nominations

Co-founded by Paul Cassé (M19), Caps is developing an electric, self-flying taxi to fly over city traffic jams. “Based on the breakthroughs with lithium-ion batteries and drone technology, our ultra-compact, single-passenger aircraft provides a concrete solution to the saturation of our large cities and aims to speed up urban mobility by a factor of 4.” The priority focus for the start-up is goods transport and logistics drones, but it hopes to carry its first passenger on a demonstration flight during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Co-founded by Claire Laurent (E17), Hors Normes collects organic, French-produced fruit and vegetables which have been rejected from standard distribution circuits due to their physical aspect, and sells this produce in the form of home-delivered hampers, at up to 40% less than shop retail prices. With the support of some ten funds and business angels, the start-up is preparing to expand geographically and diversify its range.

Co-founded by Olivier van den Broek (E10) and Louis Duclert (E10), Iroko is a digital real estate investment trust, free of subscription fees and with an activist approach. “As soon as we exceed a certain level of performance, we reinvest in energy renovation.” Boosted by €3 million in capital raising, the fintech has already won over 1,300 investors.

Co-founded by Kevin Valensi (M16), Monga aims to enhance the property sector by providing an intelligent technological solution to help operators and residents solve their maintenance issues. The start-up generated a turnover of €7 million in 2022, compared to €1.3 million in 2021. It already boasts customers such as Nexity, Foncia, Vinci and Bouygues Construction.
 

Co-founded by Coline Burland (E11), the Omie platform distributes (and delivers by bicycle) a range of food products which are “100% transparent in price and production, affordable for all and ensure fair remuneration for the producers and food processors.” Based in Paris and B-Corp-certified, the start-up has already raised €1 million and aims to expand on a national level.
 

Founded by Kamel Naït-Outaleb (EXEC PROG 15), OnlyOne provides an ethical banking alternative which aligns innovation with socio-environmental needs. “Thanks to your OnlyOne account, you fund projects on a daily basis to protect biodiversity, fight climate change and protect ecosystems, in addition to supporting inclusive projects. All this is without compromising on security and innovation, with simplified account opening in 5 minutes, notifications in real time, a Mastercard with free international payments, aggregation of bank accounts and a global carbon footprint of the application.” 

Co-founded by Fabrice Paublant (E91), Orixha is developing a medical device to protect the vital organs of resuscitated cardiac arrest patients more rapidly and effectively, and thus significantly reduce mortality and morbidity. 2023 should see the first tests involving human subjects.

Co-founded by Guillaume Moinet (E99), the Scalens platform digitalises all the dealings between publicly traded companies and their shareholders and investors. “From investment to voting, the presentation of results to general assemblies, recruitment of administrators and the remuneration of managers, our solutions facilitate financial and extra-financial communication.” The fintech is aiming to be operational in 10 European countries in 2022.
 

Founded by Rachel Marouani (M94), the brand Talisman By creates tailor-made jewellery, crafted by hand in France and Italy. The brand aims to open a combined showroom and creative workspace and reach €1 million in turnover by 2023. 

A promising selection

A nomination in the Challenges Top 100 of start-ups to invest in is often a good omen for the entrepreneurs in question, if the success of ESSEC nominees in previous editions of the ranking is anything to go by: Jean-Cédric Bekale (EXEC M11), founder of TradeIn, which raised €2M and boasts Google among its investors; Emmanuel Bilbault (E10), co-founder of Posos, a decision-support tool for drug prescription, delivery and use; Alexia Cordier (E13), co-founder of Fifty, the e-doing leader; Arnaud Delubac (M20), co-founder of Greenly, an automated carbon footprint monitoring system for individuals and businesses, which raised €2.5 million and increased its turnover tenfold last year; Jeanne Depond (E12), co-founder of the Lyanne platform, which raised €1.2 million for its solution to optimise insurance cover; Jean-Baptiste Diebold (E03), founder of the IT talents community Ginkio; Morgan Hilmi (E12), co-founder of Beebs, an application to sell second-hand baby items, which raised €3 million; François Jacob (M10), co-founder of Hiboo, a data-steering solution for public works equipment, used by Vinci, Engie and Eiffage; Mounir Laggoune (BBA 13), founder of Finary, a tool enabling you to monitor all your assets online, which raised €2.2 million and is set to double the lead in record time with an outstanding participatory funding campaign; Delphine Lau (EXEC PROG 16), co-founder of Stooly, an eco-friendly furniture brand which raised €2.3 million and whose folding cardboard stool is already a reference in design and decoration; Mathilde Le Roy (E99), founder of Kazoart, an online artworks sale platform which offers 15,000 works by 500 artists; Jean Moreau (E07), founder of Phénix, a pioneer in the circular economy and anti-food waste movement; Vinciane N'Cho (M20), co-founder of Kompara, a service which compares international money transfer operators; Dorian Perron (E17) and Romain Palmieri (E17), co-founders of Groover, a networking platform used by 3,000 musicians and 300 media, labels and influencers, and lastly, Adèle Soullier (E10), a business partner of En Cavale, a publisher of investigative games for children, which doubled its turnover between 2021 and 2022.  

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