Hugo Valentin, co-founder of the Briofood project, winner of the ‘Start-up for the world of tomorrow’ Prize
The Briofood project aims to feed the world without destroying our planet, using sustainable, nutritious and tasty ingredients like spirulina. The project’s co-founder, Hugo Valentin, won the first edition of the ‘Start-up for the world of tomorrow’ Prize (Start-up pour le Monde d’Après), awarded by the Université Paris-Saclay Foundation during its annual ceremony, which took place on 15 November 2021.
By launching the ‘Start-up for the world of tomorrow’ Prize, the Université Paris-Saclay Foundation aims to promote and reward the best start-ups in the University’s ecosystem who are reinventing the world of today and tomorrow. The prize is designed to reward a start-up developing an innovative solution in sustainable development with a strong growth potential.
All of the start-ups from within the Université Paris-Saclay ecosystem were invited to attend, in particular those working in fields linked to the seven societal challenges that the University has committed itself to meeting: Health & Well-being; Energy, Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development; Biodiversity, Agriculture & Food; Digital Transformation & Artificial Intelligence; Transport & Mobility; Aeronautics & Space, and Industrial Renewal.
Approximately twenty projects were submitted, and five finalists were chosen to take part in the pitch competition. Each team had three minutes to convince the judges and the audience of the relevance of their project and its ability to meet the challenges of the future.
The ceremony was streamed live on the University’s YouTube channel, and the vote was open to the public.
The jury, chaired by Pierre-Paul Zalio, President of ENS Paris-Saclay, awarded the prize to the start-up Briofood, which aims to reinvent the consumption of sustainable foods with tasty products made with fresh spirulina. The start-up’s co-founder, Hugo Valentin, received the prize of €10,000 from the Université Paris-Saclay Foundation.
Jury Members
Pierre-Paul Zalio – Jury Chair – President of ENS Paris-Saclay
Nadia Benallal – General Delegate - French Tech Paris-Saclay
Grégoire Burgé – Deputy Director for Research and Promotion - AgroParisTech
Pascal Corbel – Head of the Economics & Management Graduate School - Université Paris-Saclay
Anita de Voisins – Entrepreneurship Director - CentraleSupélec
Romain Di Vozzo – Fablab Projects Manager - Université Paris-Saclay
Patrick Duvaut – Vice President, responsible for the Université Paris-Saclay Foundation - Université Paris-Saclay
Michel Mariton – Vice President for Economic Development - Université Paris-Saclay
Philippe Martial Moreau – Managing Director - Incuballiance
François Molho – President - Université Paris-Saclay Foundation, and Director of Regional Actions - EDF
Olivier Nosjean – Head of Science and R&D - Servier
Michel Roux – CEO - Fédération Nationale des Banques Populaires