Student entrepreneurs to be challenged in Silicon Valley

Software for surgeons performing implants, an innovative fish tank cleaner, and laser power to boost the lifespan of aeroplanes are among the business ideas devised by students from Université Paris-Saclay set to be tested in Silicon Valley next week.

The 16 students, in groups of two or three, won the university’s latest Start-up Challenge, an event organized by the Entrepreneurial Innovation Team of the Université Paris-Saclay and the Start in Saclay association.

On February 25^th, they will leave to be immersed in California’s Silicon Valley and meet a number of entrepreneurs that have thrived in the start-up ecosystem.

It follows the battle between 38 students in 15 teams who participated in a two-week program of intensive mentoring as part of the Start-up Challenge in November 2017. Supported, challenged and guided by over 50 mentors from various backgrounds and industries, the teams impressed a judging panel with the quality of their pitches. Seven projects were selected and their founders are now preparing to travel to the US ready to help progress their ideas into successful businesses.

Finalists include; CocoPlant, a natural device reducing the need to clean aquariums to just twice a year, Harvestr which offers an easy way to combine, prioritize and analyze feedback for clients with a web app, Neosper’s software to assist orthopedic surgeons during prosthetic implants, and Peen Up which increases the lifespan of aeronautic parts using a high-powered laser injection.