What are the opportunities for collaboration between start-ups and major groups?

That's the question posed by the Collectif Startups Industrielles at the Global Industrie trade show. Three startup/big company pairs came to testify to the mutual benefits of this relationship: Pascal Bourcet (Siemens) & Clément Houllier (Auum startup), Christian Bruere (Mob-ion) & Luis Villa (OwnTech) and Virginie Rigaudeau (Schneider Electric Le Vaudreuil) & Margot Corréard (DiagRAMS Technologies).

How do you initiate a relationship and create synergies?

Various strategies and mechanisms can be put in place to initiate collaboration: organization of competitions, incubators, open innovation services... The panel can be large, but only one factor is decisive: people! Every project begins with a meeting, a sharing of common challenges. The human factor is just as central to the project, which is why it is so important for major industrial groups to involve their business teams right from the start..

But let's not forget the time it takes to get there! Startups need to be on the lookout and proactive in identifying the levers of access to major groups, stand out from the crowd and build trust. Then there's the time needed to complete the pilot project and convince customers of the performance of the (innovative) solution, while respecting the processes of major accounts.

Patience and perseverance are the key to successfully surrounding yourself with the right ecosystem.

What are the benefits for major groups and the opportunities for startups?

The major groups have clearly understood the potential of cooperation at different levels. Major groups have clearly understood the potential of a Ce that they mainly look for in a startup: flexibility, agile methodology, responsiveness, R&D and innovation.

And what about start-ups? Collaborating with major industrial companies gives you the opportunity to finance, co-develop and deploy your solution on a large scale, and create your first references.

In concrete terms, what does a collaboration between a start-up and a major corporation entail?

A look back at our collaboration with Schneider Electric on a project to reduce compressed air energy consumption at their Vaudreuil plant.

“The strength of DiagRAMS Technologies, which is completely in the spirit of Schneider Electric, is to work with all stakeholders and to be able to involve all employees in our project” - Virginie Rigaudeau - Sustainable Transformation Project Leader & Communication & Change management - Schneider Electric Le Vaudreuil

The aim: to find solutions to keep their machines running smoothly with just the right amount of power. A successful project, since it reduced compressed air consumption on their assembly lines by 36%.

Want to find out more about our collaboration with Schneider Electric? Watch the replay of the full round table!