"I wanted to invent something". A young entrepreneur's experience

PSL: You are a graduate of the ESPCI and the PSL-ITI program, two complementary degrees. How did this background of study prepare you to become a young entrepreneur?

Alexis Robert: I chose to join the ESPCI because, among the grandes écoles, it was the only one that offers a wide range of concentrations (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc.) and, without any clear idea yet for my career, I wanted to keep as many options as possible for myself. That was the right choice. My school years were exciting, it allowed me to cross disciplines, methofs and to consider different careers: researcher, entrepreneur, engineer, director... By joining the PSL-ITI program in 2014, I continued to explore scientific subjects while gradually focusing on the materials and medicine sector. Above all, I wanted to make discoveries, to invent something. It was a key moment, I met my first partner, Pierre-Louis Boyer. Together, we succeeded in obtaining a PSL grant to do our internship in the PMMH laboratory and thus invent a technology and patent it. PSL-ITI has left us a great deal of freedom of action, which we have taken full advantage of.  The last month of the training was devoted to the creation of a start-up project, we tested the viability of our technology based on a market study, a legal study... Also, when we met Agoranov's director at the PSL-ITI defense, we had the means to present him with a well documented project and we integrated the incubator. That year was an exceptional springboard for us!

PSL: LOMA innovation, your start-up in the thermoplastic industry was created in 2015. How did this start-up project on this particular theme come about?

During my years at ESPCI, I contributed to the development of EPICS, a student association for scientific mediation. I liked it and quite naturally I wanted to renew the experience, this time by highlighting materials that did not yet exist.

AR: Not surprisingly, the project was done in several stages. At the beginning, we were not really thinking of creating a start-up. We were trying to invent something. During my years at ESPCI, I contributed to the development of EPICS, a student association for scientific mediation. In partnership with the Cité des Sciences, then the Palais de la découverte, we organized several events to show a selection of innovations from the school. It was an interesting project that involved close collaboration with researchers and required skills in management and public relations. I liked it and quite naturally I wanted to renew the experience, this time by highlighting materials that did not yet exist. I implemented the project with Pierre-Louis. Once the technology was developed and patented, the creation of the start-up became a must for us. For our conversation partners, it was essential that this new technology be hosted in a permanent structure. We created LOMA Innovation on December 30, 2015 in Agoranov. It is a somewhat hybrid company with a dual role, both as a research and development office, and a fundamental research department. In other words, we study our material from every angle: product development and R&D!

PSL: Could you explain the proposed technologies and the concept of your start-up?

Unlike standard products, we deliver a material whose potential for use is not infinite but almost infinite!

AR: Our business model is quite unusual, we do not only offer a range of materials but also their potential. Let me explain: depending on the initial composition of a plastic material, it can be reshaped, readjusted via successive combustions. This is the case, for example, of SW01, which is a rigid composite that softens in a microwave oven. Once heated, it conforms to and retains the shape of the object against which it is applied. We generally distribute it for sports equipment (shin protection...).
Unlike standard products, we deliver a material whose potential for use is not infinite but almost infinite!
Here is the concrete process: when a customer submits an order, we define with them their needs, we realize a chemical composition for the material they want to develop and we deliver them a prototype. It can be a shin guard, headphones, eyeglass temples, watch straps... Our customers also receive the instructions for use of the prototype so that they have complete freedom to test it, and above all to modify it, reshape it. Generally, if the product suits them, they come back to us so that we can make it evolve... We work by iterations, like in a research laboratory in fine!

PSL: Loma Innovation offers "plastic materials for a sustainable future", at a time when the slogan "plastic, no thanks" is quite disruptive, isn't it?

AR: Of course, the popularity of plastic has clearly declined in recent years, but we should be careful: this does not prevent our product from being sustainable! Our products are readaptable, modifiable... That being said, we have launched research initiatives to change this composite material and have greener technology. Today, we are not 100% green, but we use renewable polyesters, they are not rare materials.

PSL: LOMA Innovation will celebrate its 4th anniversary this year and launch a new product. What is your feedback on these first years?

AR: During the first 3 years of LOMA's existence, we explored the potential of our sector and our business model. I am convinced we are in a promising sector, but it is very early on in the process and has yet to prove its worth. Our technologies are in between: if they interest companies, they also disrupt their technologies... To reassure and also prove our added value, we have decided to develop a product from A to Z: Ewolv, customizable music headphones that will be available on Kickstarter in the coming weeks. If this launch is successful, we will consider launching a first fundraising campaign. By the way, PSL has been a shareholder of the company since 2018 and as such provides us with financial and strategic support. In addition, we will be hosted at the Chimie ParisTech incubator (Chimie Paris Innov) starting on July 2019; in doing so, we are moving closer to academic research while remaining active within the PSL ecosystem.