Sens-Innov has announced the finalisation of a €450,000 capital increase subscribed by Crédit Agricole Private Equity and Bretagne Jeunes Entreprises (BJE) to support its expansion in the provision of diagnostics solutions to detect water pollutants.
Sens-Innov, based in Rennes and founded in late 2008, is preparing to market Senso+, the first product derived from a Université de Rennes 1 / CNRS patent, which facilitates detection of heavy metals in water. The company quickly signed a distribution agreement with Fondis Electronics and is now developing a unique continuous detection solution using environmentally-friendly technology. Sens-Innov also offers its clients cutting-edge analytical imaging services.
Stéphane Burban, CEO of Sens-Innov, states: “The confidence shown by our investors demonstrates the significant potential of our products and the strong fit between our team. We firmly believe that our developments will lead to technological innovations in the world of sensors. The market is waiting for such innovation and future regulatory framework will lead to the emergence of new industrial requirements”.
Renaud Poulard, Partner at Crédit Agricole Private Equity, comments: “Sens-Innov has developed a highly innovative technology that fully meets the sector’s expectations. We are delighted to support the growth of this very young company alongside BJE”.
For BJE, the quality of the founding duo and the technological, strategic and sales and marketing work carried out prior to the capital increase constitute a prime example of a business start-up that should inspire numerous other researchers and business developers.
Contacts
Sens-Innov
Stéphane Burban, contact@sens-innov.com; +33 (0)2 23 23 53 65
Crédit Agricole Private Equity
Martine Sessin-Caracci, martine.sessincaracci@ca-privateequity.fr; + 33 (0)1 43 23 90 88
Bretagne Jeunes Entreprises
Anthony Hillion, anthony.hillion@bje-sa.com; + 33(0)2 99 31 73 23
About Sens-Innov
Sens-Innov was created in November 2008 by co-founders Olivier Lavastre (CNRS) and Stéphane Burban (CEO). It has been supported and advised by business incubator Emergys (Rennes Atalante) and currently benefits from the help of the Réseau Bretagne Entreprendre network.
Sens-Innov, recently awarded one of the prizes for Innovative Companies 2009 by the French Ministry for Research, offers pollutant detection solutions to water companies.
· With Senso+, Sens-Innov allows for rapid, on-site and environmentally-friendly diagnosis of heavy metals in water. This is a “cleantech” portable solution using additives that meet Reach standards.
· On the basis of the same electrochemical technology, Sens-Innov is currently developing a continuous system that will enable major clients to detect immediately any problems with their treatment process.
More information on www.sens-innov.com
About Crédit Agricole Private Equity
Crédit Agricole Private Equity, an AMF-authorised investment management company and whollyowned subsidiary of Crédit Agricole S.A., specialises in direct private equity investment in unlisted companies. A multi-specialist, Crédit Agricole Private Equity has 50 investment teams focusing on different segments of the private equity market (LBO & Expansion, Venture Capital, Mezzanine, Renewable Energy, PPP Infrastructure, Co-Investment) and manages a total of €2.8 billion in various types of private equity vehicle. The 12-strong venture capital team manages €400 million through FCPIs invested in young companies with high growth potential in 2 sectors: information technology and life sciences.
More information on www-rec.omnescapital.com
About BJE
Bretagne Jeunes Entreprises is a venture capital company backed by institutional shareholders (public authorities, banks, public financial organisations) that invests in the Brittany region, either on its own or jointly.
Specialising primarily in business start-ups or seed capital, BJE is known primarily for its financing of innovation, managing over 25 investments in a variety of technological and non-technological sectors. More information on www.bje-capital-risque.com