When you think Monaco, you automatically think about yachts, big cars and richest men on the planet, and not so much about the Monegasque startups. But the Principality has a lot of projects like becoming a leader of fundraising through the tokenisation of assets and developping a state of the art incubator. Indeed, And Monaco is now home to a startup incubator, MonacoTech. And the institution is rather well-born since it was founded by Monaco Telecom but above all by the startupper Xavier Niel himself! It must be said that the first startupper in France is a shareholder of Monaco Telecom. He is even developing 5G in the country!

MonacoTech, the incubator of Monegasque startups, has just selected 5 new candidates to be incubated. For this 5th edition of the competition launched, the Principality’s incubator received 38 projects from 13 different countries. Not bad for an incubator founded in 2018 only! The Monaco incubator welcomes start-ups from a wide variety of sectors, under the direction of Lionel Galfré, former director of the IMSEE :

  • AdTech
  • BioTech
  • GreenTech
  • MedTech
  • Yachting, of course! Where better than in Monaco?

The Startuppers Club presents the 3 incubated startups that you need to get to know:

Carlo (Commerce), our favourite startup at MonacoTech

The most Monegasque of Monegasque startups. The Startuppers Club’s favourite! The startup is reinventing the local shopping experience, and has already developed its offer in the Principality. Led by startupper Antoine Bahri, the application has already convinced 66 shops in Monaco to join the programme. In these difficult times for small businesses, this application has everything to please.

Created in March 2018, the Monegasque startup’s ambitions are already focused on international markets. Indeed, the Carlo application is currently being tested in Barcelona. The principle is simple: all you have to do is scan the shop’s QR code to be credited with 5% cashback on your virtual wallet. In concrete terms, you don’t need to give your bank details, the shop will treat your credit like a gift voucher!

Air Ion Technologies (Aeronautics)

Air Ion, incubated in Monaco, develops drones and a 100% electric helicopter. This young Swiss company mainly develops military drones.

This startup is made up of a group of engineers, pilots and managers specialised in aeronautics. The small team came together in Lugano in 2017 to found Air-Ion. The startup is located next to the private airport of Ambri in order to carry out tests more easily and to be closer to its first partner SKT Helicopters. But the startup has already collaborated with Antonov as well!

Mea Plant (GreenTech)

The Italian startup Mea Plant is developing an innovative solution for above-ground cultivation using a non-absorbent substrate. The drops of water, supplied by the irrigation system, remain suspended on a network of wires that make up the innovative cultivation substrate. The concept works a bit like a spider’s web after the rain that holds the water drops.

The water is completely consumed by the roots, without any accumulation of mineral salts in the substrate. The water savings made possible by this concept is about 90%. Of course the elements are made of recyclable materials and the whole thing does not need any pesticides or herbicides. Finally, the good autonomy of the solution ends up making it a promising startup in the GreenTech.

2 other Monegasque startups incubated in MonacoTech that worth a look

YouStock, an Monegasque startups alumni !

The Monegasque startup YouStock is one of the successes of the MonacoTech incubator. The company makes storage accessible to all. Indeed, Youstock offers a service adapted to everyone and at unbeatable prices. The team comes to your premises and does its utmost to save you time. The services offered by the startup are diverse, from packaging, to inventory and, of course, the storage of your belongings. Thanks to the online inventory, you can request the partial or total recovery of your belongings at any time within 24 hours. Rates are calculated to the nearest cubic metre, which will allow you to take advantage of an advantageous and degressive rate depending on the duration of your commitment.

YachtNeeds

Yachtneeds allows its user list, mainly made up of captains, crew and shore-based professionals, to chat live. The site and the related application allow you to find and apply for jobs worldwide. Also, a geolocalised directory allows users to search for products and services in more than 600 major ports and marinas. The ambition of this startup is to be the reference in terms of the online yachting ecosystem. What better place to start than the Principality of Monaco!