Innovation at the beginning of many entrepreneurial projects

For the first time, the Septuors ceremony takes place on the soil of the Tarn-et-Garonnaise. Entrepreneurial successes and know-how are numerous in this area of ​​northern Occitania. For this 2023 edition, a particular look was paid to companies that innovate, to entrepreneurs who create value in the area, to project leaders who enhance the department and to those who broadcast. Thus, in the midst of the Coup de Coeur awards, new categories are emerging: CSR, Made In…, Young Startups and again the Industry, Commerce or Tourism Awards.

A new award is also making its debut: Company of the Year, which will be voted live by the audience in the room.

No less than thirty companies have been pre-selected by a jury of experts. As for this, surrounded by many partners such as the Occitanie Region, CD 82, CCI 82, ADT 82, Groupe Séché, Cerfrance, Prévifrance, FDAC, Viasat Connect, Up My Card and Octogone Fiber, the final ceremony which will reveal the winners , it will be held on May 25 at the Tarn-et-Garonne departmental council, to be found in rerun the following day on the Septuors Youtube channel.

Company

Pascal Roux, President of the Tarn-et-Garonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry

“I am delighted with the arrival of the Septuors in Tarn-et-Garonne with the support of our CCI, but also of the Department and means of the Groupe Dépêche du Midi. As part of our mandate project based on the entrepreneurial spirit of the region, this Septuors event provides an opportunity to highlight our beautiful companies in a context that is not necessarily ideal for them today. Future winners will automatically be able to participate in Occinov and will be able to promote the entire Tarn-et-Garonne at a regional level. This is a way for us to select a number of companies to show the dynamism and attractiveness of the area. We noticed it once again during the selection jury, there is a real economic eclecticism in the Tarn-et-Garonne: agriculture, aeronautics, industry, commerce… I discovered that many fellow citizens were unaware of it while certain nuggets are born in the area.

Within the Chamber we have the means to support businesses in the development of the territory and those in difficulty. I am thinking in particular of the Soluccio offer, which offers a series of diagnoses, recommendations, assistance in setting up practices, aids in business development. We also have an educational mission and to characterize it we have produced short films with testimonials from companies. Among our major projects is also the development of the Campus, which will train 1,000 students a year by 2026 and new training courses, or even the project occiraila railway maintenance center that we are going to build in parallel. »

The companies mentioned

Gabriel Vest repairs bicycles in the workshop but also on the move

Automotive entrepreneur established in Tarn-et-Garonne after the recent Covid-related confinements, Gabriel Vest is a cycling enthusiast who aims to serve his community and emulate it. In the last two years he has developed his own business repairs and maintenance in the workshop, but also mobile service and roadside assistance. This mechanical specialist already has several anecdotes on this subject, such as repairing a tandem on the road to the Gorges de l’Aveyron in recent months. The entrepreneur is also interested in all the old bicycles that sleep in the barns of our countryside. The same goes for electric bicycles with its mobile service that caters to the elderly and their heavy-to-carry bicycles, but also to those without a car. Professional, Gabriel Vest is certainly one but he also provides services as a volunteer for the general promotion of the bicycle and its restoration with the Caylus Fab Lab which has a repair workshop. “I explain to anyone who wants to restore a bicycle, repair a mechanism, make adjustments… and I also give used parts”, he insists. This small structure represents a real innovation in terms of services in the area. “I would like to see more people cycling in or around Caylus, equipping buses with bike racks, developing active mobility in rural areas, or even parking their bikes in the city… all this to change people’s habits on short trips,” he said. stated. he concedes.

Conshumeur, a new model that rewards customer reviews

Montalbanais calling himself a merchant at heart after several experiences in major brands in different hierarchical positions, Valentin Méric decided to put his experience with consumers to good use by creating Conshumeur in 2022. Customer relationship and satisfaction platform, Conshumeur (application and website) brings together consumers and establishments around an innovative and interactive solution, which makes it possible to remunerate feedback and enter into direct contact with establishments.. “In the market there was no win / win model to have both a quality return on the company and the reward of the consumers’ contribution” he declares. Accompanied by several local actors including the Réseau Entreprendre Tarn-et-Garonne and the CCI Tarn-et-Garonne, Valentin Méric therefore developed his start-up with strength and conviction, deciding to mobilize consumers and the physical exercises they receive the public and any combined business (hairdresser, restaurant, real estate agency, etc.) with an ethical aspect. Conshumeur therefore remunerates the opinions (in the form of photos, videos or writings) for defined amounts ranging from 5 to 20 euro cents. The money raised by the client may be available or intended for projects or associations registered on the site. At the time of the launch of version 2 of Conshumeur and its regional opening, there were already more than 2,000 opinions on more than 500 establishments in and around Montauban.

Nobrak at the center of innovation in the field of composite technology

It is an increasingly well-known name: Nobrak, and it is no coincidence that the company has become a pioneer in the production of textile composite materials. Founded in Montauban for almost 7 years, Aymeric Azan and Bertrand Laine, the two partners, had the idea of ​​offering an alternative in the composite market by distinguishing themselves through fabrics. “The fibers in composite materials usually come from fabrics and we wanted to use an additive process. We deposit only natural fibers, like hemp, without falling directly into the desired shape,” explains Aymeric Azan. Thanks to its patented technology, Nobrak is thus able to mass-produce textile preforms for composite parts, without wasting raw material.. “Since Covid, the proposals we made in the beginning have become increasingly significant for various markets, and with the cost of transport energy and raw materials on the rise, our solution is essential,” he says. Sport and leisure are today Nobrak’s priority markets, but the business is also opening up to the automotive and space sectors, with 80% of the turnover generated by exports (Israel, China, Germany). Growing strongly, the team of 10 people will be enriched by five new members by the end of the year with a goal of 20 employees by the end of 2024.