Montpellier's PUI showcases its startups at VivaTech 2025
The University Innovation Hub was present for the first time at the VivaTechnology trade show, known as "Vivatech,"which was held from June 11 to 14, 2025, in Paris. This was an opportunity to highlight four startups supported or incubated by the PUI at the Occitanie region's stand. Occitanie region.
“The aim of the PUI is to promote partnership-based research, technology transfer, and the creation of startups in the Montpellier area. With this in mind, we offer, for example, a support program specifically dedicated to innovative deeptech projects. It was therefore obvious for us to participate in this trade show,” explains Kate Rivière, head of the University of Montpellier’s incubator, Initium. She was present alongside Philippe Combette, Vice President for Partnerships and Innovation at Montpellier University, and the four startups mobilized for the occasion: Scanorhize, Terratis, Kervalion, and Ai-Stroke.
Emerging technologies
Created in 2016, this trade show has become one of Europe's largest events dedicated to startups and emerging technologies. "This trade show allows us to learn about the latest trends and talk to key players to understand their issues. Our ambition is to get our technologies out of the labs so that they can meet specific needs that serve society," argues Kate Rivière.
Alongside him, four startups that were boosted or created within the various structures of the Montpellier University Innovation Hub took turns at the stand over the four days. "These companies illustrate the key themes we want to focus on, in line with our motto 'Feed, Care, Protect', with a certain level of maturity and products or services to showcase," explains Kate Rivière.
Sterile mosquitoes
On the first day, the startup Terratis shed light on its project to introduce sterile mosquitoes to limit their spread across territories. Incubated at Initium, then at the Montpellier Business Innovation Center (BIC), the company has just moved into a pilot plant that is unique in Europe, before rolling out its technology for the first time in two communities and a campsite.
Observing soil life
The result of a project by SATT AxLR, co-incubated at Initium and Le Bic, the startup Humeos unveiled on the second day the outlines of a new technology called Scanorhize, which allows soil life to be observed via buried sensors, coupled with an AI analysis software solution. This is a crucial issue for promoting sustainable agriculture.
Dental implants
On the third day, it was Kervalion's turn, which develops technology dedicated to manufacturing dental implants using 3D-printed bone grafts. In 2022, 703,420 dental bone graft procedures were performed in major European countries, highlighting substantial demand on the continent, according to Global Data.
Detecting strokes
On the fourth day, Ai-Stroke took over to present its application capable of detecting the early signs of stroke. According to the Stroke Alliance for Europe, approximately 1.1 million strokes occur each year in Europe, making it the leading cause of neurological disability.
“The trade show enabled them to engage in extremely high-quality discussions. Not everyone had the same goal: some were targeting future customers, others suppliers, product feedback, investors, or even institutional support to implement their plans,” continues Kate Rivière, who also led a round table discussion on the role of PUI incubators in the development of these startups. At the same time, the Initium team also established fruitful contacts with the University of São Paulo and Canadian institutions, with whom new cooperation projects could emerge in the coming years. For the time being, it is difficult to assess the impact accurately, but the results look positive. "We can't wait to repeat the experience!"
