Winner of second prize in the INMC 2024 Start-Up Award in Anderson (South Carolina, USA), Clermont-Ferrand-based start-up Cideco (cideco.tech) stood out for its technological excellence. Following this recognition, the company was welcomed in Regensburg, Germany, by the TechBase incubator (Innovationszentrum TechBase / Raum für Gründung, Forschung und Technologie in Regensburg und der Oberpfalz) to launch its entry into the German market. TechBase received €2,500 in financial support from RIVM to assist the start-up.
Can you briefly describe CIDECO and what sets you apart in your sector?
CIDECO is an engineering company specializing in structural diagnostics and instrumentation for buildings and civil engineering structures. We stand out for our pursuit of technical excellence in all our studies, backed by a strong culture of innovation. While offering traditional methods, we distinguish ourselves by developing new complementary approaches. Among these, we have developed an advanced vibration approach that detects and locates disorders that are invisible using conventional methods. Where standard expertise can leave gray areas, leading to costs and uncertainties, this innovative methodology quantifies the severity of pathologies, tracks their evolution, and allows the impact of corrective solutions to be tested virtually before work begins.
You won the INMC startup competition in Anderson in 2024: what did this victory mean for CIDECO?
First and foremost, it was validation of our technical vision by an international jury. Being recognized outside our borders sends a strong signal: it proves that our vibration monitoring technology meets a universal need for infrastructure maintenance. Beyond the financial support, the real “trophy” is credibility. International credibility, of course. But also credibility in France: succeeding in export markets or in international competitions is a powerful lever for demonstrating your solidity to national players.
How did the German incubator TechBase find you?
The connection was made directly during the INMC competition in Anderson. Alex Rupprecht, the CEO of TechBase, was on the jury. He immediately identified a potential match between our vibration monitoring technology and the needs of the German market. Germany faces a major challenge with the aging of its infrastructure, much of which was built after World War II. Alex saw our technology as a relevant solution for diagnosing and extending the life of this built heritage.
What motivated you to participate in the international soft landing program at TechBase Regensburg?
We wanted to test our solutions against German engineering, which is renowned for its technical standards. It was the ideal “crash test.” The German market is vast, with a large number of structures but a history of investment in maintenance that is sometimes lower than in France. The soft landing program in Regensburg offered us a structured framework for understanding this market, identifying the right contacts, and validating our export business model without taking any unnecessary financial risks.
How did you find the Corridor of Incubators (COI) experience?
It was an intense and extremely productive week. The welcome from TechBase was both warm and very pragmatic: the week was not devoted to industrial tourism; on the contrary, we were able to secure business meetings that far exceeded our expectations. Every exchange was useful: even the meetings that won’t directly lead to concrete results allowed us to better understand the structure of the market and “unravel the ball” to the right decision-makers. In one week, we gained several months of prospecting.
How has this experience influenced your vision or your projects? Have you made any contacts or identified any concrete avenues for collaboration?
The main finding is confirmation of our technological lead. On the business side, we have initiated avenues for research collaboration and identified a path for setting up a pilot project. This pilot would be strategic: it would serve as a demonstrator to reassure our future German partners about the reliability of our approach.
What concrete benefits has this international expansion brought you?
In the short term, it has boosted our confidence: we know that our technology is exportable! This confidence translates into concrete assurance in our commercial discourse in France. In the longer term, we have sown the first seeds for development beyond our borders: we will maintain contact with these contacts through regular technical communication so that we can activate them commercially when the time is right.
Why do you think a startup should open up to the international ecosystem?
Opening up to the international market forces you to clarify your offering and value proposition. By stepping outside your comfort zone, you raise your game! Even if you don’t sign any contracts immediately, it accelerates the maturity of the company, which logically translates into increased credibility, even in your domestic market.
What message would you like to convey to young companies that are hesitant to participate in the COI program?
Don’t hesitate, go for it! The COI program allows you to gain perspective while remaining highly operational, all with a very limited financial investment. It’s the ideal setting to test your export capabilities without taking excessive risks. The return on investment (contacts, but also learning and vision) is well worth the energy expended.
If you had to sum up this adventure in one sentence, what would it be?
A formative experience that confirmed our technical excellence and gave us the confidence and keys to approach our international development methodically.
