Mathieu Merian
has a lot of ideas. Since the age of 14, this native of Provence has been
self-taught in 3D printing, in the family garage. "I've always liked
tinkering, taking things apart and welding. At 15, I had the chance to do an
internship at Volumic 3D, one of the French leaders in 3D printing. It was a
revelation," he explains.
During this internship, he managed to create a mechanical 3D prosthesis for a member of his family. It was from there that the idea of creating a start-up was born. "At the age of 17, I decided to set up my own 3D printing company, 'MY 3D'. At the time, I had no knowledge of entrepreneurship. So, after a first failed experience in engineering studies, I decided to join SKEMA to train in this field," confides Mathieu.
At the Sophia Antipolis campus, Mathieu benefits from the courses of Christophe Imbert, professor and coach in entrepreneurship, and from the school's glocal entrepreneurship incubator-accelerator SKEMA Ventures.
An innovative and eco-friendly product
The primary objective of "MY 3D" is to manufacture exoskeletons for people who are unable to move without assistance. With the help of this structure attached to the body and a simple joystick, it is then possible to prevent falls, stabilise walking and even walk. "I developed this exoskeleton for a friend who has multiple sclerosis," says the young entrepreneur.
The primary objective of "MY 3D" is to manufacture exoskeletons for people who are unable to move without assistance. With the help of this structure attached to the body and a simple joystick, it is then possible to prevent falls, stabilise walking and even walk. "I developed this exoskeleton for a friend who has multiple sclerosis," says the young entrepreneur.
And
he adds: "Exoskeletons give autonomy where wheelchairs can make certain
movements complicated or impossible." The price of this exoskeleton is
between €35,000 and €45,000. This is much cheaper than the metal exoskeletons
currently in the market. "Our competitors charge €250,000 for their
exoskeletons," Mathieu reveals. To reduce its costs, "MY 3D"
works with printing plastic from recycled bottles. The same goes for the
electronic components. At the moment, MY 3D has raised around €2,000 of the
€15,000 it is hoping to achieve. You have until 6 August to help!
Explore the crowdfunding campaign