Thibault Haguet, a graduate Arts et Métiers, founded the Angers-based startup LUO at the age of 26. He launched his Ayos, modular, self-watering plant columns made of terracotta and glass, a plant decoration that brings a little more nature into homes. Meet a young entrepreneur who wants to give the French a green thumb!
Combining entrepreneurship and engineering training is possible!
Thibault Haguet has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, ever since his first year at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Metz. As part of a business creation simulation organized on campus, Thibault already had an idea in mind: to create a vertical garden. "I had noticed that green walls were very popular but difficult for individuals to access because they were too expensive and difficult to install and maintain, which gave me the idea of creating innovative flower pots!"
Moreover, he explains, "incorrect watering is more often the cause of plant death than a lack of water.". He therefore designed his product to prevent users from watering incorrectly, thereby allowing plants to flourish.
But what is "Les Ayos"?
With their elegant design, Ayos are terracotta and glass flower pots. They can hold water for around two weeks and are also modular, as they can be stacked on top of each other. "The plant pumps the amount of water it needs via a wick dipped in the reservoir," explains Thibault. Terracotta is excellent for oxygenating the soil and also stores water for the plant,"he adds.
Manufactured in France using sustainable and 100% recyclable materials, LUO is committed to an eco-responsible design approach. The terracotta modules are manufactured in a craft workshop in Champagne-Ardennes, certified as a "Living Heritage Company," and are then assembled and shipped in an ESAT (center providing support through employment for people with disabilities) in Angers by people with disabilities.
Entrepreneurship at Arts et Métiers a launchpad for developing your entrepreneurial project
Thibault is joining the Angers campus for his second year of the Grande Ecole Program as part of the "Innov'ance" course, now known as PEIT (Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation Course). This program allowed him to alternate between one month on the Angers campus and one month at Angers Technopole, the partner incubator. "This year really allowed me to build my project while continuing my engineering studies with my classmates,"he explains.
In his third year, Thibault began with an end-of-study internship in Berlin, where he worked alongside the founder and CEO of a biomedical company with 200 employees. The rest of his end-of-study internship was devoted to his project, which he worked on independently as part of the CREDA expertise program.CREDA expertise(Business Creation and Development) program. This program helps students in their final year of the Grande Ecole Program to develop and validate a professional project such as starting a business. With the arrival of COVID, Thibault continued to develop his project alongside his online classes.
Arts et Métiers a solid scientific and technical foundation and provided me with the space I needed to become an entrepreneur!
Thanks to his commitment and tenacity, his start-up LUO, which means light and water, is incubated at Angers Technopole, and Thibault wins the Vegepolys Valley competition (a plant competitiveness cluster based in Angers), earning him €10,000. With his degree in hand, the adventure did not end there. Thibault devoted himself full-time to his start-up and surrounded himself with Arts et Métiers engineers who supported him as part of the CLENAM (Club Entrepreneurs des Arts et Métiers). Thibault also obtained a €10,000 honorary loan from the Arts et Métiers Foundation. Numerous grants were then obtained to develop the Ayos concept.
"My product has evolved considerably over time. It took more than 20 fundamentally different prototypes over five years to find the right design and achieve this result! I used to run my 3D printer in my bathroom at night to make my prototypes," he recalls!
Today, this 26-year-old entrepreneur is launching a pre-order campaign for Ayos until December 16 as part of a successful crowdfunding campaign on Ulule. crowdfunding campaign on Ulule , with 200% of the target achieved in the first few days! All that remains is to wish this young start-up every success!
