Torskal, Nouloutou, or StoryEnjoy are examples of startups that contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Reunion Island. Round-up of these Reunionese startups that made the news during 2017!
Reunion Island, one of the pearls of the Indian Ocean, has many facets to reveal to the most curious! Of course, we can talk about the Piton de La Fournaise, which alone attracts all the attention or the breathtaking landscapes, but we must also remember that Reunion is a real breeding ground for talent. Thanks to people with great ideas, Reunion Island now has Nouloutou, Torskal, StoryEnjoy and Oscadi, just some of the many startups that are making the local entrepreneurial ecosystem move.
Torskal, the medical startup fighting cancer
Torskal is a specialist in medical nano. Founded in 2015 by Anne-Laure Morel, this medical startup is working to design molecules for oncology by exploiting bioresources from Reunion Island. Molecules that promise to revolutionize cancer treatment, but also applicable in the field of cosmetics. With the creation of these molecules, Torskal wants to make chemotherapy less restrictive.
How is this possible? Thanks to its small size, the molecule will be injected in the form of nanoparticles into the patient, directly targeting the tumour area. Coupled with the use of infrared radiation, the nanoparticle will activate and produce heat, destroying tumors in the infected area. With the properties of the nanoparticle, it will be easier to follow the development of the tumor by medical imaging. We are talking about an innovation that will provide an additional treatment or even an alternative to chemotherapy.
In just two years, this startup has managed to make a name for itself in the entrepreneurial and scientific research community. A journey so remarkable, that it took her all the way to India to participate in the French Tech Tour India 2017, from November 13 to 17. Moreover, Torskal was the only ultramarine startup selected to participate in the event.
A bright future awaits Anne-Laure Morel and the entire Torskal team, who are working with several partners such as the laboratory at the University of Reunion to advance their research.
With Nouloutou, everything can be rented to make money
If there is a startup that makes people happy, it is without a doubt Nouloutou! This web platform created in 2016 by Badis Aggoune and Idir Oukaci allows individuals and professionals to rent and/or put up for rent the most varied objects: accommodation, vehicles, leisure equipment, DIY, gardening… So you will have understood, everything, or almost everything, can be rented with Nouloutou thus allowing the people of Reunion to earn money or spend less!
One year after the launch of the platform, Nouloutou advocates the culture of the collaborative economy: renting rather than buying, using rather than owning, sharing rather than hoarding… A concept that works: Nouloutou has 4,500 members to whom more than 150,000 euros will have been donated by the end of the year. This is a great performance for the young startup, which has seen 30% monthly growth over the past 6 months and is making between 7 and 12 rentals a day.
Moreover, the startup has just launched the first car park located 5 minutes from Roland Garros airport. Customers can park their vehicles in the car park when travelling outside the department. This parking lot can make them money if they allow Nouloutou to rent their car during their absence. Guaranteed security 24/7, while being insured, with Nouloutou, travel with complete peace of mind!
Tell us a story with StoryEnjoy!
Tell us a story,” said the characters from “Père Castor”, but here we are talking about StoryEnjoy! This web application allows the user to choose a digital movie online and film themselves reading the accompanying story. Behind this startup is Caroline Lopez, brilliant creator of StoryEnjoy. The idea came from watching her son listen to stories told by his grandmother. However, the latter subsequently moved to Metropolitan France, interrupting the ritual…
It was in 2015 that Caroline decided to propose her project at the fourth edition of Startup Weekend. The event took place at the University Institute of Technology in Saint-Pierre. An idea that was very well received by the jury as StoryEnjoy won the first prize of the Startup Weekend!
To date, the application is not yet operational, but the StoryEnjoy website already allows those interested to subscribe to a newsletter, in order to be warned on the day. By the way, this didn’t stop StoryEnjoy from traveling to Paris. Coraline’s startup was indeed presented at the big VivaTech exhibition in Paris, on July 15th and 17th. This operation brought more visibility to the project, knowing that the show welcomed more than 68,000 visitors and 1500 investors, a golden opportunity for StoryEnjoy.
A very promising future awaits StoryEnjoy as Caroline prepares the launch of her web application. We should certainly hear about it soon…
An entrepreneurial ecosystem that continues to grow
In addition to the three startups we have highlighted in this article, the ecosystem of startups in Reunion is particularly rich! Alongside Torskal, we have Oscadi who have created Oscult, the connected and portable ultrasound scanner. For car rental, we find Zotcar and behind the management of the cash registers and the commercial part of the distribution sector, there is Orika.
Many other startups are evolving in the Reunionese landscape, each bringing its stone to advance the Reunionese economy.
