The official website of the Communauté Urbaine de Nantes

Say you’re a researcher from a local laboratory, and you’ve got an idea that has sprung from your work. You want to make the most of it. You’d like to build on your discoveries and patents. You’re considering starting a business. Whom are you going to call? 

The answer is Atlanpole, the agency that supports business creation in Nantes.

For 20 years, Atlanpole has helped spark innovative businesses, bringing entrepreneurs and researchers together with hospitals, universities, ministries, banks and other sources, aiding them all to pool their talents and plot common projects. Atlanpole is the clearing house for 300 firms in information technology, electronics, health, food processing, fluid mechanics, materials and the environment, and it’s the reason why research is now a major force in western France.

Half of its work is in biotech. Just 10 years ago, there was no biotech in Nantes and very little in France. But in a short decade Atlanpole has made Nantes a centre of excellence in the sector, and can help put you on the map, too.

“The difference between us and national incubators,” notes Olivier Kitten, Atlanpole’s life sciences manager, “is that they help young businesses for two years. After that, the startup must fly on its own. Our status as a Business Innovation Centre, a European label, means we can obtain more funding and help a company for five, even six years.”


Biofortis laboratory
Atlanpole is also different because it doesn’t wait for people to come to them, but actively seeks out new ideas. It regularly visits laboratories to meet researchers, unearthing new patents, discoveries or technologies to build a business on. Kitten’s group contacts 300 people a year. For every 50 projects, 25 make it to the firm’s rigorous evaluation process, and half of those eventually become businesses.

So if you have a business plan, come and see Atlanpole. Matter of fact, Kitten says come and see him even if you have’t got a business plan. “If all you have is an idea, we’ll help you build the plan, create the company and look for funding,” he promises. Atlanpole works with a network of clusters across Europe, and will immediately put you in touch with partners in business, research and finance. You can take advantage of its twin-city arrangements with Heidelberg and Milan, two of Europe’s biggest biotech hubs. The key word is “connect.” If you come to Nantes, it won’t be simply to find a building.

The key word is “connect”.

More information on www.atlanpole.com