Fungu'it – Testimonial from a start-up hosted by Ferments du Futur

Did you know? Ferments du Futur offers a co-working programme for growing businesses at its innovation centre, the CI2F.

After more than a year as a resident, Fungu’it shares its testimony about its experience at Ferments du Futur.

Symbiose: Ferments du Futur’s co-working space

The CI2F is an innovation centre with 500 m² of laboratories and 250 m² of collaborative workspaces, based in Saclay and equipped with over €10 million’s worth of state-of-the-art equipment.

Within the CI2F, Ferments du Futur welcomes companies to its Symbiose space: an offer that combines modern infrastructure, cutting-edge technical expertise and an extensive scientific network to provide effective support to start-ups and their teams in their R&D projects.

Fungu’it: a start-up with taste for innovation

Fungu’it is a French biotechnology start-up specialising in the development of natural flavouring ingredients for the food industry. Its innovation is based on the fermentation of agricultural by-products using fungi to create solutions that enhance the flavour of food whilst making use of under-utilised resources.

Its research and development activities focus on the selection of fungal strains, the optimisation of fermentation processes and the characterisation of aromatic compounds. Fungu’it also collaborates with industry partners to develop ingredients suited to various food applications, thereby contributing to a more sustainable and natural diet.

Start-up testimonial: A year in review at Ferments du Futur

Interview

Anas Erridaoui – co-founder of Fungu’it

Sylvie Bloës – CTO

Interview by Yulia Potié.

Why did you join Ferments du Futur?

Anas. We had several requirements: firstly, we needed a physical, well-equipped space in which to develop our R&D activities; but we also wanted to join an established consortium comprising start-ups like ours, major corporations and research centres. We were also looking to be close to INRAE and, more broadly, to the entire Ferments du Futur network.

After a year, what are your thoughts?

Anas. When you’re a start-up – particularly a deep-tech one – you have to test a lot of technologies before finalising your processes, and you can’t invest straight away in all the equipment you’d need.

Sylvie. It’s not just the state-of-the-art equipment, but also the scientific support and close links with the research teams that make Ferments du Futur such an extremely attractive environment for a start-up like ours.

Anas. It really is the combination of the two that makes all the difference. It allows us to move forward much more quickly and to carry out a significant part of our R&D here, thanks to Ferments du Futur.

Why did you choose Ferments du Futur rather than another organisation?

Anas. What sets Ferments du Futur apart is that it offers state-of-the-art facilities, scientific support and a consortium comprising industrial groups, start-ups and research centres, all specialising in fermentation. This combination of three elements is unique and is what makes FdF so special.

In what way does Fungu’it’s location on the Saclay plateau represent an asset for your development?

Anas. Being close to the laboratories, the joint research units (UMRs) and the scientific teams makes collaboration much easier. If all these were scattered across France, it would be much harder to work together. There is also a second aspect: its appeal for recruitment. Being based here makes it easier to attract students, PhD candidates and recent graduates who are already on campus or nearby.