It is a resurrection. In great financial difficulty, The Camp, designed to imagine and develop the smart city of tomorrow, was taken over last July by Kevin Polizzi. Boss of the Unitel Group holding company, the Marseille entrepreneur has injected more than 50 million euros to revive this 10,000 square meter campus, nestled on the Arbois plateau. This hybrid place of training, exchanges and experimentation was inaugurated in 2017, a few months after the death of its creator Frédéric Chevalier. For this technology enthusiast, the issues related to galloping urbanization became crucial in terms of housing, transport, hygiene, food, water…
A place of convergence and cooperation
The new management team intends to put the initial concept back at the heart of its strategy and bring together researchers, students, philosophers, technicians, etc. In short, bringing together different worlds to achieve cross-cutting solutions. Added to this are the risks and opportunities of today’s world: the environment, digital, artificial intelligence, 5G, the metaverse. The offer should also be enriched with an activity linked to cybersecurity. The launch of a fab lab will make it possible to bring together new technologies at the service of players in the construction, housing and tertiary sectors to test innovative avenues.
The incubator is thinking with the elected representatives of Aix-en-Provence about experiments in the real world. The municipality has been very involved for several years in digital management for the flow of pedestrians, intelligent lighting or the level of filling of bins. In fact, the philosophy of the project aims to operationalize cooperation between the worlds of research, business and the public sector to achieve concrete services and uses that will have a positive impact on society. Kevin Polizzi wants to open up the campus more widely. A space of 400 square meters is reserved for employees of “scale-ups” (those well-developed young shoots which must accelerate and possibly raise funds) wishing to leave Paris. The entrepreneur also dreams of supporting the growth of firms in the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and Africa.
The lesson has been learned. Finished, the dispersion operated by the previous shareholders. The Camp now emphasizes training and events. Five minutes by car from the train station and ten minutes from the airport, the 7 hectare site has a rich offer and provides meeting spaces 7 days a week. More than 100 events and 200 companies are already expected on the site by the end of 2022. With the key, an expected turnover of 10 million euros in 2023. Verdict in a year .
Quai Alpha enhances the Vosges region
A stone’s throw from Epinal station, Quai Alpha brings together an ecosystem of around a hundred Vosges companies. A classic incubator, it welcomes 25 start-ups and brings dynamism to the city and its surroundings by organizing events where businessmen, students and developers rub shoulders. “During the Digital Days, we explain to traders how to become more competitive thanks to the Internet. This can help a bookseller against Amazon”, illustrates Thomas Jelonek, head of the communication department. Quai Alpha has also set up a studio for content services. In four years, the structure has helped attract talent from the Grand-Est, from Strasbourg to Reims, and is a great showcase for Epinal.