Expanscience, a B Corp-certified family-owned French company specializing in osteoarthritis treatment (Piasclédine 300) and skin care (Mustela), is launching the 5th edition of its gas pedal. Expanscience is calling on start-ups to join it in order to boost joint experiments in the fields of parenting, the well-being of osteoarthritis patients, and the design of increasingly natural products that are part of the circular economy. Through this collaborative approach, the company aims to provide new answers to the needs of patients and consumers, and propose innovations that are a source of positive impact from both an environmental and societal point of view.

A gas pedal for well-being

The start-ups selected at the end of the call for applications will benefit from six months' access to Laboratoires Expanscience's teams, infrastructures and sales network, as well as tailor-made support. The resources made available to them (innovation, R&D, marketing and medical teams, etc.) will enable them to work together on a joint project.

To register for this 5th edition, start-ups must have at least one working prototype, ready to be launched during 2022, and their project must fit into one of the following themes:

● For fulfilled parenthood (e.g.: co-construction of products/services with families, support and services for early childhood workers).

● Improving quality of life for osteoarthritis patients (e.g. natural solutions for joint pain/around osteoarthritis, co-construction of new solutions with patients and healthcare professionals).

● Proximity to patients, consumers and healthcare professionals (e.g. new experience in pharmacy and role in patient care, decoding and accessibility of product information).

● Product design: naturalness and circularity (e.g. new packaging and circularity solutions, new technologies for ever more natural products).

Karen Lemasson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Open Innovation at Laboratoires Expanscience, comments: "Open and collaborative working is decisive for responding better and faster to the expectations of consumers, patients and our societal challenges. Creating value cannot be done alone. We now know how enriching it is for start-ups and for our company to conduct experiments on a win/win partnership basis. Beyond a simple acceleration, we are going to work together and give each other all the keys to pursue and boost a promising joint experimentation."

Registration and calendar

- Application deadline: June 15
- Pitch: July 5 and 7
- Start of Acceleration Program: September 6
- End of program: March 2022

Here are a few examples of start-ups accelerated since 2016 

The first editions of Expanscience's "Health, well-being and prevention" gas pedal have nurtured and launched innovative projects.

1- Auxivia offers intelligent services to improve quality of life and care for the frail elderly. Its first service automates and makes reliable the monitoring and traceability of hydration for elderly people in nursing homes and at home, thanks to a connected glass.

2- Calmedica, a specialist in healthcare management, has used artificial intelligence, and in particular machine learning, to develop a chatbot for exchanging medical information by SMS or instant messaging.

3- Damae Medical has developed a medical device that enables dermatologists to acquire images of skin anomalies in depth, non-invasively, right in the office. Without the need for a biopsy, the practitioner can detect skin pathology even before the first signs of disease have appeared on the surface.

4- French Poupon offers parents-to-be the first French "Baby Box", a "baby kit" consisting of a healthy, eco-friendly cardboard cradle for infants aged 0-6 months. At the same time, the start-up wants to set up a health promotion program for parents affected by poverty.

5- Naest is a brand of clothing for patients in long-term care or with reduced mobility. Naest garments are apparently normal, but innovative in their construction, using patented techniques. They enable dignified, pain-free dressing for the patient's well-being, and quick, easy access to the body for carers and caregivers. Naest manufactures exclusively in France and has obtained Esus (Entreprise solidaire d'utilité sociale) state approval. 

6- Sublimed develops actiTENS, a connected transcutaneous electrical neurostimulator (TENS) for the management of chronic pain. A partnership has since been signed between Sublimed and Laboratoires Expanscience for connected transcutaneous neurostimulation technology.