The French-Italian start-up Ingage, which specialises in the development and supply of ultra-integrated MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) navigation sensors, has announced the completion of its first round of financing worth €6 million ($7 million). The round was led by Supernova Invest and 360 Capital, with the participation of BNP Paribas Développement, Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement and CEA Investissement.
In many contexts, such as enclosed spaces, tunnels or areas subject to strong interference, GPS is ineffective and inaccurate. However, in strategic sectors such as defence, robotics or automotive, navigation and precise positioning are essential.
Until now, the solution has been entrusted to sophisticated aeronautical or military inertial navigation systems, which are extremely expensive and bulky. In contrast, MEMS sensors commonly used in the automotive and consumer electronics sectors are compact and affordable, but their rapid drift makes them unsuitable for applications that require precision or safety.
Ingage’s technology bridges this gap thanks to a new generation of MEMS sensors capable of measuring movement with unique sensitivity. In concrete terms, this innovation allows for accuracy of less than 50 cm after a few minutes of driving at high speed without GPS, compared to several metres after ten seconds with MEMS sensors currently on the market.
Protected by 30 patents and the result of 15 years of joint research between the French research centre CEA-Leti and the Politecnico di Milano, this innovation paves the way for safe navigation in all contexts where GPS is not available: autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial robots and defence applications.
The funds raised will be used, on the one hand, to finalise the development of its first range of inertial sensors. The round will also enable technology transfer to partners equipped for large-scale production. In addition, the team will be strengthened and development partnerships with CEA-Leti and the Politecnico di Milano will be further consolidated.
With its compact, affordable, high-performance sensors, Ingage has the potential to revolutionise the guidance, positioning and navigation of vehicles and robotic systems, even in the absence of a GPS signal.
Philippe Robert, CEO of Ingage (pictured with co-founders), said in a statement: “We are delighted to have the support of French and Italian investors to develop and industrialise our innovative MEMS technology. Our goal is to make these navigation sensors accessible on a large scale, even for complex autonomous applications where GPS is unavailable or unreliable. We look forward to working with future customers and demonstrating to them the performance leap we offer over current capacitive MEMS sensors.”
Damien Bretegnier, investment director at Supernova Invest: “With this powerful innovation, the result of 15 years of research at CEA-Leti, Ingage embodies the type of high-potential deep tech start-up we want to support. The company combines unique and defensible technology, a rapidly growing market and a top-notch founding team. We are proud to support it on its path to international success.”
Cesare Maifredi, partner at 360 Capital: “This investment marks the launch of Poli360 2, our technology transfer fund, created to support the most promising deeptech start-ups from the best universities and research centres in Italy and the rest of Europe. iNGage’s technology is at the heart of the navigation market, which is booming, driven by new uses that require higher performance at a competitive cost.”
Nicolas Tymen, Director of Venture Investments at BNP Paribas Développement: “We are convinced that Ingage’s MEMS technology, backed by an experienced and talented team, will find applications in a wide range of fields, from mobility to industry and defence. We are proud to participate in this first round of international financing and look forward to following its future developments.”
Sabrina Kouidri, Head of Investments at Crédit Agricole Alpes Développement: “We congratulate the Ingage team. We are proud to support them and strongly believe in their technology, which responds to a rapidly growing market, as well as in their high-level management.”
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