The Internet of Things : SPIE enters into partnership with IoT Valley

An ecosystem of start-up companies to speed up innovation.

Paris, September 20th, 2018 – SPIE France, through its two subsidiaries SPIE ICS and SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire, has recently signed a partnership agreement with IoT Valley, a European ecosystem of start-up companies specialising in the Internet of Things. By pooling their know-how and expertise, SPIE will be better placed to meet the demands and practices of its clients regarding the IoT and innovation.

IoT Valley was set up in 2009 by four entrepreneurs from Toulouse, and has its headquarters in Labège, on the outskirts of the French city. Its mission is to bring together and support both established and start-up companies in developing their projects relating to connected objects. To this end, it has gathered together around 40 companies (including Sigfox, one of SPIE ICS’s existing partners) and has entered into partnerships with over 20 companies, including SNCF, AG2R, SICOVAL, ViaSanté, Microsoft and Daher.

This new strategic partnership between SPIE and IoT Valley, which was signed in June, will see both parties pool together their solutions, know-how and experiences concerning connected objects, in order to achieve a shared vision. As a result, SPIE will be regularly liaising with IoT Valley to devise and develop innovative and customised offerings.

A platform of IoT resources and contacts

This partnership, which began the second the agreement was signed, makes it possible for SPIE to offer its clients new solutions capable of meeting the needs of their end users (clients, employees, users, etc.).

From now on, the two SPIE subsidiaries will have access to the Connected Camp, a start-up accelerator specialising in the IoT, which steers projects until they reach the industrialisation phase and the first B2B contracts are signed. Likewise, as partners, they will also be actively involved at the events regularly held by IoT Valley, such as Innovation Day, Ambrosia[1], Upday[2], and monthly MeetUps[3].

“This agreement represents an excellent opportunity for us to strengthen our drive for innovation by reaching out to IoT start-up companies and to further enhance the relationships we have with our clients, key accounts and partners, by placing this innovation at the very heart of their projects,” explains Laurent Gilardino, Tertiary and Housing Business Director (South-West) at SPIE Industrie & Tertiaire – Tertiaire Division.

“As the leading benchmark integrator at IoT Valley, this new partnership has enhanced our capabilities in the field of connected objects and constitutes a major competitive advantage as regards our clients,” adds Olivier Paulus-Lemoine, SPIE ICS Business Director for the Atlantic region.

Privileged ties

The arrangement is based on close and regular exchanges between SPIE and IoT Valley. The two partners have therefore each appointed a contact person charged with monitoring the partnership. IoT Valley may request, for instance, to visit one of SPIE’s clients to explore its core businesses, detect new usages and identify any start-up companies that could address them. Conversely, SPIE may advise its clients to pay a visit to IoT Valley in order to work there with start-up companies that were previously selected.

“SPIE offers many opportunities to the start-up companies that we’ve picked out. As our partner, SPIE is playing a key role in our mission as an incubator, by making it easier for us to bring our IoT skills in line with the needs of end users,” specifies Bertran Ruiz, IoT Valley’s Managing Director.

[1] An annual event in Paris that brings together between 35 and 40 decision-makers from key accounts and mid-sized companies.

[2] A meeting between new partners and start-ups.

[3] Specialist conferences held twice a month, which focus on a specific technical or business topic relating to connected objects. Every MeetUp takes place at IoT Valley’s offices, and brings together between 50 and 100 of its partners and entrepreneurs.