Safran Corporate Ventures

New services, new business models

Data analytics, on-demand aviation, new maintenance methods, co-creation, collaborative engineering, AI, blockchain

Connected cabin & passenger experience

Connectivity, augmented cabin, comfort, In-Flight Entertainment, human-machine interface

New markets, new platforms

Civilian drones, unconventional vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL), new modes of transport, autonomous vehicles, automated surveillance, supersonic, quantum

Non-Destructive Testing, Augmented Reality, Industrial IoT, robotics/cobotics, additive manufacturing, industrial cyber security

Safran at the forefront of innovation and deep tech

Supporting the development of innovative startups

Safran Corporate Ventures (SCV) was created to connect Safran to the ecosystem of young innovative companies in the aviation, space and defense sectors SCV supports these companies by providing Group expertise and financial resources for their development: access to an international network of experts, commercial and industrial exposure, implementation of commercial or development agreements between the portfolio’s startups and the Group’s various entities

An investment budget of €80m

With an investment budget of €80m, Safran Corporate Ventures bases its investment strategy on the following underlying principles:

• Identifying the top disruptive technologies and innovations worldwide
• Actively investing alongside top co-investors, financial investors, and/or other Corporate Ventures funds
• Providing long-term support for companies, both financially and through help and advice from Safran Group experts

Head of Safran Corporate Ventures Safran Corporate Ventures, Investment Director Safran invests in Sintermat, a deep-tech startup specialized in innovative materials HydrogenOne Capital Growth plc and Safran announce a joint investment in UK flight innovator Cranfield Aerospace Safran and Engie New Ventures invest in Ineratec, a German startup specializing in carbon-neutral synthetic fuels

Startups in the Safran Corporate Ventures portfolio

Established in 2013, Cailabs is a startup in the field of photonics and the developer of light-shaping technology protected by several patents The company is a spin-off of Kastler Brossel laboratory (Ecole Normale Supérieure joint research unit - Université Pierre et Marie Curie - CNRS) that specializes in physics and quantum optics Cailabs designs and markets photonic products in the form of components, modules or pieces of equipment for the telecoms and industrial laser markets The company has developed two main applications: space-division multiplexing applications for terrestrial telecoms (very-high-speed long-distance networks and short-distance multimode fiber networks) and applications for high-power industrial lasers (welding, cutting, additive manufacturing, etc )

Cranfield Aerospace (CAeS) is an aerospace market leader in the design and manufacture of new aircraft design concepts, complex modifications to existing aircraft and integration of cutting-edge technologies to meet the most challenging issues facing the aerospace industry today CAeS has refocused the company on Project Fresson, the unlocking of  commercial hydrogen-electric propulsion flight In the early stages, CAeS will focus on CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) certification of the Britten-Norman Islander passenger aircraft using hydrogen fuel cell power In parallel with its investment, Safran will work in partnership with CAeS spanning the area of hydrogen fuel cell powered electric propulsion for aviation

Diota is France’s leading publisher of augmented-reality software solutions for industry, enabling manufacturers to boost their performance by providing an interactive link between digital data and operators in the field Having built on its technological innovations and business-oriented solutions, developed through a close partnership with the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), the company, established in 2009, is a key player in the digital-factory sector and a key contributor to the industrial competitiveness of France and Europe, working with major players in the following sectors in particular: aviation (Dassault Aviation, Safran, etc ), rail, naval, automotive, energy and chemicals

Electric Power Systems (EPS), an aerospace company based in Logan (Utah) in the United States, is a leader in advanced energy storage solutions EPS makes its expertise available to a broad range of electric and hybrid airplanes such as the Nasa X57, the Bye eFlyer and the Bell Nexus The joint investment of Safran Corporate Ventures and Boeing HorizonX Ventures will enable EPS to develop a highly-automated industrial base capable of producing aviation-grade energy storage systems on an unprecedented scale, and support technological developments that further reduce the cost of battery systems for electric airplanes

Established in 2008, Kalray is the European leader in new-generation microprocessors for critical onboard systems This startup, a spin-off of CEA-List, is located in Orsay (Essonne) and Grenoble, and operates internationally It has around 60 employees and more than 20 patents pending Kalray has developed a new generation of microprocessors called MPPA (Massively Parallel Processor Array), whose computing power/energy consumption ratio is unequaled for components of this size - an essential asset for “more electric” aircraft In addition to aviation applications, Kalray is also active in the car industry, particularly in the area of self-driving vehicles, and data centers

Krono-Safe is a software publisher established in 2011 It develops software for real-time operating systems (RTOS) in an integrated development environment (IDE) for critical equipment in terms of dependability

Krono-Safe markets a software technology originally developed by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in the nuclear sector to guarantee the predictability of critical real-time control applications The company signed a transfer agreement with CEA-LIST (technology and systems integration lab) concerning this technology Krono-Safe targets safety-critical onboard systems in strong growth markets: transport (connected and autonomous vehicles), industry and aviation

Prodways Group is a company that specializes in 3D industrial printing and has customers in many different sectors, including aviation and the dental sector It is a subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé and is listed in Compartment B of Euronext Paris