Nav Close

Startup and industry: A sure bet for senseFly, Pix4D and Parrot

06.12.2014

On November 6th, 2014, venturelab hosted an exceptional venture ideas event with Christoph Strecha, Jean-Christophe Zufferey and Henri Seydoux, the CEOs of Pix4D, senseFly and Parrot. Parrot, the leader in the development of wireless technology, is the seller of the world famous "Quadricopter" (the "AR.Drone"). The French group invested in both EPFL based companies in 2012.

slider_ebee_home_01.jpg
The eBee drone developed by SenSefly was also the star of the event ©sensefly.com
The event was a success: More than 140 people showed up at EPFL to listen to the 3 successful entrepreneurs - and to some of their very secret business tips. If you missed it or would like to watch it again, here are the videos of their presentations with a few hints to the talks’ best moments (click on any of the conference presentations below).
 
 
 
Hints to the videos' best moments (minute' second''):

The story of Parrot by Henri Seydoux, CEO
  • A company that started from nothing 0’5’’
  • If I could do it, everyone else can “0’36’’
  • Parrot’s first product: a bad idea – carry on! 0’47’’
  • We launched our second product on 9/11 – bad timing 2’09’’
  • But the event triggered other ideas 3’09’’
  • The company started to become profitable: Now, what next? 4’32’’
  • Following other ideas: Follow the boom of cell phones and music players 4’59’’
  • A good idea, market, technology – but a bad business 6’18’’
  • We started doing drones: The AR.Drone 10’31’’
  • Nobody believed in it: we sold 700’000 items 11’22’’
  • We decided to invest in startups 13’36’’
  • Investment in senseFly and Pix4D: We want to build a leader in drones 15’50
  • Henri Seydoux’s advices and entrepreneurial tips: Priceless! 16’

Pix4D by Christoph Strecha, Founder & CEO
  • It all started in Belgium 0’41’’
  • And then I joined EPFL 1’43’’
  • How everything started with senseFly: “What if you put a camera on this drone?” 2’05’’
  • Everything started then for Pix4D 3’52’’
  • People started to say they wanted to pay for it 4’42’’
  • Joining and learning from venture kick: As a scientist I could never imagine having a company 5’
  • InterGEO 2011: The starting point of the use of drones in the professional sector 6’14’’
  • Parrot invests in Pix4D 7’40’’
  • The timeline of Pix4D, from 3 employees in 2011 to 36 in 2014 8’

senseFly by Jean-Christophe Zufferey, Co-founder & CEO
  • Since I was a kid I was always interested by flying 1’14’’
  • Putting aviation and mobile robotics together: Hello, drones 2’28’’
  • Some of the researchers I worked with at EPFL are still in my team today 2’56’’
  • Getting inspired by how insects fly to develop our first flying objects at EPFL 3’51’’
  • Our products: Still the lightest drones on the market 7’42’’
  • These are not just drones 8’30’’
  • The customers – using senseFly and Pix4D technology to monitor and map fields, mines or archeological zones 10’
  • 50’000 flights and 5 million photos taken globally for the drones of senseFly 10’32’’
  • Meeting Henri Seydoux in Paris in 2011 12’05’’
  • senseFly today is 80 people 13’50’’
  • The receipt of success: Really, it is about people 14’18’’
  •  
Mapping the epic Matterhorn by senseFly's eBee drone and Pix4D's 3D image processing technology

Additional Links