In the era of ecological transition and digital transformation, mastering environmental data has become a key lever to improve quality of life, public health, and safety. In this context, Ellona stands out as a leading player in Environmental Intelligence, developing sensors capable of real-time analysis of particles, gases, noise, and odors to anticipate risks and optimize decision-making.
Guests on the show L’Intelligence Économique on France 24, Jean-Christophe Mifsud, President and Founder of Ellona, and Pierre Quintard, investor at Wermuth Asset Management, discussed with Ali Laïdi the strategic and technological challenges of these innovations.
How are smart sensors revolutionizing air and noise monitoring? What are the data sovereignty challenges in the face of international competition? And how do these technologies integrate into smart cities, industrial infrastructures, and even everyday objects?
Discover in this exclusive interview how Ellona is transforming environmental analysis into a true decision-making tool, serving a healthier, safer, and more resilient world.
“Ali Laïdi: Hello and welcome to the Economic Intelligence interview, the show dedicated to the backstage of globalization. Data isn’t just found in servers. It’s also in the air! Welcome to the world of Ambient Intelligence! A world filled with sensors that allow us to gather and analyze information about vibrations, gases, light, air particles, colors, and odors. All of this is used to protect companies, industrial zones, or transport infrastructures.
To discuss this, I am joined by Jean-Christophe Mifsud, President and founder of Ellona, a company that manufactures sensory sensors, and Pierre Quintard from the investment fund Wermuth Asset Management. Good morning, gentlemen!
Ali Laïdi: Jean-Christophe Mifsud, tell us a little about your company and this technology.
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Of course! At Ellona, we believe that there are no smart cities or smart buildings without the ability to act. And to act, you need to contextualize, understand what’s happening, detect anomalies, and identify dysfunctions. So, we combine a series of measurements using these sensors, connected to Artificial Intelligence, that can understand what’s happening and act accordingly.
To do this, we humans also use our senses. It’s not just about measuring. We also feel our environment. We smell odors, we listen to sounds, we hear, and we observe dust.
Ali Laïdi: When you say “we will do this,” do you mean the machines are doing it?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Exactly! These sensors do this in real-time and are capable of understanding what’s going on. Rather than displaying 100 decibels, they’ll say: “It’s a Harley Davidson,” or “a jackhammer,” or “a gunshot,” or “a car accident.”
Ali Laïdi: Or “a dangerous gas” that shouldn’t be there, so danger!
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: A gas leak, for example, thanks to odors, or unsanitary conditions at bus stops. These sensors help us understand what’s happening and generate an appropriate response.
Ali Laïdi: Is this technology special or not? Is it new? Is it innovative?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Absolutely! It’s miniaturized sensors connected to Artificial Intelligence, which actually perform a fingerprint recognition. Just like you, in the morning, smell your coffee, observe it, taste it… well, it’s the same type of technology, a fingerprint recognition, which, thanks to the databases developed, allows us to link an anomaly to one of these fingerprints and identify it.
Ali Laïdi: Is this a French technology?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Absolutely! Around twenty patents protect this biomimetic advance, because we are actually copying humans. We create sensory avatars that allow us to act on our environments for better safety and health.
Ali Laïdi: Pierre Quintard, from WAM. Why did you invest in this French company?
Pierre Quintard: For the stakes! Today, we believe that these technologies, this ability to create new data, will be everywhere. For the safety of people, for their health, for the control of territories. And we think that in the future, they will be in our cars, our refrigerators, of course, in industrial zones, etc. But also in our watches, our phones.
Ali Laïdi: Enormous potential!
Pierre Quintard: Enormous potential, both in terms of technology and impact. Why? Because it allows us to measure things and act according to those measurements. There are applications, particularly in construction, where we can analyze indoor and outdoor air, optimize systems. And since we are an impact fund, we also look at this aspect of environmental decarbonization.
Ali Laïdi: So, what are your markets? I assume it’s not just France?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Currently, it’s mainly industrial. These are B2B activities, primarily in construction, but also in smart cities and industrial sites related to waste treatment, wastewater treatment plants, incinerators, as well as port and airport authorities. We are very present in France and internationally, as we generate over 50% of our revenue abroad, in ports like Ningbo in China or Riga in Latvia.
Ali Laïdi: Do you face foreign competitors in this field or not?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: We are ahead, especially in the field of odors and sound. In fact, we have very few competitors capable of digitalizing these human perceptions.
Today, we are highly sought after, whether in the United States or in Asia, to help understand these events with a human approach. So, there are very few competitors who have reached our technological level.
Ali Laïdi: Pierre Quintard, have you checked and compared if this company is really unique in its field or not?
Pierre Quintard: Yes, absolutely! It’s the role of an investor to evaluate and analyze a market and see which players are involved.
Today, we notice that many advances have been made in IoT over the past few years. However, most sensors have a single goal, like measuring trash bin fill levels or CO₂ levels, etc. But we had never seen systems that could measure an event with a multitude of sensory factors.
This opens the door to a wide variety of markets and technologies.
Ali Laïdi: Are your sensors huge?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: No, the sensors are miniaturized because one of the goals is to integrate them into watches. We even have a European project worth nearly 8 million euros that helps us integrate this intelligence into everyday life.
Rather than having sensors mounted on streetlights, bus stops, or buildings, you could wear your lab on your wrist and measure the environmental impact on each of us, but also on our health, by analyzing what we call human fluids. For example, we’ll analyze breath to detect diabetes, sweat to detect dehydration in elderly people…
Ali Laïdi: So, you’re moving from B2B to B2C? You’re heading towards consumers?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Exactly! Although our company remains B2B, we will provide tools to B2C companies.
Ali Laïdi: Does that mean, Pierre Quintard, that you’ll need to combine Ellona’s technology with those of other players, other partners? For example, in the watchmaking sector, Europeans are not very present, right?
Pierre Quintard: Absolutely! Absolutely! The key is to master the elements we will integrate into a wide range of products, tools, etc. Indeed, there is a challenge in mastering this aspect, but of course, it must be widely implemented. Another point I would add is that once the tool is used and spread everywhere, every person wearing a watch, etc., will become a sensor. This means they will provide information about their environment, as well as health-related data.
Ali Laïdi: There’s an issue of sovereignty here, isn’t there?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Yes, absolutely!
Ali Laïdi: Your technology will move towards foreign players who, in turn, master watch technology. And we know who we’re talking about here: the digital giants of Silicon Valley.
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Absolutely! Data ownership, sovereignty over data, has become crucial. Today, we are asking the Middle East and Latin America to claim ownership of these data so they remain captive. And that’s a problem! If the data remain captive, we can no longer interact with them, so we cannot enrich the databases. In reality, there’s a debate about the balance between security and system improvement. For now, this hasn’t been resolved, but cybersecurity and data sovereignty are key aspects of our current reflection.
Ali Laïdi: So, Pierre Quintard, you invested in this company. Does it still need money to develop? It seems like it does, given its projects. Will this company remain French in the years to come?
Pierre Quintard: That’s the goal! We were talking about sovereignty. I think there are three key issues for us. The first is technological: How can we remain sovereign over this technology? We know very well that France and Europe have missed some technological trains, and I believe we have the opportunity to maintain and support technological leadership. Does it need money? Yes, of course! Things are evolving rapidly, and we need to expand, integrate, and continue to miniaturize, etc. So, to grow, we need money! Of course, we are looking for additional investments in addition to ours.
Ali Laïdi: WAM, is it a German fund?
Pierre Quintard: It’s a Franco-German fund, absolutely. It’s a European fund, and it primarily invests in European companies.
Ali Laïdi: Jean-Christophe, did you create the company?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Yes, absolutely. Is it important for you that it remains French?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Yes, absolutely! Because I think that beyond the question of sovereignty, the fact that human perception of odors, tastes, etc., is anchored in nature, in our nationality, as French people, makes sense. The world sees us as experts in perfumery, in odors, in food, and it’s only natural that this experience comes from a French company. It’s in our project, with the shareholders and myself, to ensure that this sovereignty over human perception remains national.
Ali Laïdi: What are the funding needs for the next steps, today?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: We’ve managed to raise about 14 million euros in the first rounds. We are seeking an additional 10 million euros to accelerate our commercial and technological development, notably to continue expanding our databases.
Ali Laïdi: Are you receiving help from the state in this regard? Are you supported?
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Absolutely!
Ali Laïdi: By the Public Investment Bank (BPI) and France 2030, etc., because it’s a technology they’re interested in.
Jean-Christophe Mifsud: Absolutely! BPI has been a great help and continues to support us in the development of tools, especially portable tools, that enable these contextual and portable analyses. That’s why BPI strongly supports us.
Ali Laïdi: When you go to China, Pierre Quintard, does that mean you have to accept Chinese investments in the company?
Pierre Quintard: No, not necessarily. I think the Chinese market has its own rules. What’s important for us is to protect our technology. We were talking about technological sovereignty and not missing a train, but there are also security and data aspects. We must not forget that we are creating new data, which will be very useful in many contexts. We’re talking, for example, about humanoid robots that will accompany our lives. They will need to sense and detect pollen or, in the future, even detect when your cake is burning in the oven. But beyond that, the data also has implications for health. There are also very sensitive issues, like GDPR, which could be very critical. And we’re not even talking about military applications…
Ali Laïdi: Thank you very much, gentlemen, for your answers. The Economic Intelligence interview is now over. Of course, you can find this program on France24.com, on our social media, and in our podcasts. Goodbye.”