How startup Phigi hopes to disrupt the industry

Rémy Tribhout runs the start-up Phigi since 2022. It develops a "phigital material". A kind of revolutionary clay, both physical and digital. Physically, it is microbeads equipped with "the world's smallest computer" and solar sensors. The beads bond together thanks to static electricity. It will be possible to model any kind of object by hand, which will simultaneously be modeled on a computer. The reverse is also possible. Any object created on the computer will then take physical shape through the movement of the beads. Even if the computer is in one country and the microbeads are in another. Rémy Tribhout hopes to convince manufacturers of the usefulness of Phigi, especially at the mock-up and prototype stage.

Not yet mature 

The technology is still immature. The Numerica startup is working with the Femto ST lab to develop what might be called "programmable matter." Among other things, the laboratory is working on "the algorithms used for these little beads". At the age of 30, Rémy Tribhout's curriculum vitae is already well filled. He holds a DUT in communication services and networks from the University of Paris, an engineering diploma in computer science and networks from INSA Toulouse, and a certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from HEC Paris.

He worked for 4 years as a systems engineer at Thales, "as an expatriate, designing and deploying the second line of the Panama metro", before working for 3 years as a research engineer at Femto-ST. The link with Femto-ST in Franche-Comté is no coincidence. To realize his project to develop a programmable matter, he needed to work with the best. In France, that was Julien Bourgeois, a researcher at Femto-ST. "He was recommended to me as the most advanced researcher in the world in this field. And he replied that he would like his work to have an impact on society.

The next step is to create a start-up and get closer to the world of industry. The problem is that the technology, while promising, is not yet mature enough to be supported financially by certain specialized organizations. For a while, Rémy Tribhout forgot about microbeads and focused on Blinky Blocks. Larger cubes using a similar, more mature technology. This allowed him, Femto-ST and Julien Bourgeois to set a Guinness World Record (in 2021, to be ratified in 2022) for the largest number of blocks assembled in a single structure. It's an eye-catcher, especially for an investor. "He told us he was interested in marbles. It was good of him to get us started. 

600,000 in regional aid

This is how Phigi was born in 2022, before being incubated by DECA-BFC. Phigi then joined the Mattern Lab in Sochaux in March 2022. This promising company received two rounds of regional innovation funding worth €600,000. This will allow Phigi to grow from 1 to 4 employees. "We want to go up to 6." In the meantime, the small team based in Montbéliard is working on the technology every day. In addition to Rémy Tribhout, Amine Chafik, Romain Catry, Hanae Azeroual and Claire Muthui hope to develop a first beta version in 2027-2028. 

All financial support is welcome. "We are looking for patrons, business angels, investment funds or a France 2030 grant. And we need industrialists to tell us they're interested.