2023-12-26 18:50:15
The young shoot continues to grow… The Auum company based in Châtillon has reason to see the glass as more than half full: the Seb group has just invested in this SME which produces a machine for washing and disinfecting glasses. the steam dries.
“We aim to support start-ups that have innovative projects. What Auum does quickly spoke to us,” explains Lorraine Schmitt, director of SEB Alliance, the investment arm of the household appliances group. Auum is the acronym for “Let’s Stop Single Use Now”.
The company founded in 2019 starts from a simple calculation: even if employees use glasses or mugs more and more frequently, there are still 5 billion cups thrown away each year in France, where with an average of three drinks per day, a company of 100 employees consumes nearly 66,300 drinks. And therefore, potentially as many disposable cups. From there the idea of the four founders was born: a device the size of a coffee machine. The user places their glass on a small platform. It is immediately detected and encapsulated before being cleaned and disinfected with water vapor at 140°C. Last step, drying.
A revolutionary technique that couldn’t be more in tune with the times. “We aim to support them, to open our doors to them,” continues Lorraine Schmitt. Seb is very present in the world of professional coffee. We therefore offer additional services. Moreover, at Seb’s headquarters, we already have several of their machines. » The idyll between the two entities therefore made sense.
3.2 million euros in turnover in 2023
Seb’s participation comes at a pivotal moment in the history of Auum. “We have just celebrated our thousandth machine,” rejoices Clément Houiller, one of the four co-founders of the company. We met with Seb’s leaders a few months ago. This all makes sense. »
Today, the amount invested by Seb remains secret. The only certainty, according to the group, is that “this is a very minority stake, as we do in other companies”. The objective is not to take control of the Châtillon SME. “They have industrial expertise in household appliances. We bring them the innovation and ecology dimension. In addition, we work on an identical technique, steam. So there are obvious bridges between us. »
The future together could result in technology transfers, reductions in the price of Auum machines, collaboration on certain products, etc. This operation should allow Auum to continue its growth. “We went from a turnover of 100,000 euros in 2021 to 1.6 million the following year then to 3.2 in 2023. In 2024, our objective is to double it! »
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