Startup Studio

Justine Bonnot, from optimisation research to entrepreneurship

Date:
Changed on 05/01/2023
Justine Bonnot had a childhood dream of becoming an airline pilot. It is finally in entrepreneurship that she flourishes today. The researcher, who specialises in optimising the energy consumption of on-board systems, has created Quintech, a software tool for optimising on-board applications aimed at manufacturers. The startup is now accompanied by Inria Startup Studio.
Justine Bonnot
© Inria / Photo A. Crenn

How did you get into the world of research?

I got into research a little by accident, thanks to a research ‘discovery’ option I took during my engineering studies (I found the subject interesting, so I thought to myself, why not?) This same subject led to my thesis. I wanted to do something related to mathematics and I thought it would be fun to work on the theme of error in applications.

What then made you decide to go into entrepreneurship?

The frustrating aspect of research for me was the idea that my work may not be used. I wanted to feel my work was useful, and I firmly believe that the theme of my business project is an ongoing issue for companies. I decided therefore to use the basis of my work to respond to the needs of industry.

What are the focal areas of your work at present?

For my business creation project, I’m focusing mainly on its entrepreneurial aspect (looking for clients, understanding their issues and obtaining funding, etc.). That said, it’s important for me to maintain a strong link with research to ensure that the product we design provides an increasingly adequate response to industrial requirements. 

What are your long-term goals or ambitions?

My long-term goal is to help industrialists realise that we can develop efficient and greener embedded systems. The aim of my tool is to design a “tailored to need” system, which will avoid an unconsidered use of any available resources.

Doctor from the VAADER team of the IETR laboratory, Justine Bonnot published in 2019 a thesis in mathematics and ICST, entitled "Error analysis in the implementation of approximate calculations". Winner of the I-PhD competition in 2020, the researcher created Quintech, a software tool that allows the optimisation of applications integrated in embedded systems. The startup is now accompanied by Inria Startup Studio.