Meet Baptiste Arati, selected in the third call with his project DEMAKE electronics.
Tell us briefly about yourself and your background!
My academic background is in materials chemistry, with a Master’s degree in aerospace materials and a PhD focused on next-generation encapsulation for power electronics. Throughout my career, I have developed an international research profile with cross-disciplinary expertise in chemistry, materials science, electrical engineering and statistical reliability. I have taken part in numerous projects aimed at bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application, mainly in the field of advanced materials for the aerospace sector.
I began my career as a project engineer working on the replacement of hexavalent chromium in aeronautical surface treatments, and later contributed to developments related to the joining of composite materials and titanium for lighter aircraft propulsion systems. I subsequently carried out my PhD with Mitsubishi Electric, focusing on self-healing materials for electronics, before joining IRT Saint-Exupéry as a research engineer, where I worked on the transition to lead-free soldering for aerospace applications. I later initiated new projects and helped steer the technological roadmap towards sustainable electronics.
I am a chemist by vocation and have always regarded chemistry as a fundamentally circular science. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to contribute to the design of research programmes dedicated to the development of cleaner materials and more sustainable energy conversion systems. At that stage, I realised that I had the necessary expertise to address the sustainability of electronics in a comprehensive way, but also that there was still no clear solution in this field. For this reason, and at a time when my professional circumstances no longer matched my expectations and I had the right context to take risks, I decided to pursue these ideas directly through an entrepreneurial project.
How did you find out about SCAIRA?
I first heard about the SCAIRA project from my former PhD supervisor, Gilbert Teyssedre, Research Director at the CNRS, as I had been very involved in the field of sustainable engineering and he knew I was looking for new opportunities. The project attracted my interest for two main reasons. On the one hand, the consortium has a strong industrial presence, particularly from partners in sectors with which I had already been in contact or that operate in areas I know well. I considered the challenges addressed to be ambitious and reflective of a shift in the needs and technological direction of major end users. This was a key factor, as the DEMAKE initiative requires solid support from industry in order to be relevant.
On the other hand, the acceleration programme was relatively short in duration, focused on the geographical area in which I live, and offered appropriate support for early-stage start-ups. This meant that the launch of my company could take place within the period during which I was still eligible for public salary compensation, while also benefiting from up to an additional year of financial support to begin generating recurring cash flow. Overall, the conditions matched my needs well.
What stage is your start-up currently at?
From the perspective of its structuring, this start-up is still only an idea. It does not yet formally exist, and my intention is to use the programme to ensure the best possible launch. I will probably need to begin earlier under a self-employed researcher status in order to respond to urgent requests expected around June 2026.
From a thematic and positioning perspective, however, the project is becoming increasingly well defined and is attracting growing interest, with several organisations already asking about the expected timeline for the creation of the company. The technical approach appears to stand up well to an overall assessment, and the need is clearly identified within the community. Although the company does not yet exist, I have already identified a number of potential partners interested in different phases of the project: some more focused on intellectual development and others on the dismantling operations themselves, which are planned for later stages if the company manages to consolidate over time.
What is the nature of your project, and what problem does it aim to solve?
The DEMAKE project aims to promote the circularity of electronic products by establishing a structured roadmap towards a genuinely circular economy. The core principle is to develop a value chain capable of dismantling and reassembling electronic devices, supported by the development of a key technology for the recycling of electronic encapsulation materials. This technology has already been developed in different parts of the world, but has not yet consolidated as a market in its own right. The solution proposed by DEMAKE focuses on high-performance recoverable electrical insulation, making it possible to remove several technological barriers that currently limit the circularity of electronics.
The main benefits of this approach are as follows:
- Greater durability and repairability in encapsulated electronics, reducing the need for replacement.
- Controlled dismantling for the recovery of critical materials, strengthening technological sovereignty and supply chain resilience.
- Support for the development of new electronic architectures (modular designs, detachable layers, etc.).
The timeline has not yet been fully defined, but the overall vision of DEMAKE is to achieve financial sustainability at each stage, depending on the success of the previous phase:
- Within less than two years, I expect to generate sufficient income from consultancy activities to sustain my work on a continuous basis as a self-employed professional.
- Within less than five years, I plan to establish my own laboratory dedicated to the development and testing of client products in small series, with a focus on generating patents on materials and processes that will help consolidate a strategic position in this field.
- Subsequently, the company could become fully integrated into multi-partner collaborations addressing specific product families, incorporating small-scale industrial capabilities as a supplier.
- In the longer term, these methods could achieve widespread acceptance and eventually be adopted as standards.
Which SCAIRA services have you chosen?
Service 1: Legal and administrative training for the creation of start-ups.
Service 2: Intellectual property training.
Services 3 and 4: National public funding opportunities for start-ups and green innovations.
Service 13: Preparation of the project for presentation to industry and investors, including registration on LOOM.
Service 11: Preparation of the business plan and the Business Model Canvas.
Service 10: Marketing and corporate communication.
Service 14: B2B meetings between start-ups and industrial companies, and B2F meetings between start-ups and investors.
What are your short-term objectives during the acceleration programme?
In the very short term, I expect the acceleration programme to help me better structure the project, as this is my first start-up. I also particularly value the support provided in the form of expert guidance in these areas. The involvement of industrial partners, especially from the aerospace and automotive sectors, is equally valuable for analysing the project from a critical perspective and providing direction on the most appropriate courses of action.
By the end of the programme, the objective is to have a solid legal structure in place, together with clearly defined strategies in terms of patents and funding. In addition, having some basic communication assets available, such as a website, a LinkedIn profile and a logo, will also be highly beneficial.
Who is your target market and what customer need are you addressing?
From a general perspective, DEMAKE is aimed at customers who require greater control over electronic encapsulation technologies and materials. This places the project within the field of high-value electronics, particularly among end users concerned with the management of costly devices such as chips, printed circuit boards, motors, batteries and photovoltaic systems, among others.
One of the most relevant target sectors is the automotive industry, which will progressively assume greater responsibility for managing its products at the end of their service life. Manufacturers are already required to have end-of-life vehicle treatment plans in place, and the electrification of the sector is reinforcing this need year after year.
Another sector, less demanding from a regulatory standpoint but perhaps more accessible in an initial phase, is aerospace and defence, which is expected to continue benefiting from certain regulatory exemptions for a longer period. It also presents other important drivers, such as strengthening supply resilience and reducing material losses during production processes.
What challenges do you identify today?
At this stage, the main challenge is to launch the project, define the most appropriate start-up strategy and develop a plan to reach the various planned milestones. Part of this work is already underway through several initiatives and within the framework of this acceleration programme, but much remains to be done, particularly with regard to the transition between the different development phases.
In the medium term, the challenge will be to establish strong partnerships with companies willing to explore new ways of manufacturing electronic products. To achieve this, DEMAKE needs to demonstrate its value and consolidate its presence in the electronics market, which is particularly difficult to access. In this context, the objectives must be structured around two main pillars: technological positioning and market presence.
On the one hand, DEMAKE must operate in a technological environment that is strongly protected by patents, either by developing new research lines or by securing exploitation rights for specific technologies. Funding for innovation and patent generation will be a key factor in the company’s viability.
On the other hand, DEMAKE must position itself in a context in which many companies claim to implement circular or sustainable practices. Being well represented in the appropriate forums and having the capacity to engage effectively with stakeholders will be essential to promote actions with real impact. Through its own solutions and a suitable collaborative environment, the provision of technical advisory services can help companies understand how they can benefit from these changes and how DEMAKE can support them in this process.
Subsequently, DEMAKE may evolve from consultancy activities towards development and eventually production, driving this transformation together with them.
Do you already have a team?
For the time being, I am working on my own, as I do not yet have the resources required to build a team. The first milestone of this project is to establish myself as an independent actor in this field and to assess the level of involvement that partners and investors may be willing to commit. I have a number of contacts who may be interested in sharing facilities and experimental capabilities as support during this phase. From there, the acquisition of dedicated equipment and the creation of a working team could be considered. This will be a key moment in the transition from consultancy activities towards the development of in-house operational capabilities and will require more detailed analysis.