A NEOMA graduate but also an engineer, Lucie Derby is now at the head of a MedTech start-up under the name of Arterya. Her company has developed Blood’Up, a system enabling doctors to find arteries when they are taking blood. This medical act, although simple, causes pain to patients, so a solution had to be found. Lucie Derby recounts the innovation process.

What makes your product innovative? Blood’Up is a technology making it possible to map the wrist, indicate the position of the artery and therefore help medical staff to easily put the needle in the right place. There had been nothing like it on the market before. We know the Americans are researching it, and the Japanese are trialling solutions, but they are not very convincing. Without finding a new solution, you can use an ultrasound device, but it is not originally made for that.

Where did the idea come from? It came from my work placement at Sanofi. A doctor I know asked me to solve a problem he was having: every day, he has to put a needle into his patients’ arteries, but it is a complicated procedure. I am an engineer, he thought I might be able to find a technical solution to help him. Then I discovered that there was a real problem, and once I realised that, I devised a product.

 How does a good idea become a business? Before we launched our business, we talked to 150 doctors to be sure there was really a need for this. That is very important: 95% of start-ups fail or last less than 5 years, either because the product does not meet a real need, or because it arrives on the market too early. You have to ask yourself if it will really be useful.

Understanding the need on the ground is essential when you are an innovator. We made up a pool of doctors. Every other month, we tested our product on them, asked them what they thought of it, and made improvements to it. It was a bit like American-style ‘test and learn’, when failing doesn’t matter too much.

How does a business project become reality? What makes this happen? Once I’d thought up the first project, I entered a competition organised by Sanofi. Without much hope, to be honest. That first competition enabled me not only to discover the world of business, but it also forced me to challenge myself, to get data together, to put my ideas down on paper. You’re striving to be the best, so you have to outperform yourself. That makes you stop and think, and have a strategy. Our success in this competition then gave us credibility, and money to develop the project.

How did NEOMA help you turn your idea into reality? When I finished my studies, I wanted to continue on that pathway, I applied for the NEOMA incubator because I don’t know much about entrepreneurship. We went to San Francisco with the incubator to explore the world of entrepreneurship. That was incredible. It was total immersion into Silicon Valley, into the mindset of young companies. All of a sudden, I had structures and models to inspire me, I was able to say to myself, “That’s what starting a business looks like, those are the pitfalls to avoid.” It was a fantastic opportunity. Overall, the incubator have me loads of support, it meant I didn’t try to shoot off in all directions at once, and helped me construct a cash flow plan when I didn’t even know what that was.

So what’s new for Arterya and Blood’up in 2025? We’ve been going for 5 years now,  and we’ve raised a total of 2.5 million. Launching on the market is planned for next year. Clinical trials are ongoing; we’re currently waiting for results from the CHU (University Hospital) in Caen. The team has 10 employees, mostly in R&D.