These 50 projects continue Leonard’s ongoing support for innovation, which has already backed 215 initiatives since 2017 in the construction, real estate, mobility infrastructure and energy sectors. Priority is given to addressing environmental challenges, the advancement of artificial intelligence, and industrial innovation.
“Leonard’s 2025 Cohort reflects the dedication of our innovation ecosystem to tackling the critical challenges in construction, energy, and mobility. In this context, the urgency of the ecological transition largely hinges on the ability of entrepreuneurial and agile players to propose bold and innovative solutions. The recent emergence of industrial start-ups signals a new phase of innovation for these sectors, expanding beyond software to hardware, particularly with next-generation materials and robotics. Leonard has positioned itself as a unique platform for fostering innovation, leveraging the complementary strengths of its internal and external programs”, says Julien Villalongue, Leonard’s Managing Director.
The 50 solutions selected for the 2025 cohort were chosen by a jury of VINCI experts and investors.
SEED: Eight Solutions Reflecting Trends in Construction and Mobility
Through the SEED program, Leonard supports startups from their inception through to fund-raising. In addition to financial support and workspace at Leonard:Paris, participants receive certified training (Stanford Center for Professional Development), guidance from VINCI Group decision makers to validate their project’s relevance, and access to a network of approximately 100 French and international investors.
8 startups have been selected to join the 2025 cohort. Based in France and the United States, these startups are developing solutions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of cities, infrastructure, and related sectors. Among the supported projects are: an online climate study software (enabling real estate players to analyze the environmental impact of their projects from the design stage), a thermal storage solution (based on the accumulation of ice to efficiently and sustainably produce, store and restore cooling), and a 3D hydraulic simulation software (to model and anticipate flood risks).
Startups supported under the SEED program will be put in touch with a network of alumni, a provider of strategic information on emerging technologies in VINCI’s business sectors.
Since 2019, startups in Leonard’s network have collectively raised €53 million and created over 200 jobs.
> Discover the selection of the 6th cohort of the SEED program
CATALYST: Ten Innovative Solutions Ready for Deployment
Through the CATALYST program, Leonard facilitates collaboration between VINCI companies and mature startups that address their operational challenges. Leonard offers these startups a “one-stop shop”: personalized project follow-up – from initial contact to contract finalization – and exclusive access to VINCI Group projects and decision-making bodies. International start-ups also receive assistance with establishing operations in France.
In 2025, the program will support 10 innovative companies from 5 different countries. The majority of these start-ups offer solutions tailored to the contracting and concession businesses, focusing on ConTech, predictive maintenance, infrastructure, and energy management.
Since its inception in 2019, the CATALYST program has expanded its reach to 13 countries, identified 52 innovative solutions, and facilitated the signing of 510 contracts, including 100 in 2024 alone. Collectively, the supported companies have raised a total of €900 million.
> Discover the selection of the 6th cohort of the CATALYST program
Intrapreneurs: Ten New Projects by VINCI Employees
Leonard’s Intrapreneurs program supports innovative projects initiated by VINCI’s employees and companies to foster the development of new activities within the Group’s business lines.
By 2025, the program will back 10 projects, most of which demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, aligning with the VINCI Group’s environmental goals. These initiatives focus on reducing the ecological footprint of construction projects, optimizing resource use, and enhancing energy efficiency.
Since its launch in 2017, the Intrapreneurs program has successfully driven innovation, resulting in the creation of 32 new VINCI activities and the development of over 100 projects.
> Discover the selection of the 9th cohort of the Intrapreneurs Program
AI: Fifteen New AI Application Projects Initiated by VINCI Companies
Leonard has launched a new cohort of the AI 2025 program and welcomes 15 internal projects that aimed at optimizing processes across VINCI’s business lines through artificial intelligence. The program stands out by its decentralized, structured approach and tailored support, designed to maximize the potential of AI technologies for VINCI teams by staying closely aligned with their field needs.
The program offers support to VINCI companies in key areas, including: resource management, operational efficiency, sustainable development and safety standards.
Over the past five years, the AI program has supported 60 projects across 12 countries.
The program will support 15 new projects in 2025, in four main areas of technology application:
- Reinforcement learning to optimize construction plans or intervention schedules, and more.
- Statistical analysis to anticipate infrastructure failures, characterize soil profiles or estimate financial variations.
- Feature detection in images to accelerate maintenance processes.
- Large Language Models (LLMs) for a wide range of applications, such as detecting inconsistencies in complex documentation, or interpreting construction plans or contractual documents.
> Discover the selection of the 6th cohort of AI Program
The New Scale Up! Program Supports 19 Finalist Projects of the VINCI 2024 Environment Awards
VINCI’s Environment Directorate, iin partnership with Leonard, has launched the Scale Up! program to provide comprehensive support to 19 finalist projects from the VINCI 2024 Environment Awards. This program offers tailored assistance, including project and financial management support, mentorship to refine the product’s strategic positioning within the value chain, and guidance on measuring the project’s environmental impact.
Through Scale Up!, VINCI demonstrates its commitment to driving transformative change by scaling local solutions to achieve global impact.
The selected solutions embody the three pillars of VINCI’s environmental ambition: acting for the climate, optimizing resources through the circular economy and preserving natural environments.
