67 NEW COMPANIES SET UP HOME IN NANTES AND SAINT-NAZAIRE IN 2020

Digital, healthcare, new energy sources, cultural and creative industries, nautical activities... 80% of the companies who found a new home with the help of Nantes Saint-Nazaire Développement in 2020 operate in one of our territory’s priority development sectors. A quarter of them stand out for their strong environmental and societal commitments.

The year may have been overshadowed by the pandemic and attendant economic crisis, but that did not prevent our territory from attracting and welcoming 67 new companies, creating a projected 1200 jobs over the next 3 years.

2020: 8 out of 10 new arrivals come from our priority sectors

Determined to attract and support businesses with high added value for the territory, the Nantes Saint-Nazaire economic development agency launched a new targeted outreach strategy in 2019. The primary objective of this new policy was to facilitate the arrival of projects in our priority development sectors: digital tech, marine renewable energies, healthcare, the cultural and creative industries and the nautical sector.

Of the 67 new establishments created in our territory in 2020, 80% belong to one of these priority sectors, compared with an average of 45% over the previous 3 years. This strategy is already paying dividends, especially in the new energy sector (renewable energy sources, marine renewable energies and new forms of propulsion), which accounts for 15% of these new arrivals.

The full sector-by-sector breakdown is shown below:
•    Digital technologies: 30 businesses and 364 jobs created within 3 years
•    Healthcare: 5 businesses and 566 jobs
•    New energy sources: 11 businesses and 106 jobs
•    Cultural and creative industries: 8 businesses and 21 jobs
•    Shipbuilding and nautical activities: 3 businesses and 25 jobs
•    Agri-food: 2 businesses and 15 jobs

Attracting environmentally responsible and engaged businesses

Among these newcomers to our territory, 16 stand out for the strong societal and environmental aspects of their work. Representing sectors such as the circular economy, the social economy, renewable energies, Green IT and social innovation, these businesses are testament to our territory’s increasingly ambitious support for eco-responsible businesses, committed to finding and deploying sustainable solutions to the great social and environmental challenges of our age. Examples include Hyseas, Terre Exotique, EOLFI, Alka Marine and the VDN Group, all working in the fields of renewable energies and sail-powered transportation.

“It’s important to highlight the significant increase in the number of renewable energy projects setting up home here, a sure sign that these emerging sectors are gaining momentum, and that our territory is increasingly becoming a benchmark in this domain. On a more general level, and especially in light of the current context, the fact that our territory has clearly staked out its position in support of CSR means that we are attracting more and more businesses whose impact in that field is positive, committed to making their work meaningful, for the benefit of their projects and their employees,” notes Nicolas Debon, Director of Nantes Saint-Nazaire Développement.

Examples of businesses supported in 2020:
•    Digital Tech: Digital4Better, Advens, Vectice, Pretto, Jobteaser
•    Healthcare: Doctolib, Alan, Professional Backstage
•    New energy sources: Kopadia, Alka Marine, Eolfi
•    Cultural and creative: Dinettes, Second Sew, 31/44 Architect
•    Nautical: Sea Up
•    Agri-food: Docteur Jonquille et Mister Ail, Huddle Corp, API restauration