Pierre Bellagambi and Simon Lillamand, two young entrepreneurs from the south of France, were long-standing business partners with complementary professional backgrounds. They started taking an interest in mosquito control in 2012.
After the publication of a scientific article by Dr Poulin on humid areas and how mosquitoes are controlled within them, they started to consider the catastrophic impact current methods to control mosquitoes on a large scale have on the environment. The arrival of the tiger mosquito in France only confirmed their concern. So they decided to develop an efficient solution for controlling mosquitoes which respected the environment.
From the initial attempts in the garage of Simon's grandfather to the first operational prototypes, numerous tests were carried out and the model continued to be improved. The entrepreneurial duo then presented the fruit of their research to the Centre de recherche de la Tour du Valat and the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, which, conscious of the environmental impact of such a solution, provided the project with their technical support. In 2014, a patent was filed and the Techno-Bam company was created.
In 2015, 16 anti-mosquito traps were installed in the pilot village of Sambuc (a Natura 2000 protected area) in Camargue. The results confirmed how efficient the solution could be on a large scale. The experiment resulted in an 88% fall in the number of mosquitoes!
Double Innovation Award at the Las Vegas CES!
Since its beginnings at the Cleantech start-up hub in Aix-en-Provence, Qista has been accepted onto the Green Tech Verte initiative run by the Ministry for Ecological and Socially Responsible Transition and continues to be recognised for its innovation. For the 2 young entrepreneurs the 2018 Las Vegas CES was an accolade with 2 awards for the connectivity and real-time monitoring of the anti-mosquito trap. However, prior to that they had already crowned their success with 1st prize at the 2018 World Efficiency, the Med’Innovant 2017 prize awarded by Euroméditerranée and la Cité des entrepreneurs, and other prestigious awards.
These awards led to encounters which were essential for the development of Qista, particularly with the Environment Ministry.
Pour le plus grand soulagement de ses administrés, la ville d’Hyères s’est équipée pour l’été 2019 de 157 bornes anti-moustiques disposées stratégiquement dans les quartiers les plus infestés.
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