The market
A region marked by the press industry
With more than 5,000 jobs at the heart of the Rennes Métropole, the cultural and creative industries sector has significant economic clout. It comprises several components: performing arts, architecture, cinema and audiovisual, focused around research by the b<>com Institute of Research and Technology.
In addition to heavyweights like Technicolor, there are emerging start-ups like Lamark, who were discovered by French Tech, and schools like Créative Seeds.
The area has a particular focus on the press and photography sectors due to the presence of the Sipa Ouest-France Group, which publishes the top daily newspaper in France.
Other sectors are emerging, like video games and the company Blacknut, which recently raised €2.4 million, and also Stunfest, the first independent gaming festival in France.
Key figures
- 5 100 jobs
- 549 establishments
- 3.12% of salaried employment
The success story
3D Sound Labs, the global success of its surround-sound
A former employee of Technicolor, Xavier Bonjour, created 3D Sound Labs with Renaud Segier, from Central Supelec, and Dimitri Singer. Together, they invented an audio headset that provides surround-sound, ”which is significant with regard to the development of augmented and virtual reality” explains the co-founder. The product is mainly available in the form of software that can be integrated into applications.
Discovered at the CES trade fair in Las Vegas in 2015, its development has been greatly accelerated with almost 15 employees currently and international expansion into around 20 countries in order to work ”with major companies in the USA and Asia”. However, the company is still based in Rennes, which has the ”necessary pool of engineers”.
The business story
Gaspard Breton – Dynamixyz
- No.1 in the world for motion capture systems
- Only company to offer multicamera facial analysis software
- Two competitors worldwide
- No.1 thanks to R&D and innovation
- 10 employees
- Over 98% of revenue generated internationally
- Ambition : To strengthen their position as leader in their principal market and to tackle new markets
The key place
Technicolor bases its research in Rennes
Rennes is home to the largest research and development centre Technicolor have anywhere in the world, reflecting the region’s work on image and sound.
This is an 18,000-m2 unit constructed in the Breton capital because ”the local ecosystem meets our requirements” notably ”with regard to research” explains Jean-Dominique Meunier, Vice-President of the company.
It is currently home to 500 researchers and engineers in the first HQE-certified commercial building in Brittany. One of whose main features is its central campus which ”aims to be a meeting place for the teams and also for the ecosystem”.
Events by Orange, the Rennes Atalante technology cluster and national symposiums are also regularly hosted here.