Start in France 2026: Two American Entrepreneurs Explore Grenoble Alpes’ Health Innovation Ecosystem
From September 28 to October 2, 2026, Grenoble Alpes welcomed two American entrepreneurs and researchers for a week-long immersion designed to explore scientific, clinical and business opportunities within one of Europe’s leading health innovation hubs.
Organized as part of Start in France – La Synapse, an initiative led by the Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States, the program introduced participants to Grenoble Alpes’ unique innovation ecosystem, where world-class research, healthcare excellence and industrial capabilities work closely together to accelerate innovation.
Ashley Galanti
Founder of AMG Detection, Ashley Galanti is developing a medical device capable of predicting epileptic seizures on average 20 minutes before they occur, helping patients better anticipate and manage potentially life-threatening events.
Tommy Krug
Tommy Krug is developing an innovative therapeutic approach that uses light-based technology to target and degrade vimentin, a protein known to play a key role in tumor progression and metastasis. Both entrepreneurs were selected by the French Embassy’s scientific services and chose Grenoble Alpes because of its internationally recognized expertise in healthcare technologies, semiconductors, medical imaging and translational research.
Discovering the “From Lab to Fab” Ecosystem
Throughout the week, Invest in Grenoble Alpes organized a tailor-made program enabling the participants to explore every stage of the innovation journey.
They met with more than 40 researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and innovation experts, gaining first-hand insight into how Grenoble Alpes supports breakthrough technologies from early research through clinical validation, startup creation and industrial deployment.
The program highlighted the complementary strengths of the local ecosystem through meetings with key innovation stakeholders including Medicalps, Lyonbiopôle, Minalogic, Cancéropôle CLARA.
Connecting with World-Class Research and Clinical Expertise
A major objective of the immersion was to identify potential scientific and technological collaborations.
Ashley and Tommy met researchers and experts from leading institutions including:
- Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
- CHU Grenoble Alpes
- CEA-Leti and Clinatec
- TIMC
- LPNC
- GIPSA-lab
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB)
- France Life Imaging
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS)
These exchanges showcased Grenoble Alpes’ internationally recognized expertise in neuroscience, signal processing, medical imaging, oncology and biomedical engineering.
Exploring Business, Regulatory and Market Access Opportunities
Beyond research, the entrepreneurs also explored the resources available to support the development and commercialization of innovative health technologies.
Discussions with startup support organizations (Tarmac Incubator, Medtech Industrial Campus), intellectual property specialists (Insight Contracts), funding experts (BPI and Benkei) and local entrepreneurs focused on market access (MD101) and creation of entity (Oriel).
Meetings with Grenoble-based companies such as Remedee Labs and Olfaktion also provided valuable feedback from entrepreneurs who have successfully developed health innovation projects within the ecosystem.
Experiencing Grenoble Alpes Beyond Innovation
The immersion also offered an opportunity to discover the territory’s quality of life and attractiveness for international talent.
Through exchanges with Transatlantia, the Grenoble Alpes Tourism Office and the Grenoble Alpes Hospitality Service, participants explored both the professional and personal dimensions of establishing a project in Grenoble Alpes.
From the historic city center to the panoramic views from La Bastille, the program illustrated why Grenoble Alpes consistently attracts international researchers, entrepreneurs and technology companies.
A Gateway to Future Collaborations
The week demonstrated the exceptional density of expertise available in Grenoble Alpes and the region’s ability to connect research excellence, clinical validation, technological innovation and industrial development within a single ecosystem.
For Ashley Galanti and Tommy Krug, the immersion created valuable connections and opened new opportunities for future collaborations in France.
For Grenoble Alpes, the program once again confirmed the territory’s position as a leading destination for international entrepreneurs looking to transform scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact.
Contact: info@investingrenoblealpes.com
