Six students from NEOMA Business School and AgroParisTech are tackling some of the key challenges facing today’s agricultural and food systems — especially those linked to sustainability. Their solution? A little-known cereal grain called millet. Their goal is to transform this resilient crop into a high-protein, minimally processed, gluten-free ingredient for the food industry.

1/ Where it all began

As part of the final module of the Masternova* programme — a joint Master’s in agro-industries and bio-industries innovation offered by NEOMA and AgroParisTech — students are asked to design and develop a startup idea within the agri-food sector. It was in this context that the Protéanova project was born.

The idea came from team member Allan Leconte, the son of a farmer, who proposed exploring millet’s potential. So what is millet, exactly? Often overlooked and stored away in forgotten granaries, millet is a resilient cereal crop that requires very little water or chemical input — making it perfectly suited to today’s environmental challenges.

The vision behind Protéanova is to turn millet into a functional ingredient rich in natural protein — an alternative to certain food additives — offering texturising, emulsifying, or flavour-enhancing properties in a more natural and sustainable form. The product is designed to be minimally processed, gluten-free, and aligned with the needs of the modern food industry.

*The Masternova programme (or Mastère Spécialisé® Masternova) is a one-year, work-study specialised Master’s jointly delivered by NEOMA Business School and AgroParisTech. It prepares students to lead innovation in agro-industries and bio-industries

2/ From concept to reality: project calls, funding, and incubation

The student team jumped into the project with a clear goal: to develop a proof of concept by the end of the year. “To make it happen, we needed access to proper lab facilities — and that requires funding,” they explain.

Their first move was to apply for support from the AgroParisTech Foundation in November 2024. A smart decision: they won the “Maturation” category and received €4,000 in funding. That initial boost helped them structure the project and push it further.

Since then, they’ve joined two major incubation programmes:

• The Shaker programme at Genopole, a biocluster bringing together biotech researchers and entrepreneurs. The programme gives selected teams 24/7 access to a laboratory for six months to work on their proof of concept.
• The Food’InnLab incubator at AgroParisTech, which focuses on ingredient testing and characterisation. It’s part of a wider network of AgroParisTech incubators dedicated to innovation in food.

3/ A Bold Ambition

With these resources, the team is running fermentation tests to identify which process produces the most functionally promising form of millet — optimising for texture, taste, emulsification, and other key properties. They’re also conducting market research to identify real-world industrial applications.

But the students aren’t stopping there. Their ambition is to build an entire value chain around millet — from farming through to finished ingredient — creating a new market and delivering added value for French farmers.

*The Protéanova team includes students from AgroParisTech and NEOMA: Tess Bachaud, Claire Dehuysser, Thibault Desbois, Arno Dignan, Sophie Fouché, et Allan Leconte.