Interview • Portraits • Testimonials • Members
"Today, we clearly see the importance and power of technology and we do believe scalable low-level software technologies can solve many electronics hardware problems"
Franck Courbon, CEO of Ethicronics discussed with us his recent win as Small Business of the Year at the Franco-British Business Awards 2024, the challenges of scaling a high-tech company in cybersecurity and semiconductors, and shared insights on the importance of Franco-British collaboration for innovation and growth.
You recently won the Small Business Award at our Franco-British Business Awards 2024—what does this victory mean for Ethicronics?
Winning the 2024 Franco-British Business Award for Small Business of the Year is a major milestone for Ethicronics. This recognition, awarded by an independent jury, highlights the strength of our mission and the potential impact of our technology in both the UK and France. As a company operating at the intersection of cybersecurity, semiconductors, and defence, this award is timely and solidifies our position as a world leader in hardware assurance. It also reinforces our belief in the power of Franco-British collaboration to drive innovation and resilience in critical industries. This recognition would have not been possible without many enablers in Cambridge/UK, French eco-systems and further with for instance a £2.5M UK-South Korea Collaborative Research & Development started project.
What do you believe were the key factors or strategies that led Ethicronics to be awarded Small Business of the Year?
Our success at the FBBA is the result of a combination of key strengths—our talented team of full-time employees, part-time employees and paid interns, cutting-edge technology, strategic partnerships with world-leading institutions, and our awarded projects in cybersecurity and semiconductors. Our vision is clear: to make electronics hardware security scalable starting with hardware assurance. Given the current geopolitical landscape, supply chain security is more important than ever. While we have built a solid foundation, we remain focused on continuous improvement, growing our team, and expanding impact/partnerships globally.
What challenges did you face while developing Ethicronics, and how did you overcome them?
The journey of Ethicronics has not been without its challenges. Two points though; first: it is very easy to look at what is not good enough (classic for a French CEO? Perhaps even more for someone from Saint-Etienne, a working city where humility can be a common trait) but many successes should be celebrated alongside the growth. We have not achieved all we want yet but we scale this year engaging additional talents and opening our capital for the first time. Second: If something is easy, the reward would most likely be minimal. As a solo founder, securing the right talent in a highly competitive market is difficult, especially when large tech companies offer substantial salaries in Cambridge and London. Many professionals are hesitant to leave the stability of large corporations for a startup environment. Overcoming this required resilience, strategic hiring, and securing recognition through community. grants and awards, proving that joining Ethicronics is not a risk but a rather unique opportunity to shape the future of scalable hardware security while being part of an ambitious, fun and fast-growing venture – which can be life changing for all involved.
What’s next for Ethicronics in the coming year? How do you see the industry evolving?
The coming year is critical for Ethicronics. We plan to strengthen our team by bringing in more full-time talent dedicated to impact-driven innovation. It will be enabled by additional industry support and business angels to secure £500k by 2026, this would smartly complements £930k awarded funding and £500k in-kind industry contribution. The industry is moving rapidly, with an increasing focus on supply chain resilience, cybersecurity, and semiconductor security. We aim to position ourselves as a key enabler of scalable hardware assurance, ensuring that businesses can trust the electronics they rely on -segment and product agnostic ! Given our electronics/hardware expertise, tools and available workforce, we are also replying to sollications to go beyond state of art in digital security (or any software/hardware of mutual interests) , solving real world problems while training the next generation of leaders.
As a Franco-British Business Award winner, you also gain Chamber membership—what are your expectations for the year ahead?
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that winning the FBBA also includes French Chamber of Great Britain membership. Team Ethicronics look forward to making the most of this opportunity, we are excited about strengthening Franco-British collaboration through the French Chamber of Great Britain. Today, we clearly see the importance of technology, and we believe that low-level software innovations can solve many hardware (security challenges at scale—France and the UK working together could be key to leading progress for good while supporting the local economies.
Ethicronics is a Cambridge-based deeptech company specialising in low-level software operating at the hardware interface to solve critical security challenges for trusted electronics. We are developing two core solutions designed to protect the integrity of hardware and data in sectors including defence, automotive, finance, telecommunications. £930k funded, Ethicronics is taking actions to bring more cash in (industry support/business angels/advance sales).