Open to students and recent graduates who hold the National Student Entrepreneur Status (SNEE), the PEPITE Award recognizes innovative startup projects, as well as business ventures that stand out for the creativity of their offerings or their social and environmental commitment.
Each year, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI) organizes this award, which serves as a major catalyst for supporting students in their business creation projects. The awards are presented to student-entrepreneurs based on three evaluation criteria: entrepreneurial mindset, the project, and the team.
Based on these criteria, awards were given to six projects, including one to Lounis LAKHAL (UTBM) and his brother for the COUNT’ACT project. This is an innovative digital security solution designed to make emergency evacuations in the workplace more efficient.
But that’s not all! The two brothers pulled off the remarkable feat of winning a second award on the same day: they took home the Bpifrance Talents des Cités Grand Prize! This award was created to recognize the initiative of entrepreneurs from priority neighborhoods and the startup ecosystem.

Congratulations!