Entrepreneur Spotlight: Timothée Bergeret

Solving Problems of Waste and Durability

Meet Timothée Bergeret, CTO and Co-founder of Infl8. “We created Infl8 to revolutionize the way in which brands operate and grow with air-based products. Being an alternative to plastic, metal, wood, and cardboard, Infl8 technology helps reduce human impact on the planet.”

Timothée started Infl8 with his partners Hugo and Thomas in 2021 and has since grown the company into a leading provider of air-based technology that combines properties of air and textiles to design highly protective and durable products.

🚴 The Inflatable Helmet: Bumpair

In the early days, Infl8 set out to create an inflatable helmet that could fit in a pocket, allowing cyclists to protect themselves anytime, anywhere. Timothée explains: “When we started the business, we discovered that the first reason why people are not wearing a helmet is simply because it's too bulky to carry around. Every bike rider should be able to have a helmet in their pocket.”

Despite initial skepticism, the team launched the Bumpair helmet—a compact, EU-certified solution providing exceptional protection. Along the way, they mastered the concept of "solid air"—air trapped in textiles that gives products remarkable durability and adaptability.

Timothée recalls: “What if we could use air as an alternative to traditional protective materials such as polystyrene, cardboard or wood?” This vision became the foundation for Infl8’s technology, enabling durable, long-lasting products that reduce waste.

💨 The Revolutionary Air-Based Technology

Timothée shares how their technology works:

“Pressurized air trapped in tailored and ultra-resistant textiles is highly protective when inflated and foldable when deflated. Air pressure can be adjusted with Infl8's signature valve. The deceleration value at impact in an object protected with a layer of pressurized air is up to four times greater than that of any other solid material.”

Infl8 products compress to cushion impacts and then return to their original shape, allowing for many reuse cycles. This extends product life and ensures maximum protection while enabling easy transport when deflated.

🎖️ Challenges and Triumphs

Like most startups, Infl8 faced early hurdles, particularly with certification tests. Timothée explains:

“Technically, the biggest challenge we experienced was passing the certification tests. We had to become experts on soft materials like fabrics and polyurethane, as well as sewing and plastic welding. From a market and product perspective, we needed to optimize the inflation systems—it had to be easy to use and available everywhere.”

Despite these challenges, Infl8 signed their first B2B deal within a year and delivered the first products about two years after the idea was conceived.

🤔💡 The Bold Move

A game-changing decision was positioning Infl8 as an ingredient-brand similar to Goretex. After 2.5 years of developing helmets, they realized they were mastering a new material—Infl8-Air. Air could replace plastic, metal, wood, and cardboard in many products, allowing for adaptable, shock-resistant, and high-performance designs.

🤝📚 Words of Wisdom

“No compromise on your product and test it as fast as you can with design and user tests.” Timothée emphasizes the importance of humility: “When you start out, you know nothing, but the market knows everything.”