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Published: 24 February 2023

AFAM CEO Xavier Wartelle (Li 82) seemed surprised but (obviously) very pleased when he was awarded in February with SOCE bronze medal.

Thierry Lucotte (Cl 177), la SOCE president, presented the medal to Xavier in Paris on February 10th.

Philippe LEFEVRE (Li 182), Pierre Tarissi (Ai 170) and Valérie Prulhiere (Li 87) congratulated Xavier on this achievement. Xavier has been AFAM CEO since summer 2020 and is successfully leading AFAM in its mission of helping gadz'arts community in the US.

All AFAM team and gadz community in the US joins la SOCE in congratulating Xavier Wartelle.

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Published: 24 February 2023

Giving back to your community: Interview with Jérémy Berros (Li 206), web 3.0 enthusiast

AFAM: Hello, Jérémy and thank you for your time and for agreeing to talk to us. We invited you to participate in our “Giving back to your community” interview series to  talk about your passion and how gadz’arts like you can share things with other members of our community. Last time we talked to you, you were a part of Pellenc Group as Battery Tools Director.

What has changed in your professional life since our last conversation?

Jérémy: Hi Albina. Thank you for having me on this interview series. Many things changed since we last talked. After 5 years creating and developing a new business for my company in California and along the West Coast, I recently relocated to Florida and opened a new branch to start developing the East Coast. Quite a challenge and very exciting at the same time.

AFAM: today you live and work in Florida, did you meet gadz’arts community there?

Jérémy: I have contacted a few gadz in Florida and on the East Coast mostly via LinkedIn and WhatsApp however I didn't get a chance to meet with them yet. I just arrived in Florida a few months ago, so meeting with new gadz online is the first step before getting a critical size to start meeting face to face.

AFAM: you are a part of WEB3.0/blockchain gadz’arts group, please tell me a few words about this group. What are you doing?

Jérémy: "Gadz in Blockchain" is a WhatsApp group of about 23 gadz involved one way or the other in web3 whether it's gadz building applications for industrials, domain names collectors, NFT enthusiasts aso. We are sharing our experience, knowledge and projects we are working on to get feedbacks. This is a new industry with a few tools and a lot to build so sharing in communities like web3 is a great way to learn about web3.

AFAM: as a web 3.0 enthusiast and as a professional “Finding Applications for Innovative technologies” (reading in your linkedin profile), what kind of applications do you see in Web 3.0? Do any of those applications can be helpful for our gadz community in the US?

Jérémy: To start with let's take a step back and give a quick definition of what we are talking about here.

Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a network. 

Web3 is the next generation internet built on the blockchain technology.  

Cryptocurrencies are fungible digital tokens that provide an economic incentive model for validating transactions that occur on a given blockchain.

Crypto Wallets are applications that provide users with a digital solution for securely storing and managing assets and cryptocurrencies on the blockchain. The obvious bridge between blockchain and traditional industries is applications in Finance. However many other Industries are taking advantage of this new technology from Healthcare to Supply-Chain.  

AFAM: some American well-known entrepreneurs, such as Jack Dorsey or Elon Mask argued that Web 3.0.  is just a buzzword, a marketing term. What would you say to them?

Jérémy: Well I don't know about that. What I know though is that Jack Dorsey left Twitter to build a Web3 decentralized social media network protocol named Notr.  

Regarding Elon Musk, his full tweet from 2021 was "I’m not suggesting web3 is real – it seems more a marketing buzzword than reality right now – just wondering what the future will be like in 10, 20 or 30 years. 2051 sounds crazy futuristic!" which was true back in 2021 and still is work in progress as of today even if there are already web3 applications used in many industries like finance, healthcare, IT. logistics...  Elon himself is promoting $DOGE and even accepted at some point cryptocurrency for purchasing Tesla EV cars.  

Generally speaking when people don't understand a new technology, they either discard it (think internet in late 90s) or dig deeper to understand what the underlying technology is. That was the case for Web1, Web2 and it is no different with Web3 in that sense.  

Another great thing with Web3 is the community. Which feels familiar for a gadz as for the most part web3 community is very welcoming and willing to share experience, knowledge and help you navigate in this new technology.

AFAM: Jérémy, what are the web 3.0 startups you are following and according to you that are revolutionizing the Web right now?

Jérémy: In a nutshell, Web 1.0 is the "read-only Web," Web 2.0 is the "participative social Web," and Web 3.0 is the "read, write, execute Web." Web3 being by definition the latest version of the Web so every company involved is here to revolutionize the space one way or the other with disruptive innovations.

AFAM: do you think finding ways to help the community, being sensible to community issues is something which is learned and taught at Arts et Metiers school? Do you or did you in the past help any non profit organization or projects in the United States or in France?

Jérémy: Over the last 7 years now in the US I've had an average of 5 students / year contacting me directly on various requests related to visas, universities, and job advice. I also helped in various organizations as a gadz including the 4L Trophy to provide supplies to associations like Enfants du desert in Morroco and Red Cross in France. Generally speaking, helping, sharing and supporting others is part of the Gadz DNA and there are a lot of similarities with the Web3 community.

AFAM: thank you, Jérémy

Jérémy: Thank you Albina

More about TOKEN and NFTs 100% gadz

NFT online event will be happening March 8th ( please follow the link if you are interested in participating)

token GadzArt https://app.manifold.xyz/c/gadzchain

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Published: 22 February 2023

 “Medi, Vidi, Vici” - new interview series regarding medtech sector

AFAM has recently published an interview with Carla Cornillon, biomedical engineering student at Biomedical Master 1 at Arts et Metiers.

After this interview appeared, the idea of interviewing alumni with biomedical engineering background and professional experience came to us.

Please meet our first interviewee Alexandre Becache (Bo 219), VIA (Volontaire International en Administration) in the French Embassy in Boston.

AFAM: Hello Alexandre and thank you for agreeing to answer my questions. You graduated from Arts et Métiers and hold a double master's degree in BioMedical Engineering from PSL and Université de Paris. Please tell us a few words about your interest towards biomedical. When did this interest appear?

Alexandre:  I think the project matured over my time in Arts et Métiers in Bordeaux. I was always interested in the health industry and heard about this research master program that was really appealing. I thought it was a great way to use the knowledge acquired in an industry that can save or improve lives.

AFAM: you have been working as Deputy attaché for Science and Technology in the French Embassy in Boston. Please tell us about your mission and how is it related to the biomedical field?

Alexandre: Our mission at the Office for Science and Technology is to foster French American cooperation on innovation matters, especially in academics i.e. between universities. It goes from organizing learning expeditions in Boston for French delegations to hosting startups seeking technological and R&D partnerships with companies or universities from New England (MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Tufts, Northeastern University…). Since the Boston area is a thriving place for biotech and pharma companies, a lot of subjects are related to my background in biotechnology which then comes very helpful.

AFAM: Boston in the US is considered to be one of the centers of biomedical engineering, research and innovation. Do you take advantage of being in Boston to advance your career in biomedical engineering?

Alexandre: Exactly, this opportunity was not-to-miss in that regard. I consider Boston the number one place to be for biomedical engineering so building a network here is highly valuable.

AFAM: Any biomedical startups in the US or in France you are following or/and have been impressed by recently? Why?

Alexandre: In the context of the NETVA program (www.netvafrance.com) which we are co-organizing, we will be welcoming three very innovative startups in the medtech sector: InSpek which develops a new sensor destined to bioprocesses companies, Myotact which builds a bracelet that aims at reducing phantom pain for amputees and Chipiron, a startup developing a new portable MRI machine that will change the way we perform medical imaging. I truly believe they are candidates to become the next unicorns !

AFAM: Boston is also a beautiful city. How do you spend your weekends, your evenings? Any cultural, social or sports events you’ve attended recently? Any hobbies you found interesting?

Alexandre: Boston is a very pleasant city, not as big as NYC and pretty walkable. On the weekends, I often visit NYC which is not far away or stay in Boston and join friends to our new HO: a pub where we can play pool. There are a lot of sports events in Boston, whether in football, basketball, hockey or baseball. I’ll be seeing the Celtics in a few weeks!

AFAM: in our Shasta program, we often help students interested in the biomedical field. What would you advise to these students who are willing to find an internship in the US?

Alexandre: pursuing a VIA, I can say that students from Arts et Métiers have a valuable resume when it comes to VIE/VIA abroad. One should really keep an eye on the Business France’s job listings platform and apply to as many as needed to maximize chances. VIE/VIA is a great way to obtain visa to come work in the US, where biomedical engineers jobs are filled pretty fast.

AFAM: Any future plans concerning your professional career you’d like to share with us?

Alexandre: I am doing a VIA (Volontaire International en Administration) which is a one-year contract that can be renewed one more year. I don’t know yet what I will do next, whether staying in the US (which requires a visa sponsorship) or going back to France. I’ll stay open to opportunities!

AFAM: Thank you for your time, Alexandre and have a wonderful day!

To join our Shasta internship program, please contact us

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Published: 30 January 2023

Traditional Galette des Rois took place on January 28th in Saratoga, CA. The galettes have been prepared by Aurore Prevot (Li 98) and the event was hosted by Yarith Phay (Bo 91) in Saratoga. More than 20 gadz'arts from the bay area, some of them - accompanied by their families - attended the event to meet each other.

The new West Coact group president Nicolas Horde (Ai 214) will be leading the group replacing Mattia Pelissou (Li 216).

Congratulations to Nicolas Horde on the new role. We hope to organize more nice events for the West Coast group in general and SF-based gadz group in particular!

Aurore Prevot, Nicoals Delporte, Aurelie Perez and Jean Prevot

Marc Amblard ( in the center), AFAM CFO with gadz'arts Nicolas Horde and Kevin Lanceplaine

Galette des rois is a kids-friendly event

Xavier Wartelle, AFAM CEO; Yarith Phay, AFAM Secretary; Nicolas Horde, West Coast group zident