About us
“ The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder. ”
Gilbert keith chesterton
At Asteria, we believe in building a movement that respects, learns from, and works with the living world.
Innovation should not come at the cost of our ecosystems. That's why we encourage every designer, creator, engineer and innovator to unlock the sustainability potential of life-inspired strategies.
Asteria is the platform that connects problem-solvers with Earth's unique biodiversity, empowering them to turn life’s strategies into tomorrow’s solutions.
+ 10 000 000
estimated species on earth
+ 2 000 000
species have been described by scientists
from wonder to sustainable innovation.
Asteria was born from the idea that with proper guidance and tools, biomimicry can be a powerful and competitive way for every innovation-driven professionals to design a thriving, sustainable future for generations to come.
Eliot Graeff, CEO @asteria, February 2024
Biomimicry : shaping imagination to make the desirable possible
a joint effort
Powered by Anima and Ceebios: a collaborative vision
Asteria is the result of a unique collaboration between Ceebios, a leading expert in biomimetic research and innovation, and Anima, a visionary venture studio specialising in biomimicry. Together, they combine scientific rigor within creative exploration to unlock the transformative potential of nature in modern engineering and design.
Discover more about the co-founders behind Asteria:
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM
Experts in AI,
biomimicry and design,
led by passionate co-founders.
Dr. Eliot Graeff
CEO and co-founder of Asteria, Eliot is a life science engineer and holds a PhD in biomimetics. Passionate about understanding, teaching, and applying bio-inspiration, he coordinated the biomimetic methodology department at Ceebios until 2024 and served as a scientific advisory member of the European Nature4Nature program.
Today, he drives Asteria’s mission as a committed, science-driven company delivering concrete solutions to support ecological transition and foster a desirable future.
Nikolay Tchakarov
CTO and co-founder of Asteria, Nikolay is passionate about technology and fascinated by nature.After a career in London using machine learning to predict financial markets he discovered biomimicry at Ceebios and recognized the opportunity AI offers to leverage its principles and scale its application.
Today, he drives Asteria's technological vision using cutting-edge solutions to translate nature's brilliance into real-world sustainable innovation
Florence Durillon
As an impact entrepreneur and agro-engineer, Florence focuses on turning vision into action while fostering resource efficiency and team culture. Co-founder of Graapz, a food waste startup sold to Phenix in 2019, she helped save millions of meals annually.
Florence later joined Sandra as a COO of Glowee where she discovered biomimicry and is now sharing her expertise at the intersection of operations and finance for Asteria through her co-founding role of Anima.
Sandra Rey
As a deeptech and bio-inspired entrepreneur and designer, Sandra is passionate about leveraging nature to address climate change. Founder of Glowee, a globally awarded pioneer in biological lighting, she has spent a decade driving sustainable innovation.
Co-founder of and CEO of Anima, the studio behind Asteria, she supports Asteria’s executive team. As Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, international speaker, and President of the French National Design Council, Sandra support founders through their rollercoaster journey.
Nicolas Morand
Driven by a passion for understanding user needs, Nicolas entered the product world through design. After seven years at Lunii, fostering children's imagination with interactive audio fiction, he joined Asteria to lead product creation with a user-centered and impact-driven approach.
Inspired by diverse cultures, poetry, and nature, he blends these influences into an iterative process to create meaningful and lasting impact.
Jonas Bennis
As a former INP Toulouse engineer, Jonas began his career in Product Management before transitioning to software development to delve deeper into technical aspects. As a Software Engineer, he gained experience working with Parisian startups.
Driven by the belief that technology is a powerful tool for addressing societal challenges, Jonas now dedicates his technical expertise to serving the greater good.
Solène Sabel
Driven by a desire to create meaningful connections, Solène began her career in a corporate foundation, collaborating closely with mission-driven associations. This experience nurtured her passion for teamwork, active listening, and social impact.
She later joined an innovation consultancy as a Customer Success Manager, guiding major clients through innovation challenges with empathy and a results-oriented mindset. At Asteria, Solène brings her energy and user-centered approach to building impactful experiences at the intersection of innovation, humanity, and purpose.
Cassandra Delage
As an industrial entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience, Cassandra is passionate about turning hardware innovation into real-world impact. Founder of Plast’if, a circular economy startup converting plastic waste into new objects via in-house 3D printing, she led the company from concept to industrial deployment.
At Asteria, she brings her expertise sales strategy and methodology to help scale Asteria’s business model and impact.
Dr. Léo Hemamou
As a Computer Science PhD from Université Paris-Saclay, Léo began his journey exploring human-AI interaction and multimodal behavior analysis, in collaboration with Telecom Paris and the startup Easyrecrue. He later deepened his expertise in applied AI through industry roles at ICIMS and Sanofi, focusing on NLP for talent acquisition and pharmaceutical research.
Passionate about the real-world impact of deep learning, Léo now brings his skills in NLP, interpretability, and multimodal AI to Asteria, where he contributes to developing bio-inspired design tools that bridge science and innovation.
Alexandre Cadain
As a serial entrepreneur and investor in AI and impact technologies, Alexandre partners through Aleph studios (Anima, WorldGame, Alien) with bold founders to build leading impact companies. Alexandre is also the co-founder of Worklib.io, Europe’s leading platform for flexible workspaces, he also co-founded AlphaStar, investing in conscious tech ventures.
With roles at Hyperloop TT, contributions to AI FOR GOOD, and teaching at HEC Paris, Alexandre excels at turning vision into impactful action.
We’re hiring !
Our team is growing fast and we’re always looking for talented, committed, passionate people.
Supported by
Scientific Advisory Board,
multidissciplinary experts.
Pr. Jian-Sheng Sun
Biophysicist and distinguished professor at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), Jian-Sheng has led a dual career across academia and biotech. After 27 years at CNRS and MNHN studying DNA structure, damage and repair, he served as CEO and chairman of DNA Therapeutics, developing a first-in-class anticancer drug targeting DNA damage signaling pathways. Since 2023, he contributes to SOUND (Sorbonne University for a New Deal), promoting holistic health approaches (One Health) to address societal and planetary challenges.
In 2025, he took responsibility for the French National Biodiversity Data Hub (PNDB), a key platform for biodiversity data integration and analysis within the national Data Terra infrastructure. At Asteria, Jian-Sheng brings deep scientific insight into life’s mechanisms and large-scale systems thinking to inform nature-inspired innovation.
Tarik Chekchak
Scientist and explorer, Tarik is known for bridging biology with other disciplines to foster systemic change. Former Director of Science and Environment for the Cousteau team, he led pioneering projects in marine and coastal management.
Since 2018, he has been Director of the Living Systems Strategy Division at the Institute for Desirable Futures, promoting transformative innovations inspired by living systems. An expert in biomimicry, CSR, and regenerative design, Tarik supports Asteria to accelerate transitions at the intersection of nature and technology.
Pr. Kristina Wanieck
As Professor of biomimetics and innovation at Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Kristina explores the theory and methodology of biomimetics, its ties to sustainable development, and its role in a value-based economy.
Her work bridges science, ethics, and innovation to support systemic transitions. As part of Asteria’s Scientific Board, Kristina contributes her vision to ensure biomimicry drives meaningful and responsible innovation.
Dr. Thomas Wolf
Thomas is the co-founder and CSO of Hugging Face. As a physicist and AI researcher committed to open science. He created widely used tools like the Transformers and Datasets libraries, and launched initiatives such as BigScience and BLOOM to democratize AI research.
With a background in quantum physics and intellectual property law, he combines scientific depth with real-world applications. As a member of Asteria’s Scientific Board, Thomas contributes his expertise in AI and innovation to bridge advanced technologies with nature-inspired approaches.
Guillian Graves
Designer and educator, Guillian is founder of Big Bang Project, an agency fostering collaboration between designers, engineers, and scientists to develop bio-inspired solutions. He leads the Nature-Inspired Design Master's and the Phusis Lab at ENSCI-Les Ateliers, and collaborates with the Centre de Recherche en Design (ENSCI & ENS Paris-Saclay).
His work, showcased in over 300 conferences and 21 cities worldwide, from the Centre Pompidou to the New York Design Week, is recognized in media such as Wired, Le Monde, and Vogue’s 2024 list of top 100 innovators. As a board member, Guillian brings Asteria his creative vision at the crossroads of design, science, and sustainability.
Dr. Kalina Raskin
Managing director at Ceebios, Kalina is a chemical physicist from ESPCI ParisTech and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Sorbonne University. Dedicated to biomimicry since 2011, she has led Ceebios' development since 2013, pioneering its use as a tool for ecological transition.
A recognized educator, advisor, and international coordinator, Kalina champions France's leadership in reconciling biodiversity, innovation, and economy for a sustainable future.
COllaborate
with nature
Forward-thinking
We commit to staying relevant and leading through innovation. We are ambitious, bold, visionary and creative.
Empowered
We empower our audience by providing them with the confidence they need to take control and make impactful decisions.
Grounded
We are rooted in reality and scientific rigor, providing practical solutions and maintaining a down-to-earth approach.
Principled
We uphold rigorous ethical standards and values. We commit to ensuring integrity and honesty in every action.
