OUR STORY
From nuclear physics to worker comfort
OUR JOURNEY
It took fourteen years to turn an idea born in a laboratory into a concrete industrial solution.
Origins in Pisa, Italy
Giacomo Saccone begins his nuclear engineering studies at the University of Pisa. His early research focuses on active thermal management derived from nuclear reactor cooling - a challenge that nuclear engineers have been addressing for decades with millimeter-level precision.
Fundamental researchInternational space expertise
After Pisa, Giacomo continues his training at MIT, then joins the teams of ESA (the European Space Agency) and Thales Alenia Space. There he develops rare expertise in thermal management systems operating in the most extreme conditions imaginable: space. These principles, applied to satellites in orbit, would become the technological foundation of Tethys.
International R&DThe idea is born
A realization emerges during visits to industrial sites: workers endure the same thermal constraints as satellites in orbit - extreme heat, abrupt variations, prolonged exposure - without any truly effective wearable solution. If humanity can regulate the temperature of a satellite 400 km above Earth, it should be able to do the same for a welder in a foundry. The Tempesta project begins.
The visionFounding of Tethys
Tethys is founded in Biot (Alpes-Maritimes). International patent WO2024/141723 is filed, protecting the proprietary microfluidic architecture of the Tempesta vest. The first working prototype comes to life - a milestone that validates the technical principle under real industrial conditions.
Foundation Patent WO2024/141723The team forms & first pilots
Rebecca Martinelli, Claudia Turco, Juliane Bütow, and Christian Maldonado join Giacomo to form the 5-person founding team. The first field tests begin with demanding industrial partners: SNCF, GSF, Police Municipale de Mandelieu. The data collected helps refine the product and validate the measured gains.
DeploymentCommercialization & recognition
More than 35 pilot companies in production: ArcelorMittal, Eiffage, GSF, COLAS, La Poste... The Tempesta solution proves its robustness in the most demanding sectors. In October, Tethys wins the Innovation Award at Preventica Bordeaux 2025.
Market validation Prix Innovation Preventica 2025
GIACOMO
SACCONE
"If humanity can regulate the temperature of a satellite 400 km above Earth, it should be able to do the same for a welder in a foundry."
A graduate in nuclear engineering from the University of Pisa, further trained at MIT, Giacomo spent 7 years with the ESA and Thales Alenia Space teams designing thermal management systems for satellites in orbit. In 2023, he founded Tethys to apply these principles to a radically different use: thermal comfort for industrial workers.
Safety and health at work are a fundamental right.
- International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024
SAFETY
Heat stress kills and injures thousands of workers worldwide every year. Tempesta acts directly on the body's thermoregulation, reducing the risk of heat stroke, syncope, and accidents caused by thermal fatigue.
-20% accidents observedPERFORMANCE
An overheated worker is less efficient, less focused, and slower. By keeping body temperature within an optimal range, Tempesta helps maintain high productivity levels even in the most hostile environments.
+15% productivity observedDIGNITY
Behind every statistic are women and men who spend eight hours a day in conditions no one should have to endure. Every worker deserves a tolerable work environment. We treat that as an obligation.
100% field adoption observedTHE PEOPLE
BEHIND TETHYS
Founder & CEO
GIACOMO SACCONE
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
- Background: Nuclear engineering, University of Pisa + MIT
- Expertise: Active thermal management, reactor physics, microfluidic systems
- Career: ESA, Thales Alenia Space
- Role: Product vision, fundamental R&D, company strategy, investor relations
CTO
REBECCA MARTINELLI
Chief Technology Officer
- Background: Mechanical and microfluidic engineering
- Expertise: Microfluidics, advanced mechanical design, prototyping
- Career: ESA, Thales Alenia Space
- Role: Technical architecture of the Tempesta vest, international patent filing lead
Business Developer
STEPHANE FAUSSURIER
Business Developer
- Field: B2B business development and client relations
- Role: Supporting companies through their equipment projects, from first contact to deployment
CMO
JULIANE BÜTOW
Chief Marketing Officer
- Expertise: B2B marketing, brand strategy, industrial communication
- Field: Major industrial accounts, certification and compliance
- Role: Marketing strategy, key-account acquisition, international presence
BY THE NUMBERS
AWARDS &
SUPPORT
Distinction (Preventica Bordeaux 2025 Innovation Award) presented at the international occupational risk prevention trade show in Bordeaux.
Preventica Bordeaux - 2025Mentoring by Réseau Entreprendre, a network of business leaders who support founders of high-potential ventures.
Active mentorshipThe European Space Agency's incubator - a support program for startups developing space-derived technologies for terrestrial applications.
ESA Business Incubation CentreSelected and presented at the international Preventica Maroc trade show - North Africa's benchmark event for occupational safety and health. Opening of the MENA market.
Casablanca - November 2025International patent WO2024/141723 filed through the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) system - protection secured in 154 signatory countries for the Tempesta active microfluidic technology.
WO2024/141723 - 2024MADE IN EUROPE,
COMMITTED IN FRANCE
DESIGN &
MANUFACTURING
Tethys manufactures in Europe because we believe industrial quality and ethical traceability are incompatible with opaque supply chains.
INCLUSION &
SOLIDARITY
Tethys believes technology should serve people - all people. Our social commitment is reflected in the choice of partners who create value beyond the product.