Hajer Saoudi

Runner Up Emerging Entrepreneur Award

I am the founder of Actifs Précieux by Apyrion, a green tech company based in Tunisia & Lyon that fuses ancestral botanical wisdom with cutting-edge CO₂ extraction. Our mission is to unlock the living intelligence of plants through science, sensitivity, and circular innovation. We work with plants in their fresh state, capturing their most subtle and volatile components, those that usually vanish in traditional drying or distillation processes. This allows us to preserve not only their molecules, but also their aromatic soul, energy, and freshness. Our approach is rare and radical. By combining CO₂ technology with a deep respect for natural rhythms, we create extracts that are sensorially powerful and emotionally resonant. At the same time, we valorize co-products; like neroli distillation residues, orange peels, or cocoa shells, transforming what is often discarded into high-value, zero-waste ingredients.

Actifs Précieux is more than a laboratory. It is a movement rooted in local ecosystems, feminine leadership, and regenerative thinking. We train and employ rural women, protect biodiversity, and operate with transparency and intention. Our work challenges the conventional extractive models of beauty and fragrance industries by placing care, circularity, and sovereignty at the heart of innovation.

This award would recognize a new kind of entrepreneurship; one that is visionary yet grounded, scientific yet intuitive.