Michelin and Scale Up Booster team up to fast-track OYA Urban Tree, a smart inflatable shade solution for cities and events

Michelin and Scale Up Booster have announced a partnership to accelerate the development and commercial roll-out of OYA Urban Tree, an innovative inflatable shading solution designed to combat extreme heat in urban areas and at large-scale events. The project builds on the Sombrero prototype, which has undergone successful trials in Toulouse and will begin deployment from summer 2026, with international expansion planned by the end of the same year. OYA Urban Tree is a large, inflatable shade structure capable of providing over 260 m² of coverage. Its lightweight design allows for rapid deployment and flexible, reversible installation without heavy infrastructure, making it suitable for public spaces and event venues where traditional shading solutions are impractical. The solution is the result of research conducted at the Michelin Innovation Lab and leverages the Group’s expertise in innovative materials, sustainable design, and industrial performance. To drive the project forward, Michelin selected Scale Up Booster to support the structuring of OYA Urban Tree’s entrepreneurial project, providing both human and financial resources to accelerate industrialisation, business model development, and commercial scaling. A dedicated start-up, OYA Urban Tree, has been launched in 2026 with a management team composed of entrepreneurs and industrial experts. The start-up will rely on Michelin’s ongoing support, including the involvement of the Sombrero founding team on its Advisory Board. To fund industrialisation and commercial roll-out, OYA Urban Tree is launching a fundraising campaign aimed at supporting its expansion in France and internationally. The goal is to launch the product on the market as early as 2026 and begin international deployment the same year, starting with Europe and the United States. Olivier Vuichard, Head of Innovation at Michelin, highlighted the rapid progress made by Scale Up Booster in transforming the prototype into a market-ready solution, praising their combination of industrial vision, business structuring, and international strategy. Albert Szulman and Michel Ktitareff, co-founders of Scale Up Booster, expressed pride in being chosen by Michelin to turn the prototype into a viable business solution, emphasising OYA Urban Tree’s potential to address global needs in adapting cities and events to extreme heat while creating new uses and value.