Jean Michel Karam. Jean Michel Karam (born in 1969) is an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur, working across the fields of microelectronics, telecommunications, Information Technology, mobile device repair software, hardware engineering, and cosmetics.

Education 
Karam was born in Lebanon. He was the third of four children. His father was in the army before going into business.

He moved to France in 1990 to study and received an Electrical Engineering degree in 1993 from the Ecole Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Electrotechnique et Electronique de Paris (ESIEE Paris) and a master's degree in Microelectronics from the Université de Paris VII. In 1996, he received a PhD in Microelectronics from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG).

Career 
In 1994, he began his career as a research engineer at the TIMA-CM (Techniques de l'Informatique et de la Micro-électronique pour l'Architecture Informatique) laboratory in Grenoble, France.  This Research & Development center associated with the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the INPG allowed him to gain his first work as a Research Director heading up a team of researchers focused on the design and fabrication methods of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Three years after its creation, it comprised 35 researchers for MEMS research.

In November 1997, Karam founded his first company, MEMSCAP, a supplier of products based on MEMS technology.  In its initial years, MEMSCAP secured €13 million in venture capital funding to support its development and research efforts.

On March 2, 2001, MEMSCAP went public on the Eurolist C of the NYSE Euronext, Paris, raising €101 million. The listing contributed to its growth in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) market.

In 2010, he decided to spin-off INTUISKIN from MEMSCAP. In 2010, Karam launched the skincare brand IOMA, which integrates technology with dermatological research to develop personalized skincare solutions, of which the former president of Thierry Mugler, Véra Strubi, became a member of the board of directors of MEMSCAP in 2007.  Karam is Chairman and CEO of both MEMSCAP and INTUISKIN/IOMA. He is also the president of the LEYLA charity, a non-profit association which fights against orphan or rare diseases.

Additionally, Jean Michel Karam continues to be involved in innovation and research - he currently owns more than 80 patents - as well as contributing to numerous scientific and economic publications.

IEVA 

In 2016, Karam founded IEVA with David Moulinier (currently Managing Director of IEVA) and other prominent names in the industry. IEVA was established in 2016 to combine expertise in microelectronics, sensors, and artificial intelligence with personalized cosmetics research, leveraging over two decades of engineering experience.

Awards 
Karam and his company have received over 10 international awards including:
 EU Business News award for ‘Best Personalised Beauty CEO’ in 2023
 U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) of the United States Department of Commerce – Award of Excellence for international commercial development (2012)
 SEMICON MicroNanoSystems Innovation Award (2009)
 European Semiconductor/Wacker Siltronics Award for best European start-up company (2001)
 Deloitte & Touche Technology “Fast 50” First Prize for Rhone-Alps region, France (2001 and 2002)
 Euronext Special Prize for “First listed company in Rhone-Alpes Region” (2002)
 AGEFI Grand Prize of Venture Capitalist (2002)
 The French Stock-IT Award for the company with the highest growth (2001 and 2002)

References 

1969 births
Living people
French electrical engineers
French businesspeople
French people of Lebanese descent
People from Matn District
Research directors of the French National Centre for Scientific Research