ESSEC Entrepreneurs: Sport, Food, Environment, Art…

The wide variety of businesses created by ESSEC testifies to the diversity of the community! Discover the entrepreneurs who have recently made the news on the ESSEC Alumni website. 

Arnaud Lanier (E06) co-founded Colizey, the first marketplace to be devoted entirely to sport. Positioned as a challenger to generalist retailers, his platform aims to provide the best market offers in real time from a range of some 200,000 items sourced from 100 partners, and to offer customers advice from other athletes. As a mark of credibility, “Tony Parker is among the investors who came on board for our capital raising of €2.5M.” Find the full article here.

Nelsy Krasniqi (EXEC PROG 12) runs The Tosca Loop, a social strategy accelerator. “We combine advice, cognitive services and financial & legal engineering to enable our customers to better manage their ageing, illness, housing, family and poverty risks, and thus enhance the yield of welfare funding.” Find the full article here.

Hervé Bidaud (E74) co-founded the Fondation Lire et Comprendre [The Read and Understand Foundation] to fight against illiteracy in children from underprivileged backgrounds, promote equal opportunity and combat social determinism. The Foundation’s actions have already helped 1,500 children in difficulty in the last 5 years. Find the full article here.

Lebanon-based Rana Bounader (M14) manages Naderco Distilleries, a family-run business specialising in wine & spirits and founded in 1953. She is currently expanding the company’s range with natural products to flavour non-alcoholic beverages. “Consumers, and more especially the younger ones, are increasingly aware of the impact of alcohol on their health and well-being. There is a growing demand for alternatives in several countries.”  Find the full article here.

Arthur Bernard (E08) launched Athletico Ventures, which helps high-level athletes to invest in technology. He is among the pioneers of this niche activity in Europe which is already well developed in the USA. Find the full article here (in English). 

Paul-Edmond Bétremieux (E14) co-founded BOOST, a consultancy devoted to human riches and specialised in fields of passion such as sport, e-sport and the start-up ecosystem. “We operate in 3 areas; recruitment and headhunting, coaching in career transition and in-company training (onboarding, in-house promotion and in-placement).” Find the full article here.

Tristan de La Chevasnerie (E19) created Pierrot, an agency specialised in the drafting of web content to boost natural referencing on the internet. “We can help you to transform your company blog into a powerful tool to create a link with your audience, while enhancing your position on search engines.” Find the full article here.

Louise Avril (E16) opened La Tarte au Carré, a Paris-based pastry shop which offers sweet and savoury tarts made from seasonal fruit and vegetables, and all square-shaped! Her business is seeing two-figure growth, already employs 6 people and is now seeking a second premises to expand production and boost its takeaway and event catering offer. Find the full article here. 

Agnès Brigot (EXEC PROG 99) created Namasté, and offers tailor-made art and history events aimed at boosting company well-being and team spirit. “The idea was inspired by my role as president of the ESSEC Alumni Fine Arts Club . The feedback was unanimous; art forges ties, fosters exchange, helps people to take stock and find meaning...” Find the full article here.

Julien Galtier (E04) co-manages Samara & Co, which acts for sustainable consumption by promoting eco-responsible Canadian brands. In addition to a B2C e-commerce site and a corporate programme, he is about to launch a B2B marketplace. Find the full article here.

Emmanuel Ithurbide (M16) co-founded OndoTerra, an eco-friendly herbal medicine business based in the Basque Country. The company’s first product is a CBD oil made from the natural leaf and flower extracts of hemp grown on family-owned land. Find the full article here.

Michaël Delouis (E99) launched I Can Consulting, a tailor-made support solution which combines personal development and career coaching with the teachings and techniques of running. “Monitor your cardiac intensity areas to improve how you dose your energy and find your perfect tempo, or deal with the high points and pitfalls of your business adventure like a mountain trail run...” Find the full article here.

Margaux Durand (E19) launched Grenaille Paris, a catering and hosted dining service for businesses and individuals. “I offer tailor-made menus for all budgets, types of events and diets, with an emphasis on home cooking with local produce, and generous, tasty dishes. My customers include Labeyrie, Puig, Les Échos and Mk2, among others.” Find the full article here.

Mialy Randriamanantena (M04) launched Entre Terre & Talents, a digital platform which acts as an intermediary between craft workers and individuals, hotels, restaurants and upmarket brands, for tailor-made indoor and outdoor furbishing and design projects. The aim is to showcase the heritage of regional French craftsmanship, on a national and international level. Find the full article here.

Quebec-based Ayda Chamcham (M13) created Consultation Chamcarré, which offers a range of evaluation services for business, industrial and leisure tourism projects, in addition to real estate research and monitoring, property development and management, strategic consulting and financial planning. “My philosophy is to move away from traditional industrial methods to foster co-creation and new techniques for more organic building, which is more in touch with both ageing populations and the ambitions of younger generations.” Find the full article here. 

Ex-CDO of P&G and digital multi-entrepreneur, Frédéric Colas (E89) founded Fast-Up Partners, a strategic consultancy which studies organic growth and M&A options for companies and investment funds in the B2C sector in Paris and New York. Its strongly digital and entrepreneurship-focused model earned the company a 2020 ranking in the Les Échos and Financial Times Top 500 of European growth businesses. Find the full article here. 

Claire Sauvage (M20) created Petit Côté, the first French brand of vegetable-based pastries. “Vegetables replace butter and produce a heavenly texture. The result is delicious cakes with 30% less sugar and 30% less fat than their traditional counterparts.” Find the full article here.

Damien Le Nourichel (M13) created Acaci’Art, an inclusive start-up which initiates people in street art in order to forge social links. “Our artists develop inclusive projects around collective works related to the fight against school dropout, intergenerational issues, refugees and students or children deprived of holidays, and so on.” Find the full article here. 

Montreal-based Rodolphe Coiscaud (EXEC M09) launched RoadRacing, an events, media and project development consultancy in the sectors of motor sports, mobility and philanthropy. “Our most remarkable event was a press conference on the Eiffel Tower - the first and only time in history that a motorbike climbed to the 1st floor!” Find the full article here.

After 10 years’ experience in sales, Adrien Aouate (M11) created Outgenie, a tool which enables users to gain more appointments with prospects, by programming individualised campaigns via email, Linkedin and SMS, generating telephone calls and automating reminders. The solution is already available in 19 countries. Find the full article here. 

Did you spot other ESSEC startups in the news recently? Let us know! 

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