Three startups created by SKEMA alumni have been featured in Challenges magazine’ latest selection of 100 startups to invest in 2023. All three have one thing in common: their positive impact on society and the environment. Here's a closer look at the three successful startups:
2BRIQUEenBrique: a comparison tool for eco-friendly building materials
After a challenging construction project, Julien Rouxel and Arnaud Marraro, two SKEMA alumni, launched a startup specialised in brokering eco-friendly construction works in 2021. Due to the Ukrainian crisis and soaring prices, their project evolved into creating a search engine that enables builders to find the most suitable eco-friendly material for a project, based on a triple database and an in-house developed Eco score.
Based in Roubaix, 2BRIQUEenBrique has been incubated at SKEMA Ventures since its ideation, has 80 partner brands, and is targeting a turnover of 60,000 euros in 2023.
SWOOP Energy: turning electric car batteries into non-polluting generators
The Roubaix-based company recovers batteries from end-of-life electric cars, tests them, and installs them in sturdy military cases. Swoop offers "energy suitcases" that have been put to the test in Ukraine, where military personnel and rescuers use them in areas without access to electricity. The startup generated a turnover of 40,000 euros in the first two months of 2023, and is targeting one million euros this year.
Le Fourgon: an innovative deposit-based beverage delivery service
Two SKEMA alumni, Maxime Tharin and Charles Christory, along with Stéphane Dessein (Supinfo), created Le Fourgon, a deposit-based beverage delivery service that aims to reduce plastic consumption, in April 2021. They offer a selection of 1,000 beverages, delivered for free in deposit-based crates, with a reward system set up for returned packaging. The bottles are reusable and supplied to a local network of 400 producers.
The Lille-based startup is seeking 15 million euros to expand nationwide, targeting profitability in 2027 with the opening of 67 new warehouses and a turnover of 100 million euros. Le Fourgon also plans to develop a food offering after diversifying into household products. In 2022, the company recovered 3 million bottles.