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Two ITEEM graduates help farmers convert to organic production
Maxime Durand and Stéphane Delebassé graduated from ITEEM* (Centrale Lille X SKEMA) in 2019. In 2018, they founded a social enterprise start-up called BioDemain to support farmers converting to organic farming. They recently presented their project to investors, including Marc Simoncini on the TV show “Qui veut devenir mon associé?”, the French equivalent of Shark Tank.
Although they are not yet 30, they are determined to make a difference in the world. Aged just 24 and 25, Maxime Durand and Stéphane Delebassé recently pitched to the panel on "Qui veut devenir mon associé?" broadcast on French TV channel M6. Their entrepreneurial adventure began in 2018 when they created their social enterprise start-up BioDemain to help farmers convert to organic production. "In France, it's very difficult for farmers to go organic. I saw the problems that my great-uncle had. He didn't manage to get to the end of the process and it was very difficult for him. He found himself under a great deal of financial stress and had to close down his business, sell the farm and find another career," said the co-founder Maxime.
Funding of €1,400,000 raised
It was this situation that gave the two friends the idea of creating a brand that would guarantee farmers a fair price for their produce during their conversion period. "Through BioDemain, we buy the farmer's produce from them (at a mutually agreed price) and then sell it," he added. In the beginning, Maxime and Stéphane put all their savings (a total of €400) into their project. Four years later, in March 2021, they successfully raised €1,400,000 in funding.
Engineering or business?
Thanks to ITEEM, a course that combines management, entrepreneurship and engineering science, the two Centrale Lille and SKEMA graduates were able to bring their valuable idea to fruition. "The course really appealed to me because I couldn't decide whether to study engineering or business!" said 24-year-old Maxime from Nantes with a smile.
As he explained, he benefitted in various ways from having studied part of his course on SKEMA's Lille campus. "My classes at SKEMA gave me a much broader vision. I gained skills in finance, accounting and entrepreneurship. I can also say that SKEMA helped me improve my presentation skills. It's vital to be able to explain your ideas in clear and simple terms, especially when you're negotiating."
*ITEEM is a five-year post-bac engineering programme offered as a double degree by SKEMA and Centrale Lille.
