If there is a strategic place in a company, it is the rest room. To talk about everything and nothing, what could be better than a little break between colleagues around the coffee machine. Some will also take the opportunity to take a look at the bulletin board, just to keep a little informed about the life of the box or to check the classified ads or union leaflets.
But in the digital age, the good old sheets of paper taped to the board tend to gather dust and turn yellow. “Many employees don’t even pay attention to it anymore, even though internal communication is fundamental in the company,” emphasizes Jean-Baptiste de Bel-Air.
This 32-year-old from Rennes knows a lot about it. In 2015, when he left business school, he imagined a “phygital” solution for companies, called steeplechase. It takes the form of an interactive bulletin board on which employees can scroll through the news of their company, much like on a LinkedIn thread. “It better meets the aspirations of this new, more connected generation,” he says.
Growth without fundraising
Installed near the coffee machine, the table allows you to learn in a few clicks about new arrivals, job offers or to go through the notes of the CSE. Important things in office life but not as much as the dates of company parties, those of colleagues’ birthdays or their weekend sports predictions. “It helps to create social ties and a good atmosphere in the company,” says the young founding president.
In eight years, his company, based in the Courrouze district of Rennes, has grown significantly since it now equips more than 1,000 companies, employs 110 employees and ended the 2022 financial year with six million euros in turnover. business. All without raising funds as start-ups usually do to grow. “It’s still too early, underlines Jean-Baptiste de Bel-Air. I prefer that we finance ourselves through our sales. It’s healthier and it gives us some stability. »
The entrepreneur does not lack ambitions. With already offices in Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Barcelona, Steeple will soon establish itself in Frankfurt and has sights on the Italian and Benelux markets. “We want to be the European leader in our field by 2025 and the world leader by 2030,” says Jean-Baptiste de Bel-Air, who foresees to recruit 80 people in the coming months.