Meet a Kedger entrepreneur in Sao Paulo

Could you tell us about your educational background, and what you studied at KEDGE? What programme did you take at KEDGE?

I did my Baccalauréat here in Argentina. I attended Uni and studied international relations (like political sciences, but at an international level) Afterwards, I worked for the government at the Ministry of Transport in the logistics department.

Then, I got a scholarship to study in France and I chose to go to KEDGE because someone said that the school was good in the logistics sector. I did the Transport Maritime MSC. I had tried to study French a bit before I got to KEDGE Marseille, but that wasn’t very effective. (laughs).

 

 

Why did you decide to live in Buenos Aires? Did you really want to go, or was it just that an opportunity came up and you seized it?

After I finished at KEDGE, I normally would have wanted to stay in France to work. But when I realised that the business model that I wanted to create already existed in France but not here in Argentina, I decided to come back to Buenos Aires. I wanted to develop my own app here. It was a chance to create something new in my country.

It’s also ecological. In Argentina the problem of wasted energy is significant. It’s important for me to try to create this model here immediately.

Can you tell us a little more about your app?

When I was an intern in France, I lived on my savings and my salary. I was looking for food that was less expensive, etc. That was how I found the “Too Good to Go” app. I found this app very interesting and, in addition to the fact that food is cheaper and avoids waste, I liked the fact that it could work everywhere, all stores, supermarkets, possibly restaurants, so I decided to try the idea here in Argentina.

After that, I started to prepare a business model. I researched to see if it would be viable here, and if it made sense from an economic point of view. Then I tried to understand how I could develop it. I told myself, “it exists in Europe, it’s begun in the United States, but the concept is non-existent in South America” and, knowing that I already had a network in Buenos Aires, that it was an opportunity.

The app is called Winim.

The business model is similar to “Too Good to Go”, that concerns anything related to the food business. On the app, people can see what food is on offer on the day and the hours it is available, because not everyone closes at the same time (so the offer is steady). They have to come and get what they’ve picked and take it with them. It’s delivered, but it’s an option I’m considering. But the Rappi app (the local Deliveroo) is already being used in field so it’s worth thinking about so restaurants can sell what they want, their surplus, but would have to be cheaper. In the end, all players are fighting against food waste.

 

What differences do you distinguish between the manner of working in Argentina compared to France?

Here, the people study a lot more than in France. Because people here are more concerned about their future, they are made to study as much as possible. I would have thought that it would have been the opposite and that the students in France would go to school for a lot longer (laughs). As for myself, I studied a lot more than my friends did when I was in France. 

And then here, from University there is a lot more competition, which I did not find to be the case in France. I think that we feel more threatened in our lives and so we take ourselves more seriously.

Also, I think that the ambiance, the work environment, is more intense in France but only during work hours. Here I find that one has more of a habit of working late at night. In any case, that’s the impression I got.

Did you have any apprehensions before you left?

Not really, I came to France with a small budget and that was the only thing that worried me. I lived on my savings until I got my internship, and even during the internship it wasn’t really enough for me to live well. I didn’t know how to speak French at all (laughs) and when I got here nobody spoke English, so it be challenging. And then, of course, when you come from Latin America, you don’t have the same expectations in terms of security or anything else.

 

What advice can you give to a young KEDGE graduate who is hesitant to start a career in Latin America?

It may sound silly to say but I would tell him or her to study local taxes (laughs). And then at the professional level, the attitude here in Argentina is very different from France. You have to be aware of the network you have to build. You really have to get to know the people around you and get along with them in a friendly way. After that, you can work very well.

And if you want to become an entrepreneur here in Argentina, you’ll have to learn how to manage your social life and professional life at the same time. For example, in France, it’s common to go for a drink after work; however, here you have to go out with people from work all week because if you don’t, everyone will ask themselves, “why doesn’t he/she go out with us?” So, you will have to mix business life and social life.

The idea would be to develop it, with the concept starting in Buenos Aires, then spreading to Argentina and other countries, like the rest of America.

But end the end, even if the project doesn’t work out, it’s very important. Other than the fact of actually developing an app, you gain skills in lots of areas, not only business skills, but also management and marketing.

 

Did KEDGE help you achieve to goals after you moved to Brazil?

Yes, but more at the commercial level, because before that I studied politics, logistics in transport. At KEDGE, I gained more business and marketing skills, which I wasn’t used to. I had only worked in a start-up in the political field before.

It also helped me from a network point of view, and to learn the concept of the application that I’m currently developing.

 

Did you have any apprehensions before you left?

Not really, I came to France with a small budget and that was the only thing that worried me. I lived on my savings until I got my internship, and even during the internship it wasn’t really enough for me to live well. I didn’t know how to speak French at all (laughs) and when I got here nobody spoke English, so it be challenging. And then, of course, when you come from Latin America, you don’t have the same expectations in terms of security or anything else.

 

What advice can you give to a young KEDGE graduate who is hesitant to start a career in Latin America?

It may sound silly to say but I would tell him or her to study local taxes (laughs). And then at the professional level, the attitude here in Argentina is very different from France. You have to be aware of the network you have to build. You really have to get to know the people around you and get along with them in a friendly way. After that, you can work very well.

And if you want to become an entrepreneur here in Argentina, you’ll have to learn how to manage your social life and professional life at the same time. For example, in France, it’s common to go for a drink after work; however, here you have to go out with people from work all week because if you don’t, everyone will ask themselves, “why doesn’t he/she go out with us?” You'll have have to mix your business life and your social life. 

What do you think are the growth sectors in this country? For example, are there positions for new graduates?

Everything related to logistics, and that’s why I started working in this sector in Argentina. It is such a big country with large distances between cities. Logistics will help it develop.

I also think that agribusiness and the oil industry will be very significant within five years.

In addition, the software business, the services sector, as well as the energy sector. For me, I think these are the sectors that will be producing jobs in the years to come.

 

What did you find here that you would not find in France?

The cheese (laughs). And the quality of life, too. I feel that the “every day” concerns of life are practically non-existent in France, for me in any case. The idea of the future is not as present in developing countries. The only thing is that you go out much less than here at home (laughs). It’s less sociable..

Do you have an enjoyable memory from your time in France?

The World Cup (laughs). That’s something I wouldn’t forget. And I did a commando internship with the rugby club in KEDGE, which I liked very much, too. It is interesting how rugby is viewed differently in France and Argentina. Here it’s more of a hobby; in France they are much more professional. That’s something I remember. 

 

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Interview conducted in Sao Paulo by the five KEDGE Alumni Success ProAct students.

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