Sunbren: "cybersecurity for all" provided by a KEDGE Alumnus

After two years of studying for my BTS in a work/study programme (I worked a marketing position), I wanted to improve my business development skills and widen my field of employment opportunities, so I decided to take the plunge by attending a business school.  With the Concours Tremplin in my pocket, I enrolled at KEDGE (at the time, Euromed Marseille) as part of the the Grand Ecole programme, with a focus on entrepreneurship, IT, and innovation.  Some of my courses were taken at ESIL, an engineering school that has partnered with KEDGE.  I was also the President of Euromed’s CUP, which gave me an extraordinary personal experience coupled with concrete experience in team and project management. I spent a semester at the UCA in Buenos Aires to perfect my level of Spanish, and I held an end-of-study internship at Playsoft, a specialist in games and mobile apps. And here I am, a KEDGE graduate!

 

For my first experience, I looked for something to challenge me. I was hired for a VIE (Volontariat International en Entreprises - International Corporate Volunteer) position in Madagascar, at the head of an outsourcing company. This was an incredibly rich experience, professionally and, especially, personally. The start was complicated (in 2009, the country was facing a political crises), but that made the challenge even more interesting: a management position overseeing 60 employees, and all the various responsibilities that go with it. All this in a foreign country in a state of crisis no less -  there is no better training for a young graduate!

 

When I returned to France, I joined the Viadeo group in its Hiring Solutions Department to develop its major accounts market. But the lack of sunshine was too much for me, so I seized the first chance I could to return to my beloved south and took a business development position in Aix-En-Provence with Synthes’3D, a startup specialising in digital modeling and 3D animation. And so I discovered the universe of startups, where procedures are still to be defined, markets are still to be cultivated, and history is still to be written.  All that generates ideas… .  While waiting for THE right idea to launch my entrepreneurial venture, I discovered the universe of telecom infrastructures with the Groupe Bouygues, in full growth under France’s Very High-Speed Internet Plan, in a position managing the company’s PPP projects.  I continued thus to capitalise on my skills in management, in the digital technology field, with a transversal approach.

 

Mais l’idée d’entreprendre fait son chemin et c’est au hasard de rencontres ayant pour fil rouge le numérique et l’envie de bouger les lignes, que démarre en 2016 avec mes associés l’aventure Cblue, devenue Sunbren en janvier 2018.

 

But the idea of becoming an entrepreneur had taken root, and after several chance encounters, all in the field of digital technology, and with a desire to make things happen, I started Cblue in 2016 with my venture associates. Cblue became Sunbren in January 2018.

 

 

 

All seven of Sunbren’s associates come from the digital technology field, but each of us have different, but complementary, approaches. From the very beginning, our mutual idea was to change the paradigm of SSI by proposing a simple and effective alternative, adapted especially for VSB/SMEs, which allows them to rethink their manner of working: forget the tool itself and concentrate on its usage.  Business technology calls for being repeatedly redesigned, and most especially, it must provide added-value to its users so that it is not viewed as a cost centre, but as a production tool that facilitates the efficiency and productivity of businesses, especially SMEs, who are overlooked by the big names in IT and other IT services & software engineering companies.

 

Our solution has the added components of computer intelligence (soon to be artificial intelligence), of mobility, and a maximal level of cybersecurity, which allows small businesses to benefit from the best digital technology while they concentrate on their businesses.  Sunbren provides IT support services 24/7.  An operation is effectuated every 15 seconds, thus allowing the company to concentrate on its business without having to worry about the risk of cyberattacks, updates not being installed, programmes not being backed up, non-conformity with the RGPD, or the necessity of investing in a server. Sunbren takes care of the company's IT needs continuously, without the need for individuals to change equipment or their workspace, and even works when on the move.

 

 

The business model is equally innovative, with a monthly subscription, by the user, and with no commitment required.  After 3 years of R&D and validating the solution with our first customers, and thanks to our recent fundraising with Crédit Agricole Loire Haute-Loire Capital Innovation, BPI France and our long-term partner, BNP-Paribas, our aim is to provide a turnkey solution to SMEs for their IT & cybersecurity needs during their transition to digital.

We are affiliated with the government’s Digital Transition programme and, consequently, are recognised and recommended as a trusted partner for SME support on the issue of cybersecurity. L'Opinion  and the Journal des Entreprises, echoed our crusade, "cybersecurity for all!". 

What are your goals for the future?

Through our fundraising and the support we are receiving from the start-up incubator Village by CA Saint-Etienne, we are going to keep on investing in R&D to continuously innovate, with a focus on the development of artificial intelligence fed by machine learning in order to anticipate cyberattacks rather than repair them.

We are also going to form a network of partners to distribute our services in France and in Europe, and develop an international presence, most particularly in Canada where potential partnerships are already being discussed. To those KEDGE alumni in France, Europe and Canada: if you are interested in joining the network, or becoming a service provider, let me know.

 

 

The variety of lessons available at KEDGE, and the ability to design my own training programme, were undeniably a plus. I was able to satisfy my curiosity, and acquired the ability to adapt, which was vital to my career path. When you know that 60% of the trades of tomorrow (2030) do not exist today, it is better to be an expert at adapting, rather than being just an expert in itself. Beyond the lessons, it was the projects, the associations - in short, all the "extra-curricular" activities which allowed me to carry out projects, to work as a member of a team, to open up to others – which added value to my career.

 

Stay curious, go off the beaten track and out your comfort zone and try.  Fail, then begin again.  There is nothing more stimulating.

If you are in Estonia, Switzerland, or any other European country, or if you are in Canada, and/or if you are interested in cybersecurity, AI, or GDPR, don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss.  You can also find us on social networks.