Two students from the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence, Alexandre Isaac and Clément Semirot, took part in the Australian EChallenge, an international entrepreneurship competition.
The 30 participants in the Australian Echallenge France underwent a week of intensive training (covering advanced concepts in marketing, business development, market research, etc.). Divided into 13 teams from various countries (France, Italy, Australia, India, and Thailand), their goal was to implement a business creation idea.
The jury awarded first prize in this competition to Cyclerr, a project led by two engineering students Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence campus. Cyclerr aims to give defective household appliances a second life by promoting their reuse. The idea is to create a new, efficient second-hand market, similar to what exists for the automotive market, by facilitating repairs, second-hand purchases and sales, and the sale of spare parts for appliances that cannot be repaired.
Our two entrepreneurs have observed that repair services in the household appliance sector are either too scarce or too expensive. The second-hand market is virtually inaccessible. As a result, consumers do not automatically think of repairing an appliance when it breaks down, or even buying second-hand. Instead, they tend to opt for new products—sometimes of lower quality—which ultimately have a significant economic, environmental, and societal impact. In fact, according to an analysis carried out by engineering students, 25 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) per person, according to an analysis carried out by engineering students.
The winners received AUD 5,000 and a year in an incubator located in Australia, Singapore, or Châlons-en-Champagne. They will be able to fully commit to this project once they have obtained their engineering degrees.
