AFAM: Hello Philippe and thank you for finding time to answer some questions.
Philippe: Hello Albina, very happy to be here today !
AFAM: You are an entrepreneur based in the San Francisco bay area, Arts et Metiers and GT alumnus, CEO at Easy Live (Now a LiveU / Carlyle company). Please tell us a few words about yourself!
Philippe: As far as I remember, I have always wanted to create businesses. I applied to GT to improve my English after Arts et Metiers and I even took the entrepreneurship class as a minor! Funny fact, I met one of my best friends when we were 8 yrs old and he remembered that we were already chatting about creating a company together back then. Turns out we created 2 companies together, and just exited the last one together!
AFAM: This year you decided to join the AFAM team by becoming one of the Yosemite mentors. How come you joined this initiative? How do you see your role?
Philippe: I actually joined the AFAM team thanks to Xavier Wartelle. Xavier and I have been working together for a while now, and he actually was the one helping to install my company in the US. So after a few years, benefiting from his precious advice and experience, he asked me to become a mentor. It was a natural thing to do, giving back and helping others.
AFAM: Did you already act as a Yosemite mentor? Can you tell us more about it? What kind of mentees do you expect to join the program in the future?
Philippe: Yes I was lucky to be picked up by different mentees. Their projects were in very different sectors with a different grade of maturity. This is always very exciting to see entrepreneurs switching an idea to something real that adds value where they operate. We welcome any mentee to join this program but they must have a bit of preparation and maturity before going to the US market.
AFAM: You are an entrepreneur. What piece of advice would you give today to gadz’arts willing to embrace an entrepreneurship career? Or maybe to those who dream of being entrepreneurs in the US?
Philippe: Always trust your gut feeling. If you have an idea, work on it, share it around you and don't be afraid to hear criticism. The key to convert any idea into a real business is the product market fit. So pick up a niche market, be the best on it, iterate and grow from there! Growing your company on the US market is a real challenge and must be taken very seriously. The competition here is very important so you must be prepared.
AFAM: Thank you
Philippe: you are welcome, Thank you for having me today!
To know more about Yosemite and to join the program, please contact us
To know more about our Yosemite mentors, please go to our website
Photo: courtesy of Philippe
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