This edition of Startup Weekend was an opportunityfor its participants to to benefit from the skills and know-how of 20 expert coaches in areas specific to entrepreneurship. Thus, they were able to increase their skills and see their ideas become reality.
The Startup Week-End: an awaited event for project leaders
It all started in 2011, when the association Webcup imported the international event Startup Weekend on the island of Reunion with the aim of promoting the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in Reunion.
Today, the Startup Weekend is a major event in the calendar of aspiring entrepreneurs and project leaders.
The rules are simple: each participant has one minute to explain the concept of his project. After that, he has to convince the other participants to vote for his idea, and to join his team. Then, 54 hours of work followed, marked by conferences and the intervention of specialized coaches. Then, at the end of these 54 hours, the teams present a viable startup model to a jury of experts.
An unpublished edition
Since 2019, the success of Startup Weekend has allowed Webcup to organize thematic editions (like thewomen’s edition) among which the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE)Edition is part of. This is a new edition, entirely dedicated to projects dealing with the Social and Solidarity Economy: a concept that seeks to reconcile economic activity with social equity.
Supported by the CRESS s, the Port City Hall and the TCO This 3rd edition of the Startup Weekend dedicated to the social and solidarity economy has been able to achieve its objective of seeing projects emerge whose activities are based on the principle of solidarity, social utility, sustainable development and societal impact. Thus, this edition in online format welcomed nine project leaders for 54 hours. Then, at the end of the event, a jury of experts had the difficult task of choosing between eight projects.
This year, the jury was composed of :
Mihidoiri Ali, Delegate for SSE of the port city hall
Fréderic Annette, President of Cress
Denise Delavanne, Vice-President of the TCO, in charge of Urban Policy and Social Cohesion
Frédéric Maillot, Vice President in charge of the social and solidarity economy of the Region
Françoise Marchat, Regional Director of Sales Promotion, BRED
Pierre Daveri, President of France Active Réunion
Arnaud Siccardi, Head of the Economic and Business Development Department of DEETS
Innovative projects
The Mi la Fé project was the first winner of the event. Proposed by Maude Kowalczyk, it consists of teaching women how to do DIY. In this way, they become capable of doing routine work in their homes, which tends to make them more independent.
Afterwards, it is Emaou, proposed by Julie Cochard, who won the second place. It is a pedagogical concept in the field of positive psychology that places the child at its center.
Next, Fanette Pinault’s Playing Well project was awarded third place. The goal of this project was to give toys a second life. Finally, Nancy Sinimalé’s Pupuce project received the jury’s “coup de coeur” award. This project aimed to raise awareness of animal welfare in Reunion Island and to help owners find their runaway pet more easily with a medallion connected to the Pupuce application.
In the end, the project leaders left with work that could have taken them six months to complete alone… in just 54 hours!
