In this article you’ll learn…
Tell us a little bit about where you come from…
I come from Reunion Island, a little French island in the Indian Ocean. It’s a place full of charm with its diversity of cultures, religions, and social backgrounds.
During my childhood, I had really bad grades at school, but I did not discourage myself… I understood quickly that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. By persevering despite these challenges, my personality flourished during these years spent in Reunion Island.
I came to Paris when I was 18 years old and got into an IT school. After that, everything happened so fast; I started my first company in mobile consulting, and today, I have several companies under my belt.
How did you get started in Software Development?
It all began when I was 11, when I got my first computer and started coding for the first time. It became an immediate passion. I wanted to know more about technology, and my curiosity was never satisfied. I disassembled every computer, electronic toy, etc. to learn more about the subject. One day, I wanted to explore further and I started hacking websites, video games, and even my school’s network!
What led you to Launchmetrics?
I chose Launchmetrics, and Launchmetrics chose me… My partners and I sold Wisemetrics to Augure last year. We felt a very good feeling, and the prospect of the merger with Fashion GPS was very exciting. Being in a static business does not interest me, I need to keep learning in a place that moves, where there is change, a major characteristic of Launchmetrics.
What has been the most interesting challenge you’ve faced while working at Launchmetrics?
I had to adapt to an industry I did not know about: fashion. The prospect of associating technology with fashion particularly interest me. Today, I work on the GPS Radar project, a product that has become very dear to me.
Fashion GPS and Augure merged to form Launchmetrics, what do you like the most about this new entity?
The international aspect. I’m intrigued and excited to know that what we do can be deployed worldwide.
What advice do you have for people looking to do what you do?
If I had to give only one advice: to be passionate. Every step begins with passion. It drives motivation, curiosity, and pushes us to go beyond our limits. It’s every passionate person’s dream to go beyond his or her limits, to be creative, and to see his or her project becoming true.
What are your favorite tools or apps?
I like tools that are practical. I am satisfied as long as it works and performs the requested work. I am pragmatic. My favorites are: Reminder (a tasks managing app), Medium (content publication platform) and Quora (questions/answers app).
What is your ultimate vacation spot?
I love the idea of going on an adventure, to discover new cultures, religions, landscapes… But if I had to choose one location for relaxing vacation, I would, of course, choose Reunion Island.
What do you do for fun?
I love skydiving! I try to do this every two weeks with my friends. Climbing and running are also activities that I love.
Other projects are dear to me like Voxe.org, of which I am the CTO, Voxe.org is a website that allows people to learn and compare political programs from their country to keep them informed. I created this platform with my partners in 2011. Since it was born, Voxe.org has collected many resources, especially thanks to the Google Impact Challenge which we participated in last year. This project is directly linked to my passion for information and my desire to change the world…
What’s Your Funniest Launchmetrics Story?
During the Voxe.org campaign for the Google Impact Challenge, I took a campaign picture with the sign that said “Dare for Democracy”. One day, a Launchmetrics colleague changed the photo with photoshop, took the same sign colors and font and wrote instead, “Benji : I don’t wear underwear”. Another colleague printed it and pasted it on the company wall of fame.
Pizza or burgers?
Pizza and burgers, but vegetarian!
Cats or dogs?
I like both cats and dogs, but they are easier to feed and educate on my screen than in real life!
By Launchmetrics Content Team
The Launchmetrics content team is always on the lookout for new trends in the fashion and technology sector. We are geeks with style and lovers of good stories!
