Teebike
Electric wheels on a roll
You don’t need to be a mechanic to install a Teebike wheel – it only takes a few minutes to replace the front wheel on your existing bicycle. Why? To convert it into an electric bike! “I got the idea when I saw the bicycle cemeteries in China,” says Laurent Durrieu. “In France we throw away around a million bikes per year. But if we maintain the tyres and brakes regularly, these products are supposed to last!” The entrepreneur worked with his partner, Marine Billis, and a team of engineers to develop their concept of an electric front wheel equipped with a battery and motor that connects to your mobile phone. The wheels can either be purchased directly online from the Nice-based company (delivery within two days), or they can be changed in a network of bike stores and bicycle repair shops throughout France. “We’ve also teamed up with Valbonne town council to salvage old bikes from waste disposal centres, bulk waste collectors or through associations, enabling us to create six bike rehab jobs and offer complete bicycles for sale with the Teebike wheel.” The concept has been a huge hit and is now carried by Décathlon.
teebike.ooo
Orsteel
Three generations of French manufacturing
Orsteel group has been reinventing itself for more than 50 years. “My grandfather supplied local businesses with auto parts and coffee machines. It was a key local company,” recalls Adrien Sfecci. “Nowadays it’s the opposite, with 90% of our new customers coming through online sales. So it’s a short sales cycle: we distribute our products directly which means they can be customised.” The group now comprises about 30 employees, and was able to mobilise its infrastructure and rally its staff during the Covid-19 crisis: “We used the Plexiglas we had to produce protective screens for businesses. So we only closed for five weeks in 2020!” They were also able to fast track project development: “Our Orsteel Light brand specialises in finished products – high-end lighting certified with the Origine France Garantie label – and now we are launching Orsteel Switch, electrical equipment that will raise the profile of French products in the luxury sector.”
Maison de Santé
Medics sharing salaries
Jean-Louis Gerschtein began his career in the Ile-de-France region, working in a traditional practice with other colleagues. The general practitioner and mountaineering enthusiast transformed his life when he joined three other general practitioners in Breil-sur-Roya in late 2011. There, he decided to advance his working practice by developing the town’s Maison de Santé Pluriprofessionnelle, a multidisciplinary health clinic that brings together medical and paramedical professionals. It’s a type of facility that is on the rise. “What’s innovative about our approach is that together, my general practitioner colleagues and I share our hours and fees. So we each earn the same salary from the outset.” The solution is designed to encourage young doctors to move to vulnerable areas, and could be duplicated in urban settings to combat medical deserts.
ReadyClim d’Airton
Developing affordable green air conditioners
You could call this the Uberisation of air conditioning. “My father filed the patent and it took more than 10 years of legal proceedings to obtain the authorisation to sell these air conditioners without requiring a refrigeration specialist,” explains Richard Mazigh, who has breathed new life into the Nice-based family business. It was a small revolution, because these professionals had previously been essential to the installation process, particularly to avoid the loss of greenhouse gases. “They don’t need to be present any more because our system is hermetically sealed and you can hang it on the wall just by screwing in four nuts,” continues the Riviera native and head of more than ten companies. It’s a first step towards solutions that are better for the environment. But the company has other projects in the pipeline that focus on green air conditioning. “We plan to offer a back market sale this summer so we don’t have to throw away our old air conditioners, to integrate a cooling system for the hot air produced by the outdoor unit in summer 2022, and ultimately to equip our air conditioners with solar panels and wind turbines to reduce energy consumption.”
airton.shop
Icade Promotion
Spearheading material reuse
