The adventure began with a professional opportunity: "My wife, who is originally from the South and works in communications, received a job offer," recalls Guillaume Jacquet-Lagrèze, at the time an engineer in the automotive industry in the Paris region. Without further ado, the couple took the plunge and moved to the Côte d'Azur, and Guillaume then set out to create his own job, driven by an intuition: "Without being a green ayatollah, I had a taste for innovation. I saw that the automotive industry was moving into electric power, so I first thought of renting electric sailboats." But, through various encounters, the entrepreneur came into contact with a small company that sells solar-powered boats. Thus, after purchasing his first unit, Guillaume launched his business in 2015 in the port of Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Having become a specialist in solar catamarans across the entire value chain, SeaZen has traveled more than 14 km with its clients on private tours and, as a builder-integrator, has designed a solar boat kit.

Tours of Cap Ferrat with a marine guide

At the beginning, however, there were some uncertainties to deal with: "People would stop at the port, I would explain to them for an hour what solar navigation was, they would say it was the future and then they would leave. We had to find a business model that worked. So I created private tours with online booking and an on-board guide for a tourist discovery of the bay of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat," recalls the sailor, who takes tourists and future newlyweds on tours. "I was able to take the plunge because my wife had a stable job. I was told that I managed like a family man, but it's true that I opted for a systematic reinvestment of my profits. I didn't want to raise funds because then you're no longer in charge and, at the first blow, you can lose everything."

Noiseless and without exhaust fumes

For SeaZen, 2019 marked the launch of its franchises: “Gender equality is one of our core values, and we are thrilled that Mylène Muller opened this first franchise in Antibes Juan-les-Pins.” Having achieved these milestones, the next step was becoming a manufacturer: “Our expertise lies in being resilient, very flexible, in short. We don't have a restrictive shipyard, only partners who allow us to produce hulls, batteries, and motors on an industrial scale. If the customer is handy, they can assemble their catamaran in two months.” A kit boat—the idea is even more innovative than solar-powered sailing! As he prepares to unveil his fourth ^vessel at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, Guillaume Jacquet-Lagrèze adds: “Initially, I was trying to go fast, then I realized that the advantage of this boat was being able to calmly contemplate the seabed because there’s no engine noise or pollution while remaining in place.” A paradigm shift, in short, because from then on, the beauty of the journey is no longer savored in the act of setting off, but rather in taking the time to stay.

The jury's opinion

"By offering a solar-powered boat, whether for rental or for sale as a kit, SeaZen is one of the Côte d'Azur's leading players in sustainable tourism. Innovation is all the more essential here as we are the second-largest tourist region after Paris."