Valérie Benvenuto, KEDGE BS Graduate, Appointed...
Created a year ago by a Kedger, YOSS already employs 35 people!
After a few years working in Purchasing at L'Oréal and Total, Romain Trébuil (MAI 2010) created YOSS, a platform to link freelance workers and companies.
Hello, Romain! To begin with, can you tell us about your educational background: what did you study at KEDGE and before arriving at KEDGE?
I began my post-bac studies in Business School, at Idrac Lyon, which gave me a general foundation. At Idrac and thanks to my various internships, I discovered the job of purchaser. It's a fascinating job to start a career in my opinion because it provides a general view of business management. The purchasing department works with the financial department, communications, marketing, and all the project teams. I then decided to improve my skills and expertise in order to develop a more strategic approach to the job. Without hesitation, the M.A.I degree from Kedge was the most thorough and more interesting option due to the diversity of the student backgrounds, the quality of the pedagogical programme and the strong network.
Romain Trébuil (MAI, class of 2010), co-founder of YOSS.
Tell us about your experience after you graduated: where did you work?
Immediately after obtaining my degree I was lucky to have several offers.
I decided to join TOTAL because I was attracted to the strong dynamic led by the very new (at the time) Director of Purchasing. My first mission was to work on an audit of the purchasing organisation for the world. It taught me a lot about organisation and efficient business management... and I was able to work in a multicultural and rich environment!
Then I was promoted as Category Manager for Travel and Formation, which taught me how to lead international negotiations. Most of all, and this is what motivated me for all my future positions, I dove into innovation in every way: challenging our partners to innovate, invent new things before putting them on the market, discovering the beginning of design thinking, and product development... etc.
Afterwards, I was headhunted by L’Oréal for a position as World Purchasing Manager in Human Resources. I accepted the challenge, learned a new company culture, and developed new skills in project management, communication, management, and innovation. That is where I discovered the field of Human Resources, in the midst of a transformation, and strongly impacted by new digital solutions.
YOSS launch event at Station F.
Tell us about YOSS, your new project.
After these initial experiences and the observations I made, the idea for YOSS was born. I had noticed that major groups often lack budgetary visibility for freelance workers that are employed in their company, that they aren't able to manage the legal risks involved, and don't have a good overview of these outside talents. Today, that is what YOSS, the start-up I created with Guillaume Herrnberger, wants to bring to major groups.
YOSS, is the marketplace for freelance workers and major groups and brings customised HR services for freelance workers. Guillaume, the co-founder, and I started the adventure on January 5, 2017, found our first technological partner Microsoft, recruited our first team, and started developing the solution. Since there are a dozen platforms that offer to find missions for freelance workers, we created YOSS to provide much more than just missions. On the platform, they can find work in major groupes (including those listed on the CAC40), but also everything they have a hard time finding on their own but is essential to their professional lives. We offer health insurance, banking, legal, judicial support, etc. The beta version of YOSS has been live since mid-November in France and was launched at Station F with three pilot clients: L’Oréal, Deloitte and The Adecco Group. Today, three months later, we have more than 2,000 freelance workers registered on the platform. Most of all, YOSS, is a team of 35 passionate people who are ready to act to move forward the future of Employment.
YOSS has also been written about in the media, including on FrenchWeb, BFM Business, and Maddyness.
What are your objectives for the future?
Our next major deadline is the live launch in France in February, before preparing our international expansion to support the global freelancing movement! We are also going to participate in our first start-up contests in 2018, including the Tribune's "10,000 start-ups to change the world'. We also aim to provide even more services to freelance workers and grow our active community.
How did your time at KEDGE Business School help you become who you are today, how did what you learn help you develop your project?
The motto of my class has always been with me throughout my career: "Work hard, Play hard". This mindset, I developed at Kedge and carry it through to my teams today. I also maintained good relationships: today I still continue to see, think, and develop new ideas with the people from my class, who, through our discussions, contributed to the creation of YOSS.
If you had one piece of advice for students and future KEDGE Alumni, what would it be?
Listen to the market! Meet the actors, the stakeholders in the market and talk to them to learn about how you can help them! It's the market that will give you the idea and you will change their lives. Surround yourself with the right people. You have to recognise your strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with people that complement you, so that your complementary strengths will enable you to create the best possible solution.
Anything to add?
You all know someone working freelance and you all know a client interested in working with freelance workers, so show us how strong the Kedge network is! Share YOSS with two freelance workers and two clients, and contribute to making YOSS the biggest network of freelance workers in the coming months!
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