Partoo

Thibault Levi Martin

Listen to Thibault explain the rocky beginnings of his adventure, transforming an in-class project into a soon-to-be 400 employees company with offices all over the world. Thibault reflects on his entrepreneurial journey and the many challenges he faced along the way, from a first failed association with the wrong cofounder to fierce competition that almost put him out of business. A strong and inspirational testimony for anyone curious about entrepreneurship! 

What is Partoo? 

Thibault Levi Martin, the founder of Partoo, tells us about his venture.

From problem identification to my first clients 

The founder tells us about the beginnings of Partoo, which came into being as part of a course at ESSEC business school. At the time, he was encouraged to test and get to know the market he would later become passionate about. He familiarized himself with the ecosystem and decided to go for it. Here's the story of how the idea for the company evolved through to the acquisition of its first customers. 

Structuring your client funnel 

The founder tells us their first impression of the trade shows where he is and how he fits into the network. He tells us anecdotes about the first customer meetings, elucidating the challenges of negotiating with major groups; ie; Carrefour. Thibault explains to us the acquisition of first customers to the automatization of Partoos' customer's tunnel. 

The quest of the dream team 

The founder explains the challenges with his very first business partner given his lack of commitment. Afterward, he found another partner throughout his network. This partner also engaged financially with the Partoo and soon became his first associate. You can also hear about Thibault's challenge to find his CTO and performance at trade fairs. 

From COO to CEO 

The founder explains the challenges with his very first business partner given his lack of commitment. Afterward, he found another partner throughout his network. This partner also engaged financially with the Partoo and soon became his first associate. You can also hear about Thibault's challenge to find his CTO and performance at trade fairs. 

To raise or not to raise? 

The founder talks about his self-financing, taking into account the advance payment of his product's subscriptions. Reflection on "to raise or not to raise?" given the lack of added value from funds and financiers made him decide to be bought out by Webmedia. 

A collab that becomes a competitor 

The founder tells us about his interactions with a colleague who has become a competitor. 

Take a risk as student 

The founder talks about the relevance of starting up as a student, since the risks are lower than when we're older, with our families and commitments, which means we take fewer risks.