E-Recycle, the French startup specializing in the recovery and sale of reconditioned products, has just completed a fundraising of 1.5 million euros. We spoke with Arnaud Guillaume, co-founder of the company. He enlightened us on his various objectives and projects.
Everything you need to know about E-Recycle
Who are you ?
I am Arnaud Guillaume, co-founder of the company e-Recycle. With my partner, Clément Bongibault, we met at HETIC, a school dedicated to web careers located in Montreuil (93). Our skills were very complementary: Clément was a technical/developer and I was more of a designer/marketing. This association allowed us to create different projects, one of which really emerged: e-Recycle.
What does e-Recycle do?
Since 2014, e-Recycle specializes in the recovery and sale of reconditioned products. Everything is done in France, from sourcing to sales, including of course the reconditioning stage carried out in our Lyon workshops.
We have a particular attachment to working in a short circuit, collecting products as close as possible to the consumer in order to be able to offer an experience that promotes the circular economy in our country. Our “first achievement” was ultimately our first first sale (or first customer). This allows the activity to be officially launched.
The second achievement was our first customer comment (obviously positive), which allowed us to reaffirm our model and validate the quality of our products. The third was the takeover of corporate fleets from large listed companies. The trust they placed in us allowed us to develop this B2B activity to source even more products.
e-Recycle fundraising
Why did you raise 1.5 million euros?
This investment will help us:
- Recruit new employees, whether at the level of our product workshop or in support functions (sales, communication, etc.).
- Industrialize our workshop in order to increase our production (processing) capacity.
- Buy products to be reconditioned and spare parts as well.
Why did you choose to include Demeter and Siparex in your capital?
There are several reasons why we chose Demeter and Siparex. The first is that these companies manage investments from local funds. We are therefore directly supported by La Métropole de Lyon and by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region. So this makes a lot of sense to us. The second is that they have real skills to guide us in the industrialization of our workshop and in the CSR approach of our company.
What will e-Recycle look like in five years?
In 5 years, e-Recycle will be a major player in reconditioned goods in France. We will thus be able to respond to the growing demand of the French who increasingly wish to turn towards sustainable and ecological products (or companies).
