Anthony Bourbon is the founder and CEO of Feed, the company revolutionizing the world of practical nutrition. Starting from nothing, he has today become the happy investor of more than 45 startups and will, from next week, be a member of the jury of the show “Who wants to be my partner? »
Anthony Bourbon breaks all the stereotypes of the successful entrepreneur, who would necessarily have come straight from a business or engineering school and from a relatively wealthy family. He grew up in a poor family and went through a tough time during his adolescence. He proudly emphasizes on his site : “I consider that we must shake up the system to give priority to meritocracy over hereditary and co-optation (high schools, social environment, arrangements, etc.). However, I refuse to fall into victimization and remain convinced that anyone can succeed. »
Anthony Bourbon can be proud of how far he has come, given that his company, Feed, has raised several million euros in just four years. When he speaks in public, the businessman has only one idea in mind: to inspire young talents, regardless of their background and to encourage them to give their all to realize their dreams.
Difficult childhood for Anthony Bourbon
Anthony Bourbon was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Everything he has maintained is the result of hard work and steely determination. Today, he can be proud of how far he has come, seeing as he has shaken the system and broken a large number of stereotypes. It thus effectively “prioritizes meritocracy over hereditary”.
Anthony Bourbon grew up with an abusive father and a depressed mother. He thus lived his first years in a very anxiety-provoking environment and not necessarily favorable for deploying his full potential. At 16, the future entrepreneur left home, thrown out by his parents, and found himself on the street. Being homeless did not discourage him from pursuing his dreams. He continued to respect what would later become Feed’s values: hard work, passion, ambition, determination and resilience.
The young entrepreneur takes on odd jobs to get by, alongside his studies. Failure was an integral part of his life for a very long time. “ He learns quickly, never give up. » A great life lesson, given that he ends up getting his head above water and finds the path to success.
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The inspiring and atypical journey of Anthony Bourbon, founder of Feed
Anthony Bourbon grew up in the suburbs of Bordeaux, in a very modest family. He explains in an interview given to Business Cool: “I come from a poor family and that’s why I’m the opposite of the traditional stereotypes of the Parisian startuper. I am convinced that everyone can succeed by respecting essential values: work, passion, ambition, determination, resilience. »
He left home at a very young age with very limited savings in his pocket. To satisfy his needs, he chains the little ones businesses. In 2007, he began studying General Private Law at the University of Bordeaux before continuing with a Master’s degree specialized in Real Estate Sciences at the University of Paris 10. In parallel with his law studies, he created his own companies. He has always needed to step out of your comfort zone and try to aim higher.
Anthony Bourbon: The beginning of the Feed adventure
Like the vast majority of entrepreneurs, Anthony Bourbon was inspired by his needs to create his successful business, Feed. He started from the observation that he did not have enough time to eat breakfast. To avoid skipping meals, he develops shaker recipes to meet 100% of his nutritional needs. Without realizing it, the idea for Feed was born.
The concept is simple: Feed creates complete, balanced and functional meals for all times of the day. Several practical formats are available: bars, drinks, shakers, snack meals. The big advantage is that all of these products are designed in France and made from vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and GMO-free ingredients. Feed guarantees 100% complete and balanced nutrition made from sustainable and natural ingredients, such as oats, peas, rice, flax, soy or rapeseed. This ensures a balanced diet and a supply of essential nutrients (protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, omega 3, etc.) for the proper functioning of the body.
In three years, Feed has become a benchmark brand with 40 million euros raised, 5,000 points of sale in Europe and one million meals sold per month. The company. also has a minimal impact on the environment (very low quantity of packaging required per product, reduction of CO2 emissions, recycled and recyclable packaging).
Anthony Bourbon member of the jury of “Who wants to be my partner?” »
Anthony Bourbon will be part of the jury this year for the show “Who wants to be my partner?” » which will begin on Wednesday January 5, 2022 at 9:05 p.m. on M6. The show aims to support young startups in their quest for entrepreneurship. Project leaders must present their concept to a jury of seven major emblematic figures from the business world. The goal is to convince them to invest in their startup and thus find a partner who will guarantee the success of their business. This year, the show will be presented by Xavier Domergue.
Anthony Bourbon shares the stage with other entrepreneurs and business angels as Marc Simoncini, creator of Meetic, Delphine Andrédirector of the transport company GCA, Jean-Pierre Nadir, founder of FairMoove, and Eric Larchevèqueengineer and chairman of the board of directors of Ledger, which secures cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Alongside them, the young thumbs will discover a new member of the jury: Isabèle Chevalier, founder of Bio-K+ International.
Anthony Bourbon is a business angel and invests at the very beginning of projects, during the 1st or 2nd fundraising. He is a shareholder of more than 40 high-growth French startups, such as BreatheBling, Caption. In addition to money, it brings contacts (distributors, VC, ecosystem, etc.) and essential experience for founders who embark on the adventure.
How does Anthony Bourbon choose the projects in which to invest?
In a LinkedIn publication, Anthony Bourbon detailed the different factors that helped him make his decision:
- The founders: This is the most important element at the start of an adventure. The investor details: “I focus on different criteria: learning curve, expertise of the subject, experiences in their vertical, determinationempathy, autonomy, ambition. They must be able to convey emotion by having a strong promise and a powerful WHY. » The project founders will remain a constant throughout the adventure, while the project idea may evolve over time. This is why it is important to get along well with the founders of the project, since contact will be very regular with them.
- Market size : “ You have to ride the trends background which will have strong growth in the years to come. There are always exceptions, but for example, choose a brand vegan to a project that offers meat. Focus on 3.0 topics rather than one startup outdated. »
- Possible multiple: “I always come back at the very beginning. What we call pre-seed/seed. The valuation must be interesting and allow me to make at least x15 for “DNVB/brand/B2C” projects, x50 for #tech projectsx100 for projects #blockchain-play to earn-ICO”.
In Who Wants to Be My Partner?, Anthony Bourbon stands out as the uncompromising investor who does not hesitate to give a very strong opinion, sometimes being hurtful and attracting the wrath of viewers on social networks. Some even call him arrogant.
Sometimes, I watch extracts from “Who wants to be my partner” on M6 and I must admit that Anthony Bourbon, the CEO of @feed is quite arrogant. Success and true wealth are not only about material things but also about attitude and humility, DESPITE EVERYTHING.
— Linda Zrk (@Linda_Zrk) January 20, 2022
The fortune of Anthony Bourbon
The heritage of Anthony Bourbon
According to information provided by various media, Anthony Bourbon’s fortune is around 100 million euros. It consists of its shares in the company Feed. which is valued today at around 150 million euros, but also from its investments in other startups. Indeed, the one who is an investor in Who wants to be my partner? is also a business angel in real life. He has shares in well-known young companies such as My Jolie Candle and Respire, founded by Justine Hutteau.
The astonishing lifestyle of Anthony Bourbon
Despite his fortune, Anthony Bourbon has a most astonishing lifestyle. Indeed, just like Elon Musk, the juror of Who Wants to Be My Partner advocates minimalism. Despite his fortune, Anthony Bourbon lives today in a 40m² apartment. He even admits to only having the furniture necessary for his daily life and therefore does not have a sofa, for example. He just has an office that allows him to work.
If Anthony Bourbon’s fortune is around 100 million euros, he admits to keeping only 100,000 euros in cash in case of problems. However, he is passionate about watches, products that he buys above all with the aim of reselling them in order to make a margin.
