Y-Brush, the French startup which markets an electric toothbrush which offers one of the fastest cleanings on the market, has just completed a fundraising of 6 million euros. We spoke with Benjamin Cohen, co-founder and president of Y-Brush. The latter enlightened us on the objectives of this startup!
Everything you need to know about Y-Brush
Who are you ?
I am Benjamin Cohen, co-founder and president of Y-Brush since 2016. I followed scientific studies combining mathematics, health and computer science at ENS, Harvard then at McGill University. I was then project and team director for various clinical studies, and operations director for medical devices. I worked in healthcare and business development for a total of 10 years before founding Y-Brush.
What does Y-Brush do?
Y-Brush designs the only electric toothbrush capable of brushing all sides of all teeth in 10 seconds and all this made in France! We started in 2018 with a 10m² workshop and today we have a 1,500m² production site in Caluire, near Lyon!
We decided to embark on this adventure with my co-founder Christophe, because, in France, the average brushing time is 45 seconds instead of the 2 minutes recommended by health organizations and it is often poorly executed. It is often considered a chore, but having good oral hygiene is essential. The technology is unique in the world and was developed with numerous industrial partners, as well as dentists. It is also patented by 4 international patents
We are happy to have had 300% growth last year, as we sold 20,000 toothbrushes in 2020, 60,000 in 2021 and our ambition is to triple our sales every year.
Y-Brush fundraising
Why did you raise 6 million euros?
Today we are a team of 30 people, we will recruit new employees and develop our marketing, sales, purchasing and production services. We anticipated our recruitment at the start of the year, by hiring 6 people over the last 3 months. There are 5 open positions left and we plan to form a team of 40 to 45 people by the end of 2023. By 2025, we also plan to invest 10 million euros in the industrial part and continue to develop our own machines. .
Why did you choose to bring these investors into your capital?
Y-Brush has chosen to bring Bpifrance, Vivacto Developpement, CIC, BNP, Banque Populaire AURA as well as business angels into its capital.
These partners truly believed in our project. Beyond the financial aspect, they offer us support thanks to their individual expertise.
What will Y-Brush look like in 5 years?
Our objective is, as I said previously, to have invested 10 million euros in our production. We also aim to double our workforce and be present in the majority of pharmacies. We are already present online, on the Fnac, Darty and Boulanger sites, but the objective is to be sold in as many physical stores of these brands as possible. We make 70% of our turnover in France and 30% internationally. We are already starting to implement strategies to develop our presence abroad since we are present in Italy, with the equivalent of Fnac, and our ambition is to continue this expansion.
