Laurence Kerjean, revealed at the hackathon #winnov2016 of which she was a laureate, is today distinguished among the “women innovators of the digital sector”. This former employee of L’Oréal, a graduate of Sciences Po, has just created lefrigojaune (literally theyellowfridge), a FaaS platform, Fridge as a Service, a wink at the end of SaaS used in the world of tech to designate software Sold As A Service.
A native of a Marseilles, Laurence Kerjean completes brilliant studies and has promising career start. After Sciences Po Aix and ESCP, she begins her professional career in major French business groups. However, at the birth of her last child, Laurence Kerjean understands that a turning point is indispensable. She decides that the time has come to give meaning to her activity by embarking on the entrepreneurial adventure.
For this cooking enthusiast, no question of embarking on an umpteenth start-up food. The young mother has a fiber of commitment and rather sees herself at the head of a committed company anchored in daily life. A few months and a conventional break later, the anti-food waste adventure begins with MeetZeChef and lefrigojaune.
Laurence Kerjean initially launched a first offer to individuals around MeetZeChef, a digital platform that puts users in touch with one another to avoid food waste, but soon decides to target businesses as well with a dedicated offer. With lefrigojaune, a digital solution too, Laurence Kerjean adds a new corporate chord to her fight against food waste and stands out among the new projects in the circular economy.
The principle is ingenious, innovative and connected. The start-up offers a turnkey service which begins with the installation of refrigerator in businesses. After lunchtime, the unsold food is repackaged in yellow boxes and placed in the fridge. Employees receive a notification indicating the available dishes that they can retrieve free of charge.
The project has a double impact in terms of corporate social responsibility and in terms of the development of an employee-citizen spirit. Lefrigojaune is thus part of a genuine collective project that promotes both the active role of employees and the external image of the company.
Launched on March 9th for Digital Woman’s Day under the sign #ForABetterWorld, Laurence Kerjean has just proceeded with her team to the first installation of the frigojaune, within the group Aufeminin. Since the installation in March 2017, 17kg of food has already been saved from waste.
While the initiative has already met with great success among companies, seduced by its innovative character and positive impact, the challenge for the frigojaune remains today to convert all these prospects into customers and to expand its market. At the same time, it must also be structured so as to be able to deploy its solution over a large geographical area and thus benefit to a greater number of users.
The objective for Laurence Kerjean? Having installed 50 yellow fridges by 2018 so that the start-up reaches a critical size and a first significant impact.
Valérie Bouba / Agence S’il vous plaît for Convergences
Throughout the year 2017, Convergences and its stakeholders mobilise around the theme “Women as agent of change” & 3 key topics:
- Girls and the digital sector
- Equality between men and women in the workplace
- Young Women Entrepreneurs
This article was written in the framework of the Convergences Working Groups. With more than 240 members from all sectors (public authorities, private companies, solidarity based organisations, the academic world and the media), the Working Groups are permanent bodies dedicated to collaborative thinking.