Yuka and Jumia: an entrepreneurial success story in the EDHEC alumni network

This year’s edition of EDHEC Rendez-Vous, the flagship event organised by the EDHEC alumni association, showcased some fine success stories featuring EDHEC entrepreneurs operating in the digital universe.

The EDHEC of the Year Prize  was awarded to Sacha Poignonnec, co-founder and co-CEO of Jumia, an African online platform that is also Africa’s first unicorn (a start-up valued at over $1 billion), while the EDHEC Start-Up Creator Prize went to Julie Chapon for Yuka, “the mobile application that scans your food”.

The EDHEC Entrepreneur of the Year Prize was won by Maxime Legardez (EDHEC 2011) for Everoad (ex-Convargo), a start-up that brings businesses and road haulage companies into contact. Maud Sarda (EDHEC 2005) received the EDHEC Solidarity Entrepreneur prize for Label Emmaüs, the Emmaüs charity’s online store.

The prize-giving ceremony took place in the magical environment of the Atelier des Lumières, the recently-opened digital art centre housed in an old foundry in Paris’s 11th arrondissement.

“These fine entrepreneurial successes are really inspiring for future generations of EDHEC graduates who are eager to innovate and have a positive impact on business and society”, declares Emmanuel Métais, Dean of EDHEC Business School. “We are very proud to award the EDHEC of the Year Prize to Sacha Poignonnec, co-founder and co-CEO of Jumia, Africa’s first unicorn! From finance to digital, his journey is a remarkable international entrepreneurial adventure that embodies many aspects of EDHEC’s highly characteristic DNA”.

Sacha Poignonnec, co-founder and co-CEO of Jumia, EDHEC of the Year Prize 2018 After graduating from EDHEC with a Master in Finance in 2002, Sacha Poignnonec began his career in audit with Arthur Andersen. In 2004, he teamed up with former Andersen employees to create Aon Accuracy, a subsidiary of Aon specialising in financial risk advisory (now an independent firm). Three years later, he joined strategy consultants McKinsey & Company as Associate, before being promoted to Engagement Manager then Associate Partner. Based in Paris and New York, he ran assignments on subjects related to strategy, growth operations and organisation for clients throughout Europe and North America. During this time, he acquired significant expertise in the consumer goods and retailing/distribution industries, along with a highly-developed sense of entrepreneurship.   In 2012, he founded Jumia (formerly Africa Internet Group), with Jérémy Hodara, another ex-McKinsey employee. Jumia is an ecosystem of digital platforms centred on e-commerce and digital services. The group is present in 14 African countries and now employs 3,500 people. In 2017, Jumia recorded almost €500 million in transaction volume. Sacha is married to Marion Sanchez-Poignonnec (another EDHEC graduate from the class of 2002) and a father of three children.

Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka, EDHEC Start-Up Creator Prize After graduating from EDHEC with an MSc in Marketing in 2011, Julie Chapon began her career in consulting with Wavestone. During her five years with the firm, she acquired expertise in the fields of CRM, change management, innovation and digital. In 2017, she launched Yuka, a mobile app that allows users to scan bar codes on food products in order to find out the impact on their health. The app now boasts over 4 million users and ranks among the top three French apps. Yuka also plans to expand into personal hygiene and cosmetic products very shortly.

Entrepreneurship: EDHEC’s engagement in figures

• A range of 10 programmes for entrepreneurs (specialised tracks, electives and business games), embracing bachelor’s degrees, executive education and a dedicated one-year academic programme (MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation)
• 15% of EDHEC students set up their own company just after graduating  
• 50 entrepreneurship events every year
• 2,000 exploratory interviews conducted and 700 projects selected
• 200 start-ups supported and 1,000 jobs created
• €38 million euros raised
• 40% female entrepreneurs
• 150 hosting spaces – The EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator on the Lille and Nice campuses, and Station F, the world’s largest start-up incubator, located in the heart of Paris