Coming from a small village in the Loire, Claire Bretton has always worked in digital. From AI to the circular economy, discover the portrait of a committed entrepreneur who campaigns for female entrepreneurship.
The main part of your journey?
Originally from a small village in the Loire, nothing a priori predestined Claire Bretton to be a woman in digital. Daughter and granddaughter of farmers, she went to Paris to attend business school and began her career with four years of strategy consulting. But entrepreneurship fascinates her and in 2016, she launched with Daco.io. “ We leveraged AI to help fashion retailers better understand their competitive environment “. The company was bought in 2018 by Veepee, which Claire Bretton joined as head of pricing. “ The year 2020 confronted me with a crisis of meaning like many citizens “. In response, she founded an association with her husband which helps local traders during confinements. “ It was the first time I worked in impact and it was a revelation “. She then decided to redirect her career and completed an Executive Program at Cambridge on the circular economy. At the end of this training, she becomes head of the Re-Cycle business unit within Veepee. Clothing collection, reprocessing and resale, everything has to be invented. “ I learned a lot from Re-Cycle. I discovered the mysteries of the circular economy and I wanted to go even further by discovering that 10 million large household appliances are thrown away in France every year. “. From then on, Underdog, a company with a mission, could see the light of day with the help of Laura Chavigny and Léa de Fierkowsky, whom they met at Veepee. “ Our startup is 100% co-founded by women “. The company collects, reconditions and resells equipment and becomes a key player in the circular economy while helping to train its employees and create a global sector.
The secret recipe for effective management?
« When you create an impact company, the question of management arises very differently because you never have to justify the meaning of our action because we all have the sacred fire”. The trickiest? Channel this tremendous energy that drives the Underdog teams. “ The fact that there is no dissonance between our personal convictions and our professional aspirations is an incredible facilitator, but you have to have a very pragmatic vision of the project ».
The place of women in digital?
Business angel with more than fifteen participations focused on impact and female entrepreneurship, ambassador of the Impact France movement in Pays de la Loire, author of a novel, Claire Bretton is not just a woman from digital! “ Being a woman in digital has never been a problem. On the other hand, I campaign for female entrepreneurship and investment “. Because it recalls a clear observation from the Sista x BCG study: startups founded by women represent less than 10% of companies and less than 2% of funds raised. “ I have never personally faced this discrimination, but I remain convinced that we need more women in digital, women who invest or who undertake “. Her conviction: the need to cultivate female role models to encourage women to reveal their talents and entrepreneurial energy.
What if we rewrote history?
« I regret my late realization of my capacity to commit. I am very admiring of these young people who get involved very early in very local actions. », concludes Claire Bretton. Never mind, the entrepreneur is now doing everything she can to make up for lost time!
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Source: www.ecommercemag.fr
