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03/04/2018

Created by a KEDGE Alumnus, Ulyss.co links candidates with employees who already have a job

Eric MAHARIBATCHA (ESC 2007) created Ulyss.co, a web platform that allows candidates to contact employees that work in the company they are coveting. His project is being incubated at the KEDGE Business Nursery.

Hello, Eric! To begin, can you tell us about your educational background: what did you study at KEDGE, and before attending KEDGE?
 
You should say that I am a pure produite of KEDGE, since I received my Bachelor's in Bordeaux (SUP'TG at the time) and then joined the ESC Master's program in Marseille in parallel admission. At the time, I never would have thought that the schools in Marseille and Bordeaux would merge. I was also President of the BDE list and participated in SUP2MIX and SUPDEFUN events (I don't think they exist anymore / that really dates me!).
 
Tell us about what you have done since graduating: what jobs have you held? What did you learn? 
 
First I worked in sales for major accounts for press/web titles for the group LA PROVENCE, then I joined CUSTOM SOLUTIONS (a digital marketing agency) as Key Account Manager, and finally SCALA (IT/Digital Transformation Consulting) as Business Engineer for major accounts. Eleven years of experience in sales enabled me to highlight my interest in negotiations and to understand the challenges facing clients in terms of digital transformations.
 
During my most recent experience in an IT Consulting company, I was able to learn more about the HR universe, because I was in charge of recruiting IT/web developers for missions with my clients.
 
Tell us about ULYSS.CO, your entrepreneurial project, which is being incubated by the Business Nursery.
 
91% of recruiters contact a candidat's former employers... What if we reversed the roles? We developed ULYSS.CO, a web platform that enables candidates to contact employees that work or worked in the company that are coveting. The objective of the connection is for candidates to be able to make the right choice. Currently, most mid-to-senior level employees have reached full employment and employers are having more and more trouble attracting talents. We offer our service to companies so that they can promote their reputation as an employer. They can then showcase certain collaborators that then become real ambassadors to attract the best candidates. The employer can then benefit from a unique packaged offer with 1 job + 1 ambassador to advice candidates. As you see, we want to put the Human back into the heart of Human Resources by facilitating personalised and authentic exchanges between outsiders and insiders.
 
 
What are your objectives for the future? 
 
Today, we are receiving support from several institutions (Initiative Marseille Métropole, IMF Creasol, Crédit Agricole, and of course Kedge BS), which has allowed us to launch our platform. We want to conduct a fundraising operation at the end of the year to meet three objectives: accelerate our technical development, develop our network of Mentors (more than 3,500 registered to date), and develop our BtoB clients. Our objective is to validate our concept in France first, then expand to English speaking countries UK/US, which are much more advanced in terms of "Employee Advocacy" (the term used to refer to employee ambassadors).
 
 
How did your time at KEDGE Business School and with the Business Nursery help you in your career and your entrepreneurial project?
 
At the time, the "à la carte" programme in the final year, helped me specialise. I had chosen to take courses in Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Team Management, and Human Resources, which of course were useful throughout my career. My involvement with the student associations also helped me manage "my little company...", which is helpful in my everyday activities now! 
 
When you are an entrepreneur, the biggest mistake you can make is to work at home, with your head down, and to not take a step back, or ask for any feedback because you are sure about the success of your project... Joining the Business Nursery was our biggest help! And I don't say that lightly! The coaches are references in their field and have a caring approach, centered on the entrepreneur. Additionally, being around other entrepreneurs, enables us to exchange, challenge our ideas, get help, increase our motivation, and feed off of others' successes  (and failures). It's a great entrepreneurial dynamic at the service of entrepreneurs. I would like to take advantage of this moment to thank Quentin DUMONTET, Feyrouz TRIPOTIN, Laurence BRICTEUX, Paul MOLGA, Jérôme BRAVAIS, and Blandine MANTELIN for the work they do everyday to make sure the incubator provides a comprehensive and professional tool at the service of entrepreneurship. 
 
If you had one piece of advice for other KEDGE alumni and students, what would it be? 
 
If you have an idea, a project, the biggest mistake you can make is not to talk about it. We are nourished by other people's feedback, our discussions, our exchanges... That's what helps us get to the point where we can decide, we are ready to go for it! But you can't walk in blind... on your own. So, I encourage anyone that wants to be an entrepreneur to submit their project to the Business Nursery jury and take advantage of this wonderful support mechanism! Additionally, it allows you to go back to the halls of Luminy and that always brings back some good memories!
 
Anything to add?
 

I invite all alumni to register on the platform www.ulyss.co to share their professional experience and help candidates make the right company choice. 

For alumni who work in human resources, I am also available to present our Employer offer that brings together visibility and knowledge of candidates interested in your companies

Finally, we want to raise money at the end of the year to accelerate our development, so don't hesitate to contact us if you are interested in our project.

 

YOU ARE NOMINATED, YOU LAUNCH A PROJECT, A START-UP?

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