Social Entrepreneurship, An Interview With Pierre-Emmanuel, co-founder of ZACK

Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit, an ESSEC alumni, and Timothée Mével, student at Polytechnique, founded ZACK in 2016, a start-up specialized in giving a second life to your electronics! ZACK works with both companies and individuals on collecting their electronic waste. The products are then resold, given to charity or recycled in a way that respects the environment. Presently, the start-up saved the lives of 300 tons of electronic products.

EHUB: What is ZACK’s vision?

Pierre-Emmanuel: Circular economy is not only reserved for wealthy customers who can afford the last 200€ pair of recycled sneakers. Quite the contrary.

The circular economy is a unique solution that tackles both reducing inequalities based on a social model and respecting the planet and its natural resources at risk. It focuses on repairing rather than buying new, using recycled plastic rather than producing it, creating phones that last 20 years instead of 3.

The circular economy is represented by people that aren’t necessarily under the spotlight. It’s Malik, who repairs phones in Normandie, Julie who makes her own clothes with recycled textiles or even Jerôme, a garbage man in Paris. We want to encourage them as they contribute to the development of the economy of tomorrow.

Choosing to adopt a circular economy model, means choosing to contribute to a more responsible, positive and regenerative economy.

EHUB: What motivated you to start ZACK? How did you get the idea?

P. E.: We were students at Berkeley in the United States and wanted to launch an entrepreneurial project with impact. When we saw the quantity of idle products stocked at people’s homes, we had the idea to create a sort of reversed Amazon: where it would be as easy to separate yourself from a used product than buying on Amazon in one click!

EHUB: What were the challenges and problems that you had to face?

P.E.: The circular economy in B2C is not easy as there are no fully established models yet. For example, we launched a purchasing and selling service across all categories for used products. We tackled demands from a horse saddle to a telescope! It was challenging to become experts in all categories: we therefore focused on electronic products to build an efficient and virtuous channel.

Besides, another barrier in the circular economy is the mismatch between the price of the used product and the perception of this price by the person reselling the product. We need to show some understanding to avoid any frustration.

EHUB: Do you think your studies at ESSEC equipped you with the tools to be successful with your start-up?

P.E.: First of all, ESSEC Ventures invested in ZACK, therefore, the school’s trust allowed us to obtain our seed capital. Moreover, the classes offered by the associate professor Jan Lepoutre, or the other services provided to aspiring entrepreneurs by Nicolas Landrin’s teams are essential tools to gain time. Finally, being currently the president of theESSEC Entrepreneurs Alumni Club, I would recommend any students to join the network and surround themselves with mentors.

EHUB: What advice would you give students who want to become entrepreneurs

P.E.: My 3 main entrepreneurship advice are:

- Take the time to think through your partnership: am I compatible with my associates? Is the starting deal fair?

- Choose an industry and expertise that motivates you the most: entrepreneurship demands a lot of energy; you will only find it if you go after objectives that motivate you in the first place.

- Work on your network, it would bring you unexpected leads and development opportunities

EHUB: In which activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest time in (hobbies, sports, classes, clubs…)?

P.E.: This depends on the individual, but it is important to undertake activities outside of work. On my end, the time that I spend with my wife and children or playing sports and the violin keep me balanced.

EHUB: According to you, what are essential qualities to have as an entrepreneur? As a leader of ZACK ?

P.E.: You need to be resilient and able to face failures with a smile. You also need to be considerate and kind towards your collaborators to create a strong team. Finally, respecting both others and your values when it comes to guiding your decisions, or interacting with clients and partners is crucial.

I would also add being coherent with the timeline, your convictions and your battles: a leader stands his ground and might even preach his ideas alone at the beginning.

EHUB: Most start-ups suffered from the economic recession brought about by the global pandemic. What was the impact of COVID-19 on your start-up?

P.E.: The service we offered tailored to individuals greatly suffered from external logistical issues and the loss of many parcels. However the crisis gave us the opportunity to accelerate our road map and launch our last version of ZACK: a service giving a second life to all electronic products. We first tested it internally which allowed everyone to sort out their electronics at home and send it our way. The profit made from reselling them was then allocated to the emergency fund AP-HP which supports health care and nursing staff.

EHUB: What are ZACK’s next objectives?

P.E.: ZACK’s objective is to fight against electronics wastage: more than 54M tons of electronic products were spoiled in 2019 according to Global e-waste monitor. Expanding our service to enterprises would help us increase the level of products that will be reused and preserve more natural resources.

THANK YOU PIERRE-EMMANUEL FOR YOUR TIME AND INSIGHTS!

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