Go for it, never to regret! By Alice Fortuné, Smarteem Co-founder
Everyone has an ambition. For some, it remains silent. For others, they make it happen! Alice Fortuné belongs to the second group. After 10 years of experience in the ESG investment sector and then the management consulting sector, she decided to take the plunge and launch the startup Smarteem. Her ambition? Helping companies change the way they collaborate with freelancers. Let’s find out who Alice is, and follow her exciting journey through entrepreneurship.
Who are you, and can you describe your professional journey?
I was born and raised in the Paris region. I graduated from Sciences Po Toulouse and Nanterre University, and I then started my career as an ESG Analyst. Later, my professional trajectory led me to become the right-hand person to a CEO within Sogeti France, an entity of the Capgemini group. Then, I joined Capgemini Invent as a management consultant specializing in HR. I oversaw significant projects for the human resources departments of large corporations.
And more recently, I decided to create a startup…
Can you tell us more about your entrepreneurial awakening?
My interest in entrepreneurship arises from a quite personal introspection. Through my various work experiences, I observed a gap in human resources management, especially for freelancers. They are given quite a different treatment from company employees in terms of managerial practices, processes, tools… Their legal status might be different, they remain a valuable asset for organizations, just like any other employee.
I am convinced that, given the growing numbers of freelancers, the skills shortage, and the need for more agility, companies must change their paradigm, and get into a much more global management logic of their pool of skills - whether these skills are within or without the company.
This is what led me to create Smarteem. I embarked on this amazing entrepreneurial journey in 2023 with a previous colleague Antoine Rigollet, and It all went very fast!
Pitch Smarteem to us!
Our startup Smarteen focuses on freelance relationship management, mostly to address the specific needs of companies in the rising era of independent work. We like to think that our solution is quite innovative, and human centered too. It offers advanced HR features, enabling companies to capitalize on freelancers, facilitate their involvement in missions, and foster the loyalty of these external resources.
Back to interview mode, now is the time for Smarteem to accelerate. With Antoine, we already went through the classic creation stages, from problem identification to the establishment of an MVP, ultimately resulting in the Smarteem CRM dedicated to freelance management. And lately, we joined the HEC Paris Incubator to accelerate our project.
Tell us more about your first two months at the HEC Paris Incubator.
We integrated the HEC Paris Incubator in January 2024. I deeply wanted to join this ecosystem. To me it is the number one incubator, and it is living up to its reputation! By joining this program, I knew we could benefit from the Incubator’s pool of experts, the HEC Paris network, and the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem of Station F.
Being there right now allows us to accelerate Smarteem's development very quickly. I already exchanged with experts on strategy, positioning, etc. And right now, we are focusing on acquiring our clients, and on developing in specific market segments, such as advertising, education, event agencies, and media.
On a more personal note, I hope to be able to give back to the HEC Paris community in the future as an expert, once I have the ability to reflect on this amazing journey.
One final question: What’s your philosophy to remain fully committed in this entrepreneurial journey?
Go for it, never to regret! I'm in this entrepreneurial adventure for no regrets whatsoever. I am all in, and I try to apply this specific advice to myself: always find the right balance between optimism and pessimism. Pessimism can easily hit your mental status when navigating through uncertainty. So it’s all about never giving up, being persistent and resilient. This is my current mood.