Viredo has been incubated at Turbine following their participation in our last Test Drive Program. The founder Martin De Navacelle chats with us to share his wonderful journey of becoming an entrepreneur following his incubation and explains what his start up is all about.
Tell us about yourself and what were you doing before your entrepreneurial journey?
I started my career as a software engineer and I am currently employed at Spoon Consulting. I have always had a love for electronic devices and working with them became a passion for me. Soon I started collecting broken and unused hardware to repair and turn them into running conditions again. This is how I came up with Viredo.
Viredo– Recycling old computers and electronics
An estimated amount of 60,000 computers are replaced every year by companies in Mauritius. This in turn has a great impact on the environment. At Viredo, we strongly believe that these products can have a second life after repairs and upgrades.
Viredo helps companies engage in environment protection by collecting & repairing their IT equipments.
My team and I collect IT equipments from companies and rebuild them after destroying all the data that they previously contained. We upgrade the products and then sell or rent them locally to companies who do not really need high end computers for their work. We believe that in this way we are able to decrease dumping and pollution and help the local economy as well.
What was your thought process when you saw the ad of Test Drive?
I was already driving this recycling activity for a couple of years when I saw the ad. I thought that this would be an excellent opportunity for me to further develop my business idea so, why not give it a chance and apply!
What was your experience of participating in Test Drive?
A key turning point in my project!
Turbine‘s Test Drive Program helped me in turning my vision into a real project. Super interesting workshops and continuous help and support from Turbine’s business coaches have really helped me. Participants were challenged throughout the journey and everyone was keen and motivated to work even harder.
Though I did not win the first prize, Viredo was incubated at Turbine. We have weekly meetings with our business coach and attend workshops that Turbine organizes to help us with our business.
What advice would you give to someone with a business idea?
Come and validate your idea through Turbine‘s Test Drive Program.
You’ll definitely not regret it!