All these entrepreneurs have one thing in common: they come from La Réunion, Tahiti, Guyana, or Martinique and have developed their businesses by integrating the constraints of these overseas territories while seeking to emancipate themselves.
These business leaders also share a common characteristic: patience, a strategic ally, much more so than in mainland France.
For Marina Royer, who uses Guyanese raw materials to create cosmetics in her laboratory Bio Stratège, the geographical distance from Europe poses a challenge due to the supply times for the various materials used in production, most of which come from France or Europe.
For Maiti Rossini and her application Ito Ito, based in Polynesia, it was the funding that took time to arrive. It took 17 months to receive grants from the French government. In comparison, it typically takes an entrepreneur in mainland France an average of 2 to 3 months.
Despite these constraints, entrepreneurship in Overseas territories has a significant impact. It can bring about rapid and positive changes in local communities, fostering economic development and job creation, due to the size of the territory, its smaller population compared to elsewhere, and the significant local development challenges. Moreover, solidarity is stronger there than in mainland France, which fosters connections.
Anaelle Pony is a perfect example of this. Her application Léon, which showcases La Réunion through stories, has gained recognition among locals, primarily through word of mouth. She even refers to “Ladilafé,” a Creole expression that comes from “he said, he did” and means rumors or gossip, but sometimes it has its benefits when it comes to talking about her application.
We met these entrepreneurs thanks to Innovation Outre-mer, and we thank them for the invitation.
