It was the inclusive approach of Omni\u2019s proposed motorised solution that convinced Charlotte to get involved. The multidisciplinary nature of apprecenticeships at EMLV, coupled with the \u201cDigital HR\u201d major which she undertook, gave her invaluable tools for kickstarting her career as an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
Before joining EMLV I graduated from the sciences-track baccalaureat. I started out in first-year medicine, but I quickly realised it wasn\u2019t for me and that I didn\u2019t like the cut-throat, every-man-for-himself environment of that first year. So for the rest of the year, I took the time to get my driving licence and think about what I really wanted to do.<\/p>\n
I chose EMLV because the course on offer rapidly immersed us into the corporate world, through the many group projects based on real-life case studies, the invaluable experiences that our teachers shared with us, and the substantial professional experience we were able to acquire over the 5 years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I appreciated how we had 3 years of broad, \u2018core\u2019 courses before choosing our specialisation: studying marketing, economics law, finance, HR and many more all at the same time.<\/p>\n
It was this initial broad nature of the course which gave me optimum preparation for what was to come.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When I was there, the transverse programme incorporating multiple schools didn\u2019t exist yet, but I would\u2019ve loved to do it. I have great memories of student life on campus, where students from all 3 schools socialized together.<\/p>\n
In my final two years I specialised in Human Resources Management. It was a field I was unfamiliar with; to learn more about it I chose it for my first-year placement, which I really enjoyed. Then, the courses and my two company placements in 2nd and 3rd year sealed the deal for me.<\/p>\n
An electric scooter called Desire<\/h3>\n
I met No\u00e9 Vinot-Kahn, Sulivan Richard, Robin L\u2019hommeau and Mathieu Izaute while they were on a one-year programme on user-centred innovation at d.school Paris (a branch of Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, a grande \u00e9cole<\/em>).<\/p>\n
The training objective was to improve the mobility of users of manual wheelchairs. They spent many days in wheelchairs, met 20-odd medical experts and 50 or so wheelchair users. I was one of those users, sharing my 20-plus years of experience in a wheelchair with them.<\/p>\n
I was impressed by their level of commitment and how well they understood life in a wheelchair. Convinced that they wanted to develop a genuinely useful solution, I decided to help them. We tested several their prototypes, and one day they got me to try an electric scooter. That was the lightbulb moment!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It was an answer to two issues all wheelchair users face: getting around easily and independently and changing the perception of disability by using the same solution as everyone else, being like everyone else.<\/p>\n
We tested it with other people who responded in the same way as me, and we told ourselves we had to continue the project so that as many people as possible could benefit from it.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t thought I\u2019d end up going into entrepreneurship, but I gained complete confidence in the product and the team. I wanted to be part of the adventure, and the 5 of us co-founded Omni. I went part-time at my old company for 1 year in\/for company creation to develop Omni in parallel with my activity there, then from last January, I decided to dedicate myself to the company full time.<\/p>\n
Omni, inclusive mobility<\/h3>\n
Omni comes from Latin, the idea being \u201ceverything for everyone\u201d, pursuing inclusion, rendering all mainstream products accessible. Our first product was a device that allowed any manual wheelchair to be attached to an electric scooter, affording the same access to motorised personal transport as enjoyed by everyone else.<\/p>\n
It also allows users to get around independently and overcome all the little obstacles encountered daily (cobbles, slopes, pavements). It\u2019s a much more affordable solution than all the existing specific motorised offerings for people with disabilities, and can be shared with everyone.<\/p>\n
It really makes me laugh riding in cycle lanes and seeing the reactions of other wheelchair users, who are intrigued and want to have a go on my wheelchair themselves.<\/p>\n
And OMNI also stands for \u201cunidentified motorised object\u201d in French!<\/p>\n