Episode description

Next stop for The Recursive podcast - Bucharest. It is where we meet serial entrepreneur and angel investor Gregoire Vigroux. The Frenchman who fell in love in Romania, set up all his businesses there, and made his goal to show everybody all the opportunities that the country presents.

As a hyperactive person who likes to be challenged every day, Gregoire is born with an entrepreneurial mindset. He has co-founded and invested in more than 25 businesses across Eastern Europe and has had 4 exits so far.

One of his first ventures was the outsourcing company CallPoint, which is now known as TELUS International Europe. It currently employs 5,000 people in Bulgaria and Romania and Gregoire serves as a board member.

He started his latest endeavors amidst the pandemic - the online store for refurbished smartphones www.fenix.eco that he exited this summer.

And just a month ago, he announced his latest project bonapp.eco - a mobile app combating food waste allowing users to buy food close to its expiration date from nearby grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, cafés, or hotels.

Gregoire is the Co-Founder and President at the French Tech global community in Romania, an ecosystem that supports startups in their international development.

In his honest conversation with Irina, Gregoire takes us all the way through his incredible entrepreneurial journey. In the episode he shares:

• Why he believes entrepreneurship is like Russian roulette and what helped him succeed at this crazy game;
• The importance of building quality relationships and creating friendships with the people you work with;
• Why he cares more about impact than business plans and pitch decks;
• How his ADHD condition impacted his life and career path;