Two new co-presidents for French Tech 47

“We are a community that wants to innovate on its own territory,” introduces Ingrid Walbrou. With Romain Villey, they became the two new presidents of the French Tech Lot-et-Garonne association on June 29, for a two-year term. Both are young entrepreneurs from Lot-et-Garonne who want to revitalize their territory.

Ingrid Walbrou needs no introduction! Rewarded several times for her work, she has been awarded in the Lépine competition and at the Septuors 2023. Her company, located in Saint-Romain-le-Noble, offers washable and recyclable hygienic protection and protection against urine leakage, in a social and solidarity economy approach.

Romain Villey, meanwhile, offers support to help top athletes manage their post-career lives. L’Agenais managed to create its New Round company thanks to the BoostCampus 47 competition organized by Digital Campus. “It’s a bit like the totem place of the French Tech Lot-et-Garonne,” explains Romain.

The French Tech 47 community, recognized by the official French Tech label, aims to promote the start-up spirit and innovation in a territory. “There is the triptych Vision, Mission, Values”, explains Romain, specifying that a start-up retains a notion of innovation and has growth potential. Ingrid completes by specifying that “it is a company capable of accelerating, of being a source of proposals in a territory”. Often connoted and associated with digital, however, the two co-presidents find the term start-up uncomfortable and prefer that of French Tech or community. “The watchword is more innovation than digital”, explains Romain. Today, French Tech 47 has more than 80 members, including project leaders, entrepreneurs, partner structures and associations.

“For me, in the Lot-et-Garonne, there is everything to build”

Located between Bordeaux, the French capital of technology, and Toulouse, our department is rarely seen as an innovation department. This is the image that the two co-presidents of the French Tech 47 want to change. Romain affirms it, “you don’t need to live in Paris to do business”. It was precisely the desire to support the project leaders that prompted Ingrid to join French Tech 47. “For me, in the Lot-et-Garonne, there is everything to build”, announces the young woman.

French Tech is “bind and push” explains Ingrid. “A lot of people who have good ideas but not necessarily the right connections,” adds Romain. The two representatives also insist on the idea of ​​sharing the association. “It’s not a professional network,” Romain recalls. Through after-work and workshops, the association wants to consolidate ties within its community.
“In the life of an entrepreneur there are ups and downs, you have to show solidarity,” explains Ingrid. A community in which its members share their skills while also opening up to other players in the area, this is the roadmap that Ingrid and Romain want to follow during their mandate.