Coming from Lorient, Maël Prud’homme, sailor and surfer, has developed in Anglet Ekosea, a crowdfunding platform for projects related to the sea and the environment
Almost five years ago, in 2017, Maël Prud’homme chose Anglet and the Basque Coast to transpose the headquarters of Ekosea, a crowdfunding platform linked to the sea, board sports and outdoor activities. Since then, this platform has continued to develop, without renouncing its principles and facing the big players in the crowdfunding sector. “Doing something with and for seafarers, sailors, sailors, surfers and others, by integrating the necessary preservation of the oceans, which are also a source of solutions in the face of global warming, makes sense to me. But it was necessary to impose Ekosea as a legitimate player in crowdfunding. Which, of course, takes time. “
Over time, Ekosea has proven itself. Six years after its creation, the platform has raised more than 1 million euros for 174 projects and has a success rate of nearly 90%.
Communication and advice
One of Ekosea’s strengths is that it does not limit its role to that of a strict financing platform. “The financial aspect is essential, but it is important for those who launch projects to know how to communicate. We provide support on both aspects, ”emphasizes Maël Prud’homme. Even the Covid-19, and the upheavals it caused in 2020 and 2021, have not called into question the Ekosea project. “It was not all easy,” agrees its creator and manager. But projects on the issue of environmental protection have nevertheless seen the light of day. “
In addition, Ekosea widened its field of intervention and welcomed the Xubaka adventure, the electric motorcycle developed in Anglet by Benoît Marty and Pierre-Yves Palueau within the Sodium Cycles company. “We may think that we are far from the ocean,” says Maël Prud’homme, “yet his welcome within Ekosea is very logical. It is a local project, 90% made from elements made in France and which provides a solution to the enormous traffic problems in summer on the coast, while meeting the requirements of environmental preservation. “
The same goes for the 727 Sailbags, made from recycled sailcloth. Like Xubaka, you can discover these creations in the showroom opened by Maël Prud’homme, 38, boulevard des Plages, in Anglet, facing the Atlantic. “We can demonstrate that all the projects selected by Ekosea meet the same consistency, even if they seem far removed from each other,” he adds. The environment is not a simple marketing argument. ”
Rigor in the selection
Those who believed that a vague lick of green or blue paint was enough to appear on the fundraising platform could see it. The Ekosea team retained its ability to say no, when the gait lacked depth.
For Maël Prud’homme, this rigor is decisive. “It is only at this price that we can be a real resource with the big brands, also very often solicited by project leaders, but who do not necessarily have the capacity to ensure the viability and of the sincerity of the idea submitted to them. And which can only be bluewashing. ”
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