Patch’s recipe, Management
Paatch is an idea that germinated during childbirth. “I had become a solo telecommuter and the isolation was weighing on me. Why not meet us at different, to work remotely, in a pleasant environment and for short periods? explains Niels Rolland. Experiences in villas in Cap-Ferret, chalets in Morzine or houses in the Dordogne are starting. seat rental, each his own roomsharing of common areasfree time and participatory spirit… A form of “roommate” teleworking I was born.
In March 2022, Niels Rolland and Cédric Boivent decided to professionalize the concept with the creation of the Paatch company. The former takes care of the development while the latter handles the technical implementation. The start-up becomes the first community work platform in France.
Now offers one-day formulas coworking in the city or a week of “coliving” by the sea, in the mountains or in the countryside. Paatch currently supports 1,000 participants or “paatchers”, split evenly between employees and freelancers. Turnover will reach 25,000 euros in 2022. The goal of the start-up is to reach 10,000 members within three years. A growth of community of patchers which is the key to the company’s success.
Business model pivot
In fact, Paatch’s business model is currently based exclusively on the teleworker, employee or self-employed. The latter subscribes to an annual subscription of 15 euros to the platform to become active member from the community. As such, it is a source of proposals to enrich the catalog of places. It then pays a share of the space rental, on which the start-up takes a 10% commission.
However, at the beginning of the adventure, the entrepreneur’s vision includes an expanded offer to companies that would like to participate living expenses Their employee’s patch. During the summer of 2022, Niels Rolland contacted several HR departments of large groups. “A waste of energy because even if the majority of employees are in favor of telecommuting, many companies maintain a strong face-to-face culture. They don’t want to encourage remote work. But it’s only a matter of time before telecommuting becomes the norm,” says Niels Rolland.
The entrepreneur then understands that his gateway to this commercial market will pass through the community of “paatchers”, like so many supporters of teleworking able to put pressure on their employer. By doing this, he intends to make Paatch a recruitment lever and employee retention, because “a company that offers work weeks several times a year in such attractive third-party jobs is attractive.” The start-up is also in contact with companies such as Revolut or Airbnb, which have converted 100% to teleworking, and which already have “patchers” among their employees.
Funding put to the test
Other challenges awaited the startupper. Starting with the funding to develop the platform prototype. “For this, we managed to get a French Tech Scholarship of 30,000 euros, in addition to our personal contribution of 5,000 euros. We also benefit from the advice of a technology expert, who has invested 20,000 euros in the project,” says Niels Rolland. Paatch joined an incubation platform Paris&Co in September 2022, where the start-up rents its offices. This support allowed them to structure the activity around monitoring indicators or to meet experts.”A former director of customer experience at Air France gave us advice on how to unite our community, for example around small rituals”, says the entrepreneur.
Paatch can benefit within the incubator of a support program paying, 1,000 euros per month. Still a high figure for the start-up. “But it is possible to apply for support from the City of Paris and the Parisian Fund for Innovation. We will get to work,” says Niels Rolland. Beyond these challenges, Paatch maintains its ambition to create a employee ecosystemfreelancers and companies that defend a new way of organizing work.
