Unicorn, however, is a term he doesn’t like. Philippe Corrot believes that the term is wrong: “it is an animal that does not exist, it is a chimera”. Unlike Mirakl, valued at several billion dollars. Mirakl is the world leader in his field and before him, “the profession did not exist.” A true success story.
However, things had started off rather badly for Philippe Corrot. The one who had been passionate about video games since childhood had to leave his studies at the age of 19 to earn money.
“There are decisions that are easy to make when you don’t have a choice,” he recalls. However, he does not give up and uses all his resources to recover, in particular his education: “My father had the good idea to put a computer in my hands when I was very young, I started coding when I was five, six years old.
Hobby: Bill Gates
With his best friend, they decided to start their first company in 1997. At that time, he was already fearless. Always fascinated by Bill Gates, he tries to get invited to a Microsoft convention “just to hear it”. He is 18 years old, he makes Microsoft believe over the phone that he is in charge of a company of several thousand people. And works. The young man is already a witty person. Without a penny in his pocket, he launched into the venture:
promising beginnings
Thirteen banks refuse, Philippe Corrot is not discouraged. The fourteenth is the good one! Twenty years later, with a business valued at $3.5 billion, he hasn’t changed banks because “it’s important to be loyal.” In 2000, the founders resold. In 2001 they approached the costume jewelery sector with their second company but “I didn’t like it”. They sold in 2005. Their third company is a Marketplace in the field of video games, their passion. Development is strong, fast and in 2008, because they have “reached the limit in terms of what [qu’ils] could do only in development”, they resell to FNAC.
miracle miracle
They are convinced of the important place that Marketplaces will have in the markets of the future. The idea for Mirakl was born. Ten years later, he opens the doors of his office, almost like the bedroom of the boy who was… And he stayed! Everywhere, toys related to the world of video games.
The French Tech rooster, pop culture memorabilia offered by employees, a Rubik’s cube because “as a geek, I have my Rubik’s cube”, figurines made by his children and “a lot of Star Wars stuff, it’s unifying”. In addition, the meeting rooms are named after the planets of the blockbuster. A sparkling, colourful, whimsical universe, and yet Philippe Corrot always wears black. To the question “why?” he replies, down-to-earth, “that gives me one less question to ask myself in the morning.”
>> See in its entirety Large format of Hedwige Chevrillon with Philippe Corrot.
Source: BFM TV
