A DISAPPOINTED INTRAPRENEURESS AT HEART

A logistician by training and a manager by nature, she has invested in management positions in the health sector, first in France, then in Quebec in 1999. “I have been a stakeholder in companies for a long time,” explains Sabine. “I have successfully carried out projects in strategic orientation, operations management from A to Z, sales deployment in relation to customers and implementation of IT systems.”

However, she admits her disappointment at the lack of recognition even though she has invested herself fully, beyond her mandates. She has sat on management committees and in her last job, she managed a team whose president was almost absent. "As an intrapreneur, you rarely reap everything you sow," she laments. On the contrary, we have to live with decisions that are not ours, even if we are the ones who set the table." She concludes, all smiles:

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, A LOGICAL CONTINUATION OR A COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES?

Breaking out of the employee/employer framework is a step she wasn't sure she would take at first. "I was the pillar of financial security in the family, the stable income, the person who could compensate for the ups and downs," she says. "I knew the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. I knew it required a strong morale, that it wasn't necessarily sexy every day. And then, there was the timing." Grown-up children, disappointed hopes and a love of challenges paved the way.

During a trip to the desert in 2009 with her husband, an idea was born that would go far. "We saw someone crossing the dunes standing on a motorbike or a bicycle, a fairly low machine with big balloon tires and an internal combustion engine, certainly a vehicle tampered with by an ingenious guy." The couple began to dream: he, an entrepreneur in the transport sector, passionate about motorbikes and "quite a handyman" and she, a project manager "a bit of a grain and eco-friendly."

While her husband created two prototypes of "all-terrain mobipods" the following year, she analyzed the market and prepared business plans. Result: the project seemed promising and the need for an ecological travel option that was also ergonomic, very present. It was in Key West in 2011 that they tested their prototypes. Faced with the obvious enthusiasm they generated, Sabine officially launched into the adventure.

FROM INTRAPRENEURSHIP TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EXPERIENCE COUNTS

"I've never had imposter syndrome," she reveals, lucidly. "At 50, you know what you're worth on the job market: your skills, your achievements, the projects you've completed, everything you're capable of accomplishing." Aware of her strengths, but also her weaknesses, she explains: "We also know exactly how to identify the right people, those who will be able to fill our gaps and complement us in order to take the company further," she says.

Maturity also gives you wings. “I have more guts now!” she says with a laugh. “I’m not afraid to go knock on the doors of Minister of Economy and Innovation Pierre Fitzgibbon, or to flit around at a networking event. Who would ignore the little lady with grey hair? She’s an asset and I use it!” Confident, she became an activist with Minister of Transport François Bonnardel so that small businesses could also benefit from subsidies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. She didn’t hesitate to push for changes to the regulations so that the Geebee would be authorized by the SAAQ to operate on public roads. She stopped at nothing to approach big clients like resorts, commuting companies or municipalities, which buy fleets for their employees’ travel, for the police and for park maintenance, among other things. The Quartier de l'innovation de Montréal, the Parc Olympique de Montréal and Hydro-Québec have all adopted it. Since 2017, it has been exporting to conquer the United States and Europe.

MANAGING A START-UP AT 60

Evolving within technology clusters, such as Propulsion Québec and Écotech Québec , the businesswoman remains on the lookout for innovation. The project was first incubated at Espace-inc , an accelerator for innovative businesses. The fifty-year-old is not afraid of anything and does not hesitate to make her mark in an innovative, sustainable and technological field. Her company has just received the Efficient Solution certification from the Solar Impulse Foundation, which rewards sustainable and profitable clean technologies with a high impact. Sabine Le Névannau has the wind in her sails and tech in her veins: "For my 60th birthday in 2021, I want to launch the first connected Geebee vehicle, with communication systems integrated into a wireless environment."