“I wasn’t meant to be an entrepreneur at all.”

Jean-Michel Waroquier (Charleroi, 1967) has a Master in Romance Philology, taught French and History for five years, then worked in printing, created a graphic design and communication agency, and used to be a consultant in Sports Marketing (he even followed a course at Barça Innovation Hub). But this activity completely stopped due to the Covid crisis: “that’s why I launched SailProof; it’s an idea I had since I bought my first sailboat, a 35 year old lady that I refitted in France, but never found the time to develop it before the first lockdown”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JW: We have developed a sunlight-readable rugged tablet dedicated to sailors.

TB: Where do you see yourself and your projects in two years?

JW: I launched it 4 years ago, and delivered the first tablets in November 2020. Today we have four different models and have already sold in 45 countries on 6 continents. Our brand is already well known in the sector, and it will even equip the boats of the America’s Cup. In two years? I’m 56 years old, and have been an ‘entrepreneur’ for 30 years, so I take this kind of question with a good dose of philosophy: imagine if you had asked me the same question five years ago, one year before the first lockdown [laughs].

TB: A good idea you’ve had.

JW: The SailProof tablet, for sure! More seriously, keeping the line on bootstrapping my business.

TB: What is the greatest challenge you have faced?

JW: Launching the production of this tablet with a Chinese factory in the middle of the Covid crisis, between the electronics shortages and the closure of China’s borders during 3 years.

TB: The best advice you’ve been given.

JW: Life is a one time offer, use it well.

TB: In-person or remote?

JW: Remote! All my collaborators work 100% remotely, some even from a sailboat.

TB: A startup or company.

JW: Automattic, the creator of WordPress.

TB: How do you unwind?

JW: While sailing, for sure! When you set a sail, furthermore single-handed, you let anything behind you: it’s just you, the wind and the ocean.

TB: A book to recommend.

JW: “The Spinoza Problem” by Irvin Yalom.

TB: A recipe, a restaurant.

JW: Pasta, olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, pepper, fleur de sel, rucola and parmesan shavings. So simple that you can’t get tired of it.

TB: A place in the world.

JW: Hội An, Vietnam.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

JW: In the BlueTechPort! 50% for Metarina and 50% for Janah Cycle.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

JW: I would be sailing around the world and teaching French during stopovers. In fact I will, one day.

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

JW: The best professional choice I made in the last 2 years. More seriously: at the same time a springboard and a cocoon for entrepreneurs.