The yin and yang of entrepreneurship, founders of Petit BamBou » PACA’s economic and political letter

Two men and a meditation app, Ludovic Dujardin and Benjamin Blasco, founders of Petit BamBou, the yin and yang of entrepreneurship.

Petit BamBou is the story of a meditation application, invented 8 years ago by two men, which brings together more and more users, 9.4 million to date. Two complementary personalities that form a nice balance, all embellished with a large dose of humor and envy. Entrepreneurial yin and yang in a way!

When they are reminded that today Petit BamBou has become an essential tool for online meditation, they like to answer in heart that for them it is “a project that has become a serious business for two guys who don’t don’t take themselves seriously! »

Two complementary personalities

Find it where you least expect it? One might think that this is the personal challenge that Ludovic Dujardin has set himself! Passionate about heavy metal, hyperactive and at the origin of many business projects, he always seems to be on the move. Benjamin, for his part, enjoys doing outdoor sports, meditating in nature but also discovering new festive places for night owls. His great capacity for work and his energy push him to always go further!

Ludovic Dujardin and Benjamin Blasco

Each on their own, they will be interested in personal development and the different approaches that allow you to live your life a little differently. Before joining forces to create Petit Bambou.

Benjamin discovered the benefits of meditation in 2013, absorbed by a life traversed at full speed and by his work at the time at PayPal. “I realized that I was doing too many things at the same time, that the present moment escaped me. He talks about it to his long-time friend, Ludovic: this one, driven by the desire “to sow small seeds of positivity where possible”, had created 2 years before a Facebook page called Petit BamBou, discussing precepts of wisdom and personal development. A project that had attracted the support of Internet users since in less than a year, this page had gathered a million subscribers.

Very quickly, the two friends decided to launch the first French meditation application. Thanks to digital, they are working to make meditation available to everyone and everywhere, as a daily companion, a simple but powerful routine of life, because they are convinced: “a few grams of daily practice are better than tons of theory “.

Petit BamBou was thus born, shortly after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, very quickly found its audience, and after nine months even began to be profitable. The team is growing, the project is growing largely by word of mouth, the good-natured and smiling face of the bonze Petit BamBou on a blue background is becoming more and more famous.

The recent health crisis has only reinforced its growth with an additional 3 million users in less than a year, a record. The duo expands their team even further. Ludovic recruits a team of developers, and now takes care of its coordination. The crisis has made it possible to focus on technical issues and to improve the service of the app. A titanic work that bears fruit: the app is chosen as App of the Day by Apple in many European countries. Benjamin recruits marketing managers from Italy, Spain and Germany who extend the service far beyond France and complete an ever-expanding catalog of guided meditations.

Together separately

Ludovic and Benjamin share many values. They are deeply convinced that to help others feel good about themselves, you must first and foremost feel good about yourself. For this, introspection and work on oneself are key factors to achieve this, which they try to apply on a daily basis. Over time and their experiences, they have always listened to and followed this intimate compass: “We couldn’t have created Petit BamBou at 20, just as we wouldn’t have created the same thing at all if we were 60.” explains with philosophy Ludovic.

Benjamin and Ludovic are also a duo of founders who work hand in hand while each evolving in their own space. Ludovic’s offices are located in Roubaix. He sometimes works to music (always metal!), and the office shared by the whole team is often the scene of lively discussions or laughter. Benjamin, whose offices are in Luxembourg, evolves with his smiling multicultural team in a calmer atmosphere, surrounded by cacti and orchids. “We contribute to a common work, while each being free” rejoices Ludovic. The key to a lasting and fruitful professional relationship, no doubt about it!

Ludovic Dujardin, in brief

Professional background: Trained at ISEN in 2000, Ludovic moved to Silicon Valley and worked as a technical sales engineer for Business Objects. Entrepreneur at heart, Petit BamBou is his 7th business creation.

The 3 qualities of Ludovic according to Benjamin Intelligent, intuitive and radiant

Future project: Two complementary Petit Bambou projects put on stand-by due to the covid crisis:

– A new meditation app for the American market with very strong ethical positioning concepts.

– An application on the question of body balance to invite people to live their own relationship with their body.

Benjamin Blasco, in brief

Professional background: A former student of the École Polytechnique and a graduate of Télécom Paris, Benjamin then worked in major American groups and in 2012 became Director of Strategic Partnerships in Europe at PayPal.

The 3 qualities of Benjamin according to Ludovic Great capacity for work, analytical and temperate.

Future project: Keep the activity of Petit BamBou aligned, balanced, with fulfilled collaborators and ever more delighted users.

Petit BamBou is:

• 9.5 million users worldwide.
• Presence in 40 countries in 6 languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and English).
• A catalog of guided meditations with more than 101 programs.
• Of many themes which is continually enriched (sleep, mental, emotions, sophrology, body, work, daily life, health, inspiration, etc.)
• In 2022, the app is one of the 7 founding members of the MentalTech collective which is the first French collective dedicated to the emergence and development of digital solutions for mental health.
• Petit BamBou is also recognized as a medical app. Partenamut allows reimbursement of up to 20 euros per year on the annual subscription.

Monthly subscription : 6.99€/month

Annual subscription : €59.88/year

Lifetime subscription: 240€