Alexandre Mars maks the impossible possible for MEB members
As part of its English-language conferences (Monaco Economic Conferences), the Monaco Economic Board hosted Alexandre Mars, a successful entrepreneur, disruptive philanthropist, renowned communicator and, as everyone could see, highly talented speaker, at MonacoTech on Thursday 4 April.
Alexandre Mars' talk took the form of a fireside chat with Margherita Colombo Pastorelli, Business Development Manager at MEB. A format which immediately set a tone that was warm, interactive and, of course, informative.
Despite holding many prestigious qualifications (HEC, Paris-Dauphine, etc.), Alexandre Mars began his entrepreneurial career at the age of 17. An ambition driven primarily by the intuition that money can provide a certain freedom. Because the young man was already ambitious to act differently, "I needed money to do good things".
He then went on to create companies, make investments and achieve profitable sales in the digital and finance sectors; then, about ten years ago, when he felt the time was right, he positioned himself as a social entrepreneur, his lifelong vocation.
He then founded Epic, an international foundation that acts as an intermediary between donors and organisations that support significant causes such as education, equality and protecting the planet. This motivation stemmed from an observation: "Often people who want to donate face three obstacles: I don't trust [the organisations], I don't know what to do, and I don't have the knowledge." Thanks to his disruptive vision and entrepreneurial expertise, he facilitates the donation of millions of dollars to carefully selected organisations.
His inspiring journey doesn't stop there. Based on the observation that finance shouldn't just be about making money, he founded Blisce/ at the same time, an investment company committed to making capital a vehicle for improving our world. The company is the first in its field to be BCorp certified, a demanding international label that recognises companies' good practices in terms of social, societal, and environmental impact.
Another "possible" put in place by Alexandre Mars is INFINITE, an initiative that enables bright young students from working-class backgrounds to finance their studies at top schools without interest or guarantors. The repayments are then used to finance the next beneficiary. It is simple and effective.
Because the entrepreneur is not a mere dreamer, each of his projects starts from a problem that he strives to transform positively with concrete solutions that yield results. Throughout this exchange, Alexandre Mars shared with the sixty or so business leaders present the keys to his philosophy, candidly discussing the difficulties but with an enthusiasm driven by his ability to commit to a better world as an entrepreneur. An uplifting life lesson, optimistic and driven by the actions of an initiative creator like no other.
Crédits photos : Landry Basile / MEB
