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After the arrival of police reinforcements and the installation of additional video surveillance cameras, here is now a new initiative to fight against insecurity in Nantes.
Marius Bouffant, 21, and Valentin Bernier, 22, both from the city of the Dukes, have imagined a mobile application called Wayfe.
This name refers to the English terms “
way
” and “
safe
” for “
the safest path
”.
The device, which will be launched on April 13 in Nantes, intends to "
bring a permanent feeling of security to its users
", explains Marius, co-founder and student in a business school at ESSCA.
As Route: Waze, Mappy and Moovit will encourage drivers to drive greener allows road users to report obstacles live, Wayfe offers real-time safe routes for walking trips.
These routes are designed using lights and CCTV cameras, to which must be added the instantaneous reports of users with the following icons: “
verbal aggression, physical aggression, suspicious presence, reassuring street, unreassuring street, monitored street
”.
The goal is to avoid risky paths.
Read alsoSecurity in Nantes: is the situation really improving, as mayor Johanna Rolland claims?
In addition, thanks to a behavioral algorithm, a feature allows you to launch an alert without interacting with your phone in the event of an attack.
Thanks to this system, if the person suddenly accelerates, slows down, falls or changes route, “
we make our phone vibrate for 30 seconds while emitting an audible signal.
And if she doesn't answer, we consider that she is in danger.
The phone starts to have an even louder sound signal which can potentially deter the attacker
, ”explains Marius.
But above all, an alert is launched and allows a security circle to be notified, bringing together the number or profile of his friends, family, colleagues... The latter, notified in the event of a problem, then have access to geolocation and can come to him. in help.
Six employees
In their office located in a former driving school in Nantes, the two entrepreneurs talk about the genesis of their project.
They met in 2021 in a Parisian box at La Défense: one was on an internship there, the other under contract.
The idea came to them during a debate between Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Eric Zemmour around security.
Valentin has already suffered two assaults, including one at the age of 14 when he returned from a swimming lesson near Le Chaffault.
He got away with it because he had nothing precious on him but remained traumatized: "
you walk, you go home quietly and you get attacked...
Entrepreneurs also think of their sisters and friends.
After thinking about a solution in 2021, they gradually met a designer, approached developers and found an investor ready to finance their idea.
Developing such an application costs around €200,000.
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At the end of August 2022, Marius and Valentin began to communicate on social networks.
“
The second week of September, there was
a series of attacks
.
All the media were talking about news items,
”recalls Marius, while noting the temporal coincidence.
“
It's a pure coincidence that we released our videos two weeks before
”.
Today, six employees work for Wayfe.
A long-awaited application
To use the application, several packages exist.
An average user can have access to it for free or obtain a premium version (2.99€/month) giving access to more options.
The start-up also wishes to make itself known to companies or schools so that they make it available to their students or employees.
This is for example the case of Anne Saillard, founder of AS connect event, which organizes medical and scientific congresses.
She will subscribe to these subscriptions: “
Regularly, we organize gala evenings or dinners on the eve of congresses on the island of Nantes, a district which has deteriorated.
I find it interesting to be able to offer a QR code to us delegates
“, explains the professional partner.
Thanks to an option, establishments can share a QR code allowing guests to use the premium version for an evening.
Anne Saillard is also planning a long-term subscription for her employees, aged 22 to 37.
Read alsoSecurity in Nantes: the recruitments announced in the municipal police are struggling to materialize
Sécurité Nocturne Nantes, which fights against insecurity, particularly among local residents, restaurants and shopkeepers, is also in contact with the founders of Wayfe: "
it seems to be a great project
", comments Guillaume, founding member of the 'association.
The town hall of Nantes is also on the spot.
A meeting should take place soon.
Satisfied with all these contacts, Marius and Valentin insist on their political neutrality.
“
We want to be transparent.
Our application does not want to enter into any political debate.
We really position ourselves as a solution.
First deployed in Nantes, Wayfe should be deployed in nine other cities by the end of 2023, including Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris.
