How do you come up with the idea that will revolutionize the world and make you money, while being useful at the same time? 

Clearly, this question is at the heart of the concerns of anyone with a business project. Will it be able to be the new Blablacar? This unicorn wasn't built in a day, but it's a French success story, just the way we like it...

The idea that changed everything 

Frédéric Mazzella could probably have made do with an excellent university education, as he can boast of having attended ENS, Stanford University in the USA and NASA. But what interests him most is innovation. 

While one of his stated aims in studying in the United States was to improve his language skills, he also wanted to be as close as possible to Silicon Valley and the Internet revolution, since it was 1999. 

In California, there are lanes on the roads that are specially dedicated to carpooling, to relieve congestion. He finds the idea interesting, but how can it be implemented in France and the rest of the world? 

It was on his return to France that the idea really took shape. Due to crowded trains in the run-up to Christmas, he couldn't figure out how to get to Vendée to spend the festive season with his parents. To get there, he needs to find someone who's not only going to the same place as him, but also at the same time, to share the cost. 

Although he began working on the Blablacar project (then called covoiturage.fr) in 2004 in his spare time, with the first lines of code, to set up an online platform, he waited three years - in 2007 - to really put his idea into practice by enrolling at INSEAD. 

It took 4 years from the start of serious work on the project to its completion, during which time he not only met his future partners and some of his current colleagues, but also built up a solid network, as his ambition was to develop his company internationally - one of the conditions (though perhaps he didn't realize it) for becoming a unicorn... 

The development and consecration of Blablacar

If you want to go far, go farther," goes the well-known saying, and this is certainly true of Blablacar, a car-sharing platform that brings together people who want to share the cost of their car journeys with others who want to go to the same place at the same time. The founders also intend to make the service synchronized with cell phones, including smartphones, for even greater convenience. 

In 2008, several tens of thousands of people in France are already using the site to save money, find a driver and do something for the planet. This success gives them the confidence to accelerate the movement. 

In 2013, Blablacar, which found its definitive name that year, crossed the borders of France and successfully ventured into Europe, with a collaborative economy approach. The company now has 3 million registered carpoolers. 

Since then, the platform has always recorded at least double the number of users compared with the previous year. Blablacar's monopoly on the car-sharing market is quite overwhelming, representing...90% of the market. 

Now present in 20 countries worldwide, the site has no intention of resting on its (enormous) laurels. 

The aim is to help web users find what they're looking for quickly, using pictograms to help them find the right vehicle: one that accepts pets, where smoking is allowed, or where they can listen to music. Site ergonomics, secure messaging, improved search engine: the platform is constantly evolving. 

The site is entirely free of charge for users, and the platform takes a commission on what the driver requests as shared expenses. 

In 2012, the first round of funding was 10 million, followed two years later by 100 million. In 2015, less than 7 years after its creation, Blablacar announced a fundraising of 177 million euros, with a valuation of 1.4 billion euros, making it officially a French unicorn. 

In 2015, the platform, which is expanding in Europe and targeting the Asian and Latin American markets, already boasts 20 million users. 

In 2021, 97 million euros will help the start-up boost its growth, slowed (inevitably) by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Blablacar: key information

Officially, no doubt, 2008, even though the project has been in the works for many years. 

With operations on 3 continents and in some 20 countries, Blablacar employs over 450 people. 

In 2015, despite sales doubling every year for the past 5 years, the start-up was not yet profitable, but preferred to continue investing. 

At the time, however, sales were estimated at 88 million euros. By 2018, it had reached profitability, with growth of 40%.

The company has always wanted to take its time, both in terms of development and IPO. However, the founders have expressed the wish to do so in 2022, without giving any further details as to a precise date. 

This quotation was certainly delayed by the Covid-19 epidemic. During this period, the company inevitably saw a drop in the number of uses, due to travel restrictions and social distancing. 

As everyone knows, Blablacar specializes in car-sharing, and as its name suggests, this concept normally only involves cars. 

However, in order not to lose customers, SNCF, one of the most recognized players in the world of rail transport, would also like to bank on à la carte mobility. 

Delayed, no doubt, by the health crisis, this development, which was scheduled for late 2021, early 2022, is still on stand-by. But there's no doubt that this type of booking, via a single platform, is a godsend for travelers and tourists wishing to (further) reduce their carbon footprint by sharing the same means of locomotion with more people, for example. 

From the outset, the French Tech start-up has proved its capacity for constant development. 

Everything is being done to enhance the user experience, including diversifying the means of locomotion. 

Blablacar's slogan is "carpooling with confidence". Confidence in the platform, of course, which is intuitive, easy to use and practical with its pictograms. 

With millions of members all over the world, it's rare not to be able to match supply and demand. 

But also trust in others, with friendships and even romantic relationships being born; and above all, relationships, at the heart of everything, so that car journeys are no longer just a means of getting from point A to point B, but a human journey...

We're talking about them!

Les Echos.fr: " BlaBlaCar: the French unicorn has become a multinational".

BFMTV.com: " BlaBlaCar, leader in carpooling and French Tech unicorn"