Start-ups are like seeds; to grow, they need a nurturing environment. Back at the beginning of 2017, when TiHive was searching for its first office, the team knew that it needed more than a space. We deemed that access to a neural network of other ambitious start-ups with whom we could collaborate and exchange ideas was just as important. What we found at the Tarmac was just that, and much more. Claire and Sophie, the building managers, prefer to be called facilitators. Their consistent efforts in organizing community activities and learning experiences showed that the office should not just be a building; it should be an experience that promotes learning, fulfilment, and happiness. Our CEO, Hani Sherry, recalls his personal experience:
“Carlos, Nicolas and I had many discussions with fellow start-up founders, and this really helped our professional development. Through Tarmac’s network, we also had access to recuring workshops and business veterans, some of whom we built enduring mentoring relationships with. The atmosphere was great too! There were plenty of fun building-wide events that built a sense of community, such as the think-drinks on Thursday and the barbeque parties we had on warmer days. Even though we’ve outgrown our former space at the Tarmac, we continue to give our employees the time they and the opportunities they need to grow through learning, and we have preserved the work hard/play hard philosophy”.
Recollecting the contributions of Tarmac’s team to TiHive, Nicolas Beaudouin says:
“It felt like Claire and Sophie were part of the TiHive team. They supported us on various subjects related to funding, legal, insurance, and commercialization, as well as hiring, Marketing, PoC development and ultimately industrialization, by linking us to experts around the Grenoble valley. 3 years on, we have a team of 18 people, raised around 10M€ in total, and built a deep tech product pushing the frontiers of vision technology in the hardware and software domains, and the Tarmac team played a key role in facilitating each step.”
