Laetitia Grail, MyBlee Math

What is your definition of digital?

Digital is the world that surrounds me and in which I love to immerse myself. Everything that allows us to go faster, to do more things. Plus an infinite number of possibilities. Digital technology is going to change everything.

Why did you choose this sector?

Probably for its infinite capabilities. It’s the future! It’s everything we can’t see yet, and everything that’s possible. I wasn’t born into the digital world, but I can imagine all the possibilities. I didn’t choose the digital sector from the start, I first chose the education sector. Then I went into digital because it makes learning and education even better than before. Digital technology and Big Data offer the possibility of integrating personalized learning algorithms, the kind of progress that will boost education.

Is being a woman entrepreneur a plus?

I don’t know if it’s a plus or a minus, I’ve never asked myself that question. I’m just getting on with it. You can compare this to the world of top-level athletes: athletes who didn’t have the typical profile, like Usain Bolt, who was well above the average height for a sprinter and should have played basketball instead, and yet…

As an international digital entrepreneur, it’s much more likely to be a man, but there aren’t really any barriers if you want to. I think there are times when it’s clearly been an advantage and times when, even if I didn’t see it, it got in the way of certain things. But you don’t stop there, or you’re not an entrepreneur…

Is being a woman scientist a plus?

Probably for a while, being a woman scientist will be a plus, considering that we don’t necessarily have the same way of thinking, whether innate or acquired. As there are probably more men in the sciences, this can bring a lot to the table, as we know that diversity brings a lot to the table. I’m having a bit of trouble answering this question because I’ve never felt like a woman in these fields (entrepreneur and scientist). I’m an entrepreneur and a scientist, that’s all.

Have you had any doubts, hesitations or difficulties in setting up your own business?

I don’t think it’s difficult to set up a business in France. It’s the longevity that can be harder. But you learn. You don’t take the lows as badly and you moderate the highs more, because you have to learn to last. You have to be extremely tenacious.

Tell us more about your project. How did the idea come about? What needs do you meet?

myBlee Math is an iPad application for learning mathematics, inAdaptiveLearning mode, for children aged 5 to 12. I’ve been working in the education sector for 20 years.

Trained as a teacher, I taught mathematics in France and England for over ten years before founding Les Cours Marcel, a tutoring school that focuses on small-group teaching. Passionate about technology, I remained unconvinced bye-learning solutions for a long time, until the arrival of the iPad which, for me, marked the decisive turning point.

This tool finally gave me the means to realize my vision in digital education and I founded myBlee Math. The app can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store and is a hit with children, teachers and parents alike.

In your professional and personal life, how do you defend gender equality?

If I see that equality between men and women is being flouted, I react, but it’s often more insidious. Because of my upbringing, I don’t differentiate between the sexes, just as I don’t differentiate between the skin color or age of people: students, colleagues, recruitment, friends. But I believe in example more than rhetoric, because we’re not perfect all the time. So I’d simply say that I’m better at defending gender equality by investing in fields where women are less present, without pointing it out, without thinking it’s more difficult, without complaining: maths, science, international entrepreneurship, technology.

How have you managed to balance your professional and personal/family life?

It’s not easy for anyone. Probably even less so for a woman because we have habits, but I have been able to reconcile my professional and personal life thanks to three things:

1. a husband with whom I share a lot in family life, and who does a lot of things too. In fact, he’s my partner at myBlee Math!
2. the second thing is that I’m extremely lucky to have the logistical and moral support of my family, my parents and my sister, without whom this would not have been possible for either my husband or me.
3. the third thing is that balancing also means knowing how to prioritize. Sometimes the priority is family life, and sometimes the priority is professional life and the start-up.

What advice would you give to a young woman hesitating to work or set up a business in the digital sector?

I’d give the same advice to a young man – I can’t tell the difference. For a young person, the digital sector is not a sector. Digital is in EVERY sector.

As for setting up your own company, yes, I’d like to say that it’s right to hesitate, because I’ve done it, I’ve set up two of them: it’s wonderful, and I love it. But you don’t just have to look at the glamorous side of startups, you also have to be very tenacious. If you’re tenacious, the Adventure is very, very beautiful.