Sébastien Le Blanc and Diane Béga are no strangers to swimming against the current! Partners in life and in business, they have endured many setbacks and doubts, without losing sight of their desire to shake up the status quo. Their philosophy: never stop pushing the boundaries of what’s possible… and they’re doing it! Eugénie Sauzier-de Rosnay
“Innovation never takes place within a framework delimited by rules: we only invent by constantly pushing back the defined barriers,” begins Sébastien. And this is particularly true for these two iconoclastic entrepreneurs, who were the first to democratize digital payment in Mauritius with MIPS – Multiple Internet Payment System – something never seen before on the island!
Then founders of the BQuad web agency, Sébastien and Diane were quick to grasp the needs of the market, and above all the problems faced by small retailers who lack the means and skills to launch an e-commerce venture. An idea was born… and Sébastien was unstoppable! “In one weekend, he had designed the MIPS engine,” confides Diane, who, as usual, does not hesitate to support him in this adventure, thanks to her skills in finance and management.
This innovation has come up against a number of obstacles: normal, for a revolutionary concept! “We created a less expensive solution accessible to all, but we had to do a lot of lobbying to bring down the cost of the act of payment, for example,” continues Sébastien. It’s been a long road: although their system initially only accepted credit cards, it soon extended to digital payments such as Juice, my.t money and Blink.
During the confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sébastien and Diane continued on their path, making a point of promoting inclusivity, notably with their eShops.mu platform – a marketplace that still exists today. “We’ve created a lot of free sites so that people can sell their products online,” explains Diane. Since innovation never comes alone, Paystations – machines that accept all means of payment (apps and cards) – were later added to the MIPS offering.
Having completed their concept tour, Sébastien and Diane are returning to what they love best: inventing contextual solutions, tailored to the demands of the Mauritian market. The couple are already finalizing their next product, due to be unveiled at the end of the year: GAÏA (Grounded AI Agents). “Our ambition is to create an artificial intelligence created by Mauritians, for Mauritians, that will be accessible and useful to all, while adapting to the Mauritian context”, says Sébastien.
This new chapter for the creative duo is simply a continuation of the trajectory taken by these sowers of small revolutions. MIPS, which was at first either contested or doomed to failure, depending on opinion, is now accounting for billions of transaction flows per month, and has even been imported into Africa. This success story is a reminder that, in an ecosystem that seems to favor importing know-how rather than promoting local innovations, small Mauritian entrepreneurs can achieve great things, provided they show perseverance… and are supported!
Small (r)evolutions…
Swimming against the tide is something Sébastien Le Blanc and Diane Béga know all too well! Partners in life as in business, they’ve weathered numerous setbacks and doubts, yet never lost sight of their desire to shake up the status quo. Their philosophy: never stop pushing the boundaries of what is possible… which they do with considerable success!
‘Innovation never happens within a framework defined by rules: you only invent by constantly pushing back the established barriers,’ Sébastien begins. And this is particularly true for these two iconoclastic entrepreneurs who were the first to democratise digital payments in Mauritius with MIPS-Multiple Internet Payment System-something unprecedented on the island!
As founders of web agency BQuad, Sébastien and Diane quickly grasped the market’s needs, particularly the challenges facing small retailers who lacked the means and skills to venture into e-commerce. An idea took root… and Sébastien became unstoppable! In a single weekend, he had designed the MIPS engine!’ reveals Diane, who didn’t hesitate, as is her custom, to join him in this adventure, bringing her expertise in finance and management.
This innovation faced numerous obstacles-perfectly normal for a revolutionary concept! We created a solution that was cheaper and accessible to everyone, but we had to do a great deal of lobbying to, for instance, bring down transaction costs,’ Sébastien continues. The journey has been long: whilst their system initially only accepted credit cards, it rapidly expanded to include digital payments such as Juice, my.t money and Blink.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Sébastien and Diane pressed ahead, making it a point of honour to promote inclusivity, notably with their eShops.mu platform-a marketplace that still exists today. We created numerous free websites so people could sell their products online,’ Diane explains. Since one innovation never comes alone, PayStations-machines accepting all payment methods (apps and cards)-were subsequently added to bolster MIPS’ offering.
Having come full circle with their concept, Sébastien and Diane are returning to what they love most: inventing contextual solutions tailored to the Mauritian market’s demands. The couple are already finalizing their next product, due to be unveiled at the end of the year: GAÏA (Grounded AI Agents). We’re aiming to create artificial intelligence made by Mauritians, for Mauritians, that will be accessible and useful to everyone, whilst adapting to the Mauritian context,’ says Sébastien.
This new chapter opening for the creative duo is simply a continuation of the trajectory taken by these sowers of small revolutions. MIPS, which was initially either contested or deemed, depending on opinions, destined for certain failure, now processes billions in transaction flows monthly and has even expanded to Africa. This success story serves as a reminder that, in an ecosystem that seems to favour importing expertise over promoting local innovation, small Mauritian entrepreneurs can achieve great things-provided they show perseverance… and receive support!
