Christmas Dinner with Frederic Mazzella BlaBlaCar Founder

There is deep reward in meeting inspiring figures who generate new ideas, expand perception, elevate viewpoints.  Sometimes, there is also magic.       It was Christmas eve, a young student was trying to get home. His budget was low, trains and buses were packed, friends with cars had already left. Hitchhike in the cold with all the dangers he had been warned about? Find someone he could trust who drove in his direction? But how? Ivy Plus European Leaders is delighted to invite you to a special  Christmas Dinner with Leading French Entrepreneur and Trailblazer Frederic Mazzella Founder and Chair BlaBlaCar world #1 company in carpooling with 100 millions members in 22 countries Founder and CEO Captain Cause Co-President France-Digitale Stanford University, Ecole Normale Supérieure, INSEAD graduate Author Mission BlaBlaCar Frederic will share his vision of entrepreneurship,  the BlaBlaCar success story, discuss the importance of engagement and impacting society for the better, the need to give back, the ambition and novelty of Captain Cause and his optimism for the future Thursday 30 November 2023 - 7:00pm Hotel de Poulpry - Maison des Polytechniciens - Paris Entrepreneurship and the Sharing Economy   Frédéric Mazzella is Founder and Chair of BlaBlaCar, the world leading carpooling & bus platform with 100 million members worldwide, and Captain Cause, the new bridge between companies and impact projects. Frederic is a brilliant entrepreneur who believes that "the role of the entrepreneur is to improve society", a classical pianist with his head in the stars (he worked for NASA), author of the book Mission Blablacar, prefaced by famed astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Frederic came up with the idea to create an online carpooling network when struggling to get home one Christmas. He realized the full potential of a peer-to-peer transport network, as well as the environmental and economic benefits of enabling a more efficient use of existing resources.  He put a first site online in 2005, then with engineer Francis Nappez and schoolmate Nicolas Brusson, he co-developed the company into a large European community marketplace that connects drivers and passengers. The name BlaBlaCar stemmed from the idea that sharing a ride is also a human connection through conversation. BlaBlaCar won Europe’s All Star Company of the Year Award and Best Sharing economy Start-up at The Europas in 2014.  In 2022, Frederic founded the new innovative platform Captain Cause to serve as a bridge between companies and impactful projects for the environment and society, facilitating donations. Frederic also serves as Co-President of France Digitale, a leading organization that champions innovation, startups and venture capital in Europe. Frederic himself has invested in many startups. He sits on prestigious boards such as Renault SA and Ecole Polytechnique.  He is host of the weekly show "Les Pionniers" on BFM Business.  He holds a Masters degree in Physics from Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), A Masters degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and an MBA from INSEAD . Frederic was knighted in the National Order of Merit by President Emmanuel Macron.   Join us for a very special Christmas Dinner  with inspiring entrepreneur Frederic Mazzella  ranked #1 digital influencer by Forbes in France in 2021 in the beautiful Hotel de Poulpry - Maison des Polytechniciens. The event will include a Book Signing by Frederic of Mission BlaBlaCar