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After an investment in Shares the startup founded by Benjamin Chemla, Venus Williams puts his feet in the Weward capitalization table, the application that encourages physical activity by rewarding users for each step they perform. With more than 20 million users in 29 countries, Weward combining gamification, cognitive sciences and strategic partnerships to promote health and sustainability. It will play a key role in promoting the application to the general public while providing strategic support to development and awareness -raising initiatives.
At the end of December, we received Yves Benchimol the CEO of Weward to discuss behind the scenes of the company, its economic model, and the challenges linked to its international expansion, especially in the United States.
Weward: motivate people to walk to improve their well-being
Created five years ago by Nicolas Hardy, Tanguy de la Villerieorges, and Yves Benchimol, the Weward application has established itself as an innovative tool to combat sedentary lifestyle. With a simple and direct proposal – “earn money while walking” – the application rewards users according to the number of steps taken. Today, more than 20 million people across 29 countries use Weward to integrate more physical activity in their daily lives.
A profitable and diverse economic model
One of the pillars of Weward’s success is based on its balanced economic model. The company generates its income via three main sources:
- Advertisement : Inspired by social networks, the announcements displayed in the application contribute to its financing.
- Partnerships with brands : By collaborating with actors like Nike, Adidas, Amazon or Booking.com, Weward perceives commissions on sales made via the application, which it partially redistributes to users.
- Integrated purchases : Collection games and premium features offer users a personalized and fun experience.
This low -risk model for partners, based on commissions, has allowed Weward to become profitable in just three years.
International expansion and cultural adaptation
Building on its success in Europe, where markets like Italy, Spain and Germany are already well developed, Weward is now attacking in the United States. Yves opened an office in New York to meet the challenge of a culturally diverse and competitive market. According to him, “internationalization is not limited to a simple translation”. The team thus carried out an “Americanization” project of the application, adapting the awards and the features to meet the specific expectations of American users.
A science and innovation approach
To encourage users to walk more, Weward is based on principles from cognitive sciences and gamification. By integrating mechanisms similar to those of social networks and video games, the application creates a “healthy addiction” to walking. In addition, the challenges organized with partners, such as international competitions or public health campaigns, make it possible to renew the interest of users and increase their commitment.
Towards a long -term vision of public health
Although focused on walking, Weward plans to extend its impact to other pillars of public health, such as nutrition and sleep. Yves sees in this approach a means of solving systemic problems and promoting a better quality of life. “If a person moves, sleeps well and eats well, he is healthy,” he says.
A balance between profitable growth and innovation
With a team of 40 people and profitable operations, Weward illustrates another approach to Tech entrepreneurship: controlled growth. Yves favors a model where investments are self -funded, allowing the company to grow in a sustainable way while exploring new markets.
