Ananth PURUSHOTHAMAN

A sibling group of young entrepreneurs with plenty of energy!

The concept of Shape Eat is simple and effective: to provide access to healthy, tasty, affordable meals via connected dispensers installed in the heart of gyms. The idea was the brainchild of two brothers, Ananth and Magesh Purushothaman, who didn’t wait long to develop their entrepreneurial spirit. They were in their twenties when they embarked on their adventure. Ananth was studying for a master’s degree at a business school and Magesh was an aerospace engineer.

“Personally, I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was a child,’ confirms Ananth. I was 11 when we arrived in France. We learnt French on the spot. Right away, I wanted to understand how a company worked, the management, what had to be done to make it work?”

A new concept for gyms

Ananth and Magesh are young, but not hot-headed. Ananth decided to devote all his time to the project, while his brother concentrated on developing the technical aspects while continuing his professional career.

The project is being built up step by step: training in the health and hygiene standards that are essential for any catering business, recruitment of a chef, creation of recipes, hire of a kitchen, and so on. A sports coach, Corine Lecolas, is also joining the venture. Her strong point: her excellent knowledge of sports hall networks and customer relations.

This led to a partnership with Fitness Park, which installed dispensers in six gyms in Seine-Saint-Denis: Villepinte, Les Pavillons-sous-Bois, Villemomble, Courbevoie and Roissy-en-France. ‘The sports halls have been convinced by the approach. What Shape Eat offers doesn’t yet exist. And yet many sportsmen and women are looking for solutions to ensure that their diet meets their targeted nutritional needs (weight loss, muscle mass gain, increased performance, etc.). Our connected dispensers help them by displaying all this information’, explains Ananth. ‘

It’s also worth noting that Shape Eat can give them visibility, because the dispensers are accessible not only to their members, but also to anyone living in the area’.

An entry-point in the Seine-Saint-Denis county

Shape Eat’s founders are particularly keen to establish a local presence. ‘We come from Aulnay-sous-Bois and our business is based in Seine-Saint-Denis, with the aim of creating jobs in the county. We train and recruit people who are being reintegrated into the workplace, or those on youth employment schemes, into our kitchen. Not forgetting that our aim is to democratise healthy, balanced food at low prices in our area’, explains Ananth.

Struck by the team’s determination and commitment, France Active Métropole (which operates in the Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne départements) decided to support the project with a Young Entrepreneur grant, an interest-free loan and an Égalité Territoires guarantee. Thanks to the Accès + programme dedicated to new entrepreneurs from disadvantaged areas. Ananth was also able to attend workshops on digitalising his business. ‘This support gave us a solid start and the cash flow we needed to get going,’ he confirms.

Today, just a few months after setting up Shape Eat, the signs are green: ‘sales are up and the concept is winning over the network of sports halls in the region. In the future, we’re looking to expand nationally, and why not across Europe? There’s nothing to stop us from having that ambition,’ concludes Ananth.