[ENTREPRENEUR FOCUS] Virvolt - the french alternative in the electric bike market

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Yvan de La Baume, former student of IÉSEG and graduate of the Grande École program (class of 2020). A lifelong cycling enthusiast, I live in Paris, where I now get around daily on a cargo bike.

What’s the concept behind Virvolt?

Virvolt was born from a simple observation: the electric bike market was missing a middle-ground offer. Today, e-bike manufacturers have two main options:

• Either source low-end motors from China, often unreliable and with limited after-sales service,

• Or turn to historic manufacturers such as Bosch or Shimano, who offer excellent motors… but at very high prices, with ever more connectivity and complexity.
  As a result, we now see e-bikes costing over €3,000, sometimes looking more like Teslas than bicycles!

At Virvolt, we believe in a third way: returning to the original spirit of cycling — a simple, accessible, and repairable product, anywhere in the world. So, we created a European motor manufacturer that designs robust, affordable products, all made in France.

How did the idea come to you?

The idea came from realizing that market players weren’t meeting users’ essential needs: reliability, repairability, and accessibility. By combining my passion for cycling with my desire to become an entrepreneur, I wanted to provide a concrete solution, rooted in a sustainable and local approach.

Where do you stand today?

Today, Virvolt distributes around 5,000 motors per year across two main markets:

• Bike manufacturers, particularly in the cargo bike segment, whom we support in motorizing their models (for example, Jean Fourche or Oklo).

• Bike shops, which purchase our products as electrification kits to convert mechanical bikes into electric ones. We now have over 450 partners across Europe.

We’re now a team of about ten people, recognized at the national level, and our ambition is clear:
→ Continue designing motors that are ever more robust and repairable,
→ And accelerate our international expansion.

What did the IÉSEG Entrepreneur Award 2025 bring you?

The IÉSEG Entrepreneur Award brought me three key things:

Visibility: it helped raise awareness of Virvolt among IÉSEG students. Over the past three years, three students have joined us for internships in business development and marketing — very positive experiences I’d love to continue.

Networking: the award opened doors within the alumni network and allowed me to connect with several investors who helped us structure our financing.

A real financial boost: the €8,000 grant enabled us to launch the long-awaited redesign of our website!

What are your goals for the coming years?

Our goal is to become Europe’s leading motor manufacturer for robust, repairable, and accessible bicycles. We aim to continue developing our production in Flins (Yvelines, France) and to support even more brands and shops in the transition toward sustainable mobility.

A message for IÉSEG students?

Go for it! An entrepreneurial project can very well start while you’re still studying. It’s not necessarily the “big idea” that makes the difference, but resilience and the ability to keep pushing forward when things get tough. Believe in your project and persevere!

And if you’re looking to electrify your bike or buy an electric bike, think of Virvolt: you’ll be riding with a motor made in France, built in Flins (78)… and assembled by a fellow IÉSEG graduate!

Contact: julie@virvolt.fr

Website: virvolt.fr