On the occasion of the launch of the first manga delivery platform, we met Brieuc, a member of the Rentaru team, and asked him a few questions

  • Who are you? What training did you complete?

My name is Brieuc Berepion, and I have been passionate about manga and comics since childhood. The whole Rentaru team met on the benches of HETIC (Hautes études des technologies de l’information et de la communication), Galileo group, where we followed the Grande École program.

  • Can you introduce your project?

The Rentaru adventure began in 2020, when we were in our final year at HETIC. At the start, Rentaru was our graduation project. We quickly chose manga as our subject, because most of the team members have been avid readers since a very young age. We decided to analyze the market in order to identify the various issues related to this universe. Very quickly, the main issue was accessibility to manga. That is how the Rentaru idea was born: a manga rental platform for insiders and enthusiasts.

In 2021, at the end of our studies, we had the opportunity to join the IESA incubator, which encouraged us to continue the project.

Today, in 2022, after more than a year and a half of hard work, questioning, testing, pivots, research, improvements, sorting, tinkering, paperwork (the joys of entrepreneurship, in short)… our Rentaru platform is finally launched!

This idea came to us during our graduation project, because working on the manga market was an obvious choice for us. Analyzing this market revealed certain issues. Today, reading a complete series is a real investment. A new manga costs 7.5 euros on average. It is read very quickly and often gathers dust once devoured, and demand for secondhand copies is so strong that the price drops very little. There is also currently the possibility of reading illegally through online “scans.” Besides being illegal, the digital experience is often mediocre: no paper in your hands, lots of ads, poor translations, and so on.

For all these reasons, rental seemed obvious to us: offering an optimal paper experience by breaking the prices of new and secondhand copies, while also addressing current environmental challenges.

  • What is IESA Incub'? How did IESA Incub' take part in the realization of your project?

IESA supports us, advises us and guides us through every stage of creating our company. IESA is also about sharing knowledge among all the incubator’s projects. Every month, all the different project leaders spend a day together to discuss their current issues. We share our doubts and our successes, and we try to develop solutions together using our different skills. Indeed, the group is diverse. We all come from different backgrounds but we share a common goal: creating businesses together in the cultural world. Every month we have one-on-one meetings with our two coaches: Rémy and Cécile. Both have a lot of experience in supporting projects and have a single goal: our success!

  • Today you deliver manga boxes in the Paris region. Do you plan to extend your services throughout France?

At first, our goal is to “run in” the service in Paris. But we are already working on a Mondial Relay shipping option throughout France.

  • Do you have any other upcoming projects?

One project at a time is already quite a lot. More seriously, in the future we have several goals for Rentaru. First, extending our services throughout France thanks to Mondial Relay. Then opening the service to traditional comics, American comics and higher-education books.

  • For those who may be interested, based on your experience, is it easy to create an online platform?

With motivation and passion. Moreover, today, with no knowledge of code at all, you can create your own website thanks to tools like WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, etc. Our Rentaru website was built 100% “no-code.”

Thanks to the Softr tool, we easily created our website with a database that can be modified in real time on Airtable. It is very powerful and quite easy to use for a non-expert.

  • What advice would you give to young students who want to get started?

Don’t be afraid to take the plunge. Even if your business fails, the experience gained will always be an asset for your future. I chose to turn down a permanent contract to carry out this project that was close to my heart. In any case, you shouldn’t have regrets. Yes, there will be difficulties and doubts, but how enjoyable it is to work every day on a project of your own. So go for it!