Seen in "Qui veut être mon associé" - Behind the scenes of the show

It all started in May 2022 during a lunch between Circle's associates. They realized that they were all fans of QVEMA and decided to apply!

And then, everything went very fast. Our vision, the project of sports shoes that we come to defend and the products please. We passed the first phase.

A few days later, we complete a file with our figures, the strategy, the partners involved, the business plan. We shoot an application video in less than 24 hours.

Then, several weeks followed without any news. We went through all the emotions, we imagined all the possible scenarios. 

It was in July that Romain Trebuil, founder and CEO of the Circle brand, received a call. 

Great news. Circle made a big splash and convinced the jury. We are selected. 

Romain, founder and CEO, Solène, artistic director and Martin, commercial director will present the project to the jury.

The appointment is taken in September for the shooting of QVEMA Season 03. In August, we have an appointment with an adviser of the channel to prepare our passage in the show. 

It is the total euphoria in the team and we must keep the secret. There must be no leaks so as not to "scupper" the project. 

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We then started to work on the pitch: what are the priority messages, how to convince the jury and make investors want to join Circle? How do we convey our values and, above all, make millions of athletes want to get involved in our mission to make the world of sports more responsible? It took three weeks of intense preparation to get ready for the filming: we changed a term, we changed a phrase, we reversed the order in which our trio spoke. They rehearse, again and again. Until the day before the shooting. The pitch becomes a sweet melody that our trio has appropriated.

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The big day finally arrived. The whole Circle team came to support Solène, Romain and Martin from 5am!

Appointment on the set in the Parisian suburbs. It is a mixture of excitement and stress. A unique stress, never experienced before. Five investors are going to discover the Circle project that we have been working on for two years. And it's our Circle trio that will meet 5 personalities with unique and inspiring entrepreneurial experiences. It's a total discovery in both directions. 

Last rehearsal with the coach Aram Attar of the show, make-up, hairstyle, moment of concentration.

5-4-3-2-1.

The Circle trio pushes the door of the stage to find themselves in front of the 5 investors: Eric Larchevêque, Anthony Bourbon, Delphine André, Jean-Pierre Nadir and... Blaise Matuidi.

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Let's go for 1h40 of pitch, exchange and questions-answers. It's up to us to convince them to join us in this adventure.

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The first 5 minutes, it's the pitch of Romain, Solène and Martin. Then the other 90 minutes are a series of questions and answers with the members of the jury. Then comes the moment of the jury's deliberation. It is a surprising moment. It is the great silence that settles in a second. The jury deliberates. Our trio remains standing, in front of the jury, without saying anything, without moving too much, without knowing what to do. And suddenly, a first investor speaks. Then each one of them unfolds his thoughts and informs of his decision. 

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During the shooting, the entire Circle team is installed in a backstage room and watches live what is happening via a television screen. It's an emotional elevator. In short, a great moment of team sharing. We then realize two things. These 100 minutes of shooting will be reduced to 10 minutes during the passage in the emission. We will discover the final result at the same time as the public. And that is very emotional! 

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Between the shooting in September 2022 and the broadcasting in January 2023, we don't control anything anymore, we don't know what's going on. We count the number of weeks left before the month of broadcasting. We wait patiently for news from the channel M6: which day of January will we be broadcasted? This is the big question. 

Because nothing beats the testimony of the trio who pitched in front of the jury, here are some of their confidences

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How do you prepare for a shoot of this magnitude? 

Romain:

"The night before, I disconnected from the screens and went for a run to blow off steam and clear my head. I didn't review the pitch. This allowed me to get a good night's sleep and be in pretty good shape on the day."

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Solene:

"I revised until the last minute. No respite on my end, I didn't stick my eye out all night!!! 

My main goal was to get the message of eco-responsibility across, regardless of the outcome. I wanted to explain to viewers the harmful impact of sneakers on our planet. To point out that sneakers that are made of petroleum-based plastic will never disappear. The project we came to present brings a solid alternative."

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Martin:

"I also studied the night before until late in the evening. I have to admit it wasn't the best night of my life, I was looking forward to it!"

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When the shooting ended, what happened? 

Solene: 

"We took care of getting the set we had created for the show, we brought it all back to Paris in our offices. Then we went right back to work! We had a big event planned for the evening with a Parisian gym. The whole team mobilized again and we all went back together to prepare the event, in a joyful and good mood."

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Romain: 

"That day was an incredible team day. From 5am to 11pm, we didn't leave each other's side, chaining together QVEMA shooting projects in the morning and then an opening night at Social Club La Montgolfière. It was simply crazy!"

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Can you tell us one thing that marked you on the day of the shooting?

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Solene: 

"It's very impressive to be on TV, to learn your pitch, and to have to answer surprise questions, in front of potentially millions of viewers. I felt like I outdid myself! And after having lived this experience, I feel ready to take on many new challenges that seemed impossible before."

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Romain:

"Team Circle's energy literally carried us before we walked on set. They seemed more stressed than the three of us put together and they showed nothing to preserve us."

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Martin:

"The tight organization of the whole production and the kindness of the jury. It was a nice surprise."

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‍What isscheduled for Wednesday, January 25, the night the show airs?

Martin:

"On the night of the broadcast, we will gather as a team in a space at La Caserne where we have our offices to watch the show together. The mission will be twofold: discover, enjoy the moment AND be behind our screens ready to welcome any situation and find solutions if needed. We've prepared to respond to our clients, the entire community that will be calling on us that night."

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 A big thank you to GROUPE M6 and to the whole production team who were always kind and knew how to accompany us in all these steps! Ombline, Jeremy Henriet, Jonathan Curiel 🙌

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So, ready for the show and ready to support us?

See you this Wednesday, January 25th from 9pm on M6 to discover the show and especially, the final decision...