The camera switches on, and suddenly, there he is. Looking fresh, sharp-eyed, with greying hair that looks like it's never out of place: Matthieu Stefani is online. In the microcosm (which isn't really one anymore, truth be told) of French tech start-ups, the man is something of a prodigy. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold: Citizen Side for imagery, then CosaVostra for consulting, and now the famous "Génération Do It Yourself" show for podcasting. A one-man unicorn, he shares his story here, for Hast. Having taken the time, for the occasion, to settle into his office recording studio, surrounded by microphones and cables.
People describe you as a "serial entrepreneur". You never seem satisfied, always ready to draw a new business idea. So, deep down, what makes you tick, Matthieu Stefani?
In life, some people like their comfort zone, when things just drift along. As for me, I just can't do that. I hate spinning my wheels. Inertia, that sluggish feeling, doesn't suit me at all. I need to move forward, even if it means falling flat on my face and failing. I'm always on the move. I connect lots of ideas, jot them down somewhere, and then see what I can do with them. When an idea pounds hard in my head, I absolutely have to do something with it. I can't help myself. I have to take the plunge. That's how I started the "Villa Maria" project, for example, which is a shared office space in Bordeaux. I had just finished setting up my Paris offices, and I wanted to do the same in Bordeaux. I mentioned it on my podcast. Sometime later, a local property entrepreneur got in touch to say he wanted in. We bought offices together, and Villa Maria was born. I'm always launching things, between start-ups and property.
In your opinion, how was this hyperactivity forged?
There's a bit of my mother in that. I love her, but she is hyperactive herself. With her, there's never any rest; she's always jumping on you, organising an activity. And deep down, without wishing to sound too presumptuous, I think I want to leave a mark on the world. At least, on my world. I want to start stories that have an impact, that can create jobs and make people happy. I'm enthusiastic, positive. It's truly exciting to live in this moment, in this era. Tech is booming. I would have loved to live in the days when the wheel, printing, or the steam engine were discovered. Those things changed the world. But what's extraordinary about the internet is that, if you're a bit resourceful, you can do whatever you want. You can take a project to crazy heights on a shoestring budget. My podcast, "Génération Do It Yourself", I started it with 400 euros' worth of equipment — with second-hand gear, it's even cheaper. And today, it turns over more than 300,000 euros a year. I got into it when I already had a heavy workload, a wife, and children. But I got organised. I managed my time, and I still see my family without feeling overwhelmed. This podcast changed my life, I think. Thanks to it, I'm a better person, a better boss, a better husband and father. You know, when I was younger, I dreamed of going surfing on the other side of the world. With friends, I tried to organise trips like that, but every time, we ended up in the Landes, in Hossegor. My friends could never be bothered to book a ticket elsewhere. And then one day, I turned the tables on them. Without telling anyone, I booked a trip to Bali. Naturally, no one came along. I found myself all alone. I'm not really a lone wolf. The trip didn't terrify me, but I was still a bit apprehensive. In the end, I loved it. I realised you have to embrace being the spark, the one who takes action. If others don't get moving, it doesn't stop you. You have to push forward.
The first real project you launched was Citizen Side, in 2005. It was a kind of citizen journalism agency that distributed videos and photos taken by amateurs. What's the story behind Citizenside?
Back then, you couldn't just declare yourself a producer overnight like you can today. Especially if you wanted to work in digital. It was completely uncharted territory. YouTube didn't exist. I ended up getting hired by Metro, which had just launched its free daily newspaper in France. But deep down, I really wanted to create something. Besides, I didn't get along with my bosses at the time at all. I struggled with their authority. I was a free spirit, and they didn't like that. On my own, I started to understand that the photos we were taking with our smartphones were going to turn into a tidal wave. Eventually, I walked away from everything to launch Citizen Side. I knew nothing about digital, I had never founded a business, but never mind, I went for it. Two years later, my partners and I were raising funds. In France, we were the first to broadcast images of Jérôme Kerviel, the famous trader responsible for Société Générale losing nearly 50 billion euros in 2007. Until then, the press only had his bank canteen badge to work with. On our side, one of the Citizen Side members sent us a video of a few minutes showing Jérôme Kerviel being questioned by the financial brigade. Those images went around the world. We also managed to obtain a video of the famous designer John Galliano making anti-Semitic remarks on the terrace of a Parisian café. Those images cost him his job at Dior. But at Citizen Side, we weren't just about creating buzz. We provided major outlets with countless images of the Arab Spring revolutions, for instance. Every day, people risking their lives on the streets sent us content that we relayed for them. In a way, we were helping to change the world.
You left Citizen Side in 2011 and, shortly after, founded Cosa Vostra, an agency you still head today. What is its concept, exactly? Things seem to have evolved over the years…
I was 30, I knew how to build websites, produce things and distribute them. I could be a sort of one-man multinational with just my computer. I started looking for business ideas. I realised that every time I met people, they asked for my business card. Mine was made of metal, and people remembered it. So I decided to turn it into a business. As soon as I put them online, orders started coming in. It was crazy. I sold them in batches of 500 at one euro each per order. Sometimes I had orders worth 50,000 euros. I also branched into rubber wristbands and fancy-dress costumes. I would receive orders, get them produced, and ship them out. That was CosaVostra. But frankly, it was boring to death. I had a few hiccups, too. One day, I got the dimensions wrong on the cards I wanted to make for my father-in-law. I ended up with cards only a few millimetres wide, just like the scene in Would I Lie to You? 2 when they receive children's clothes. When I told my supplier he had made a mistake, he replied that he had only followed my instructions. He was right… I was solely to blame. Today, we don't do that at all at Cosa Vostra. We are a consultancy firm that supports several clients, such as TF1 and Google, helping them implement their online services. Just recently, we developed a platform for a famous Swiss watchmaker so their clients can easily resell their pre-owned watches.
For a few years now, you've been best known as the producer and host of the famous podcast "Génération Do It Yourself", where you interview entrepreneurs from all walks of life. With its growing success, you're becoming a outlet in your own right, wouldn't you say?
I didn't set out to become a outlet. I did things very naturally, and pragmatically at the same time. I bought two microphones and told people I liked that I wanted to interview them to get to know them, to learn something from them. The first episodes were recorded on a table in a corner of the Cosa Vostra offices. Today, we have a proper studio with quality equipment and acoustic ceiling panels. But it remains very hands-on. I do very little editing. I take a very direct, simple approach, in live conditions. Recently, we launched Orso Média, a network for podcasters. We help them grow their projects and, above all, monetise them, much like Cyprien and Squeezie do with Talent Web for YouTubers. For a long time, I dreamed of being a digital nomad. I wanted to work from anywhere, on the road, with just my laptop. I was a bit mistaken about that. Today, to make great podcasts, I need to be in an office. Above all, I'm a team leader, I work with people, and I love it. At Cosa Vostra, I'm rooted in one place. Ultimately, I don't want to be on my own. I'd be unhappy otherwise. Unless you're a hermit, being alone is hard. I say that because everything I do is really about being happy and comfortable in my own skin. That's all that matters.