The French startup MakAgency has signed contracts with mobility specialists Ascendeo and Norddis for the distribution of its PhoneSide invention.
"The health crisis has considerably accelerated the transformation of organisations", explains Mehdi Maizate, the founder of MakAgency. "Telecommuting is now part of the landscape and there will be no turning back: even if it is no longer compulsory, a quarter of employees continue to work from home at least one day a week. At the same time, more and more employees want to become digital nomads in order to gain autonomy and choose their working environment. All these phenomena confirm a strong trend: digital technology is changing the way we work. From now on, the smartphone is no longer simply used to make phone calls or store photos. It is used for video conferencing, to manage one's schedule and consult one's to-do list, to take and consult one's notes, to calculate, to program, to share a connection."
However, it is not always easy to use it when working on a computer at the same time. Who hasn't :
had a neck ache from turning their head to retrieve data or to talk to a colleague/colleague/client via video?
wasted time looking for their phone hidden under a pile of papers?
tried to write with one hand while holding his/her phone with the other?
dropped his/her phone from the desk?
In response to these problems, MakAgency has developed and marketed PhoneSide, an eco-friendly smartphone holder made in France that fits directly onto the computer and won a prize at the famous Concours Lépine.
Initially produced with modest means, since the Dream Team manufactured the first copies themselves using a 3D printer, Phoneside is finally being distributed on a large scale following successful fundraising on KickStarter and distribution contracts with Ascendeo and Norddis.
"We are very happy to finally be distributed in the Fnac stores. It's an honour, a real recognition and a great sign of success for us", concludes Mehdi Maizate. "And this is just the beginning, as we are currently working on deploying our offer internationally (United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Middle East) and on the market for corporate gifts and marketing objects. At the same time, we plan to launch other new innovative products that will complete our range."