The Daan Tech story begins in 2012, when Antoine Fichet wins the Les Entrepreneuriales prize, a French competition for budding entrepreneurs, with a novel concept: Rudy, a prototype miniature dishwasher for small spaces. The idea answers a real need in city flats, where washing up by hand remains a daily chore because there’s no room for a standard appliance.
The real entrepreneurial adventure starts in 2015, when Antoine meets Damian Py. Together, they share a common vision: designing household appliances that combine durability, good looks and French manufacturing. The partnership leads to the official creation of Daan Technologies in August 2016, a name blending their first names.
The first months are spent perfecting the prototype in a Parisian cellar turned workshop. Their determination is quickly rewarded: they become finalists of the Prix Pépite Tremplin 2016, a national award for student entrepreneurs, and join the French Tech Diversité programme, a state-backed scheme for founders from under-represented backgrounds, which opens the doors of Station F, the giant Paris start-up campus, and brings valuable support from the WILCO and Réseau Entreprendre 93 accelerators.
After two years of R&D, in July 2017 they meet Nicolas Ravallec, technical director of S20 Industries, a factory in the Vendée, in western France. In January 2018, they move into the factory to launch the prototyping phase, which wraps up in August 2018. In October, pre-orders open.
2019 marks a decisive turning point. After successfully developing their prototype and running a fruitful pre-order campaign (6,000 units sold before production had even started), the founders look for an industrial partner.
But in April 2019, S20 Industries goes into receivership. Damian Py and Antoine Fichet take a bold strategic decision: set up their own production unit while staying loyal to their roots in the Vendée.
The restructuring includes hiring several former S20 Industries employees, including Nicolas Ravallec, who becomes deputy managing director in October 2019. This choice lets Daan Tech keep control over its manufacturing chain while preserving local know-how and jobs.
The search for a production site finally takes them to Cugand, in the Vendée, where they move into a 2,600 m² factory in March 2020. Barely settled in, they have to face the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that follows. Despite the terrible timing, the team keeps going from home to finalise the last technical adjustments.
In May 2020, with lockdown lifted, the assembly line goes in, and on 8 October 2020, exactly two years after pre-orders opened, the first deliveries begin, with positive feedback and minimal after-sales service calls.